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How to Handle Stress-Related Procrastination 87
The POWER Plan
end PrOcrastinatiOn nOw! tiP
Proactively cope with upcoming challenges by setting a design
for achievement.
Outline a commitment and challenge thinking approach to
support proactive coping.
work to execute a coping program to operate productively and
reduce stress.
evaluate your progress and not yourself.
repeat this proactive challenge and commitment thinking
approach until it feels natural.
organizing what is going on using the ABCDE problem-solving
format. This organization initiative actively sets the stage for en-
gaging the problem with a clearer, calmer, mind and a directed
sense of purpose.
The curve serves as a reminder of the benefits of challenge
arousal and that this arousal is healthy. Indeed, much learning and
remembering is motivated by adaptive forms of tension.
Breaking the procrastination habit takes work, and this is best
done by working at what you put off. There is another dimension
to this: when procrastination is a symptom of distressing thinking,
the most direct line to freedom is to follow through without diver-
sion; evaluate this thinking using Socrates’, Frankl’s, and Ellis’s
prescriptions. If these ways aren’t successful, try another.
End Procrastination Now! Your Plan
You can learn to buffer yourself against stress conditions that
coexist with procrastination conditions such as anxiety, catastroph-
izing, and feeling overwhelmed. What will work best for you?
