How to Navigate Revenge Procrastination with this Powerful Question
Have you ever found yourself after the end of a hard, difficult day keeping yourself wide awake doom scrolling or messing around when you know the thing to do is the stuff that you actually should be doing?
Well, let’s talk about some ways to battle revenge procrastination!
What is revenge procrastination?!
Revenge procrastination is that phenomenon of at the end of a long day of hard work, rather than getting into bed early, or, doing the activities that would set you up for success - you find yourself scrolling the social media feeds, staying up late, and burning yourself out more!
Simply put, revenge procrastination is when you act out of odds with what you actually need - like, going to bed and getting good rest! And instead, taking the time to do activities that are easy and make you feel like you suddenly got some time for yourself.
Why do we revenge procrastinate?
It seems counter intuitive but revenge procrastination is a way for us to feel like we’re regaining control. So much of our days are jumping from meeting to meeting, responding to urgent slack messages and emails, scarfing down lunch, navigating tricky slow commutes, putting out fires - you get the feeling right?
Revenge procrastination can give us the feeling of a return to control. We’ll spend out time however we damn well please, thank you very much!
How I work against revenge procrastination!
Want to know how I cured most of my procrastination tendencies by the ripe age of 21?
(Don’t fret, I still procrastinate - I just know why now!)
When I was younger, I appeared as a pretty regimented kiddo. I did my homework, participated in extracurriculars, made sure to get to work at Bertucci’s on time, you get the deal. But once I headed off to college? I found myself sleeping for hours on end, struggling to get work done, and beating myself up about it. I realized that left to my own devices, I procrastinated quite a bit - whether that was hitting snooze (I still do!) or leaving a paper to be an all-night-extravaganza… it was a pain in the ass.
In my junior year, I was lucky enough to study abroad in Prague, and had somehow finagled a 3-day school week, leaving most weekends to be four days long. Brilliant, am I right?
Something shifted. A forcing mechanism was born. Suddenly I realized that if I did my work right after class not only did I finish it with more ease since I could better recall the learnings, and then cement them, but, I could also bounce out for a weekend trip to Vienna or Switzerland without Sunday Scaries awaiting my return.
That was it. Realizing that if I did the work now it was easier and I could go enjoy myself without worry.
Procrastination often is a hint that something deeper is going on: you’re not connected to the goal, you’re fearful of failure or success, you haven’t created a plan that works for you or is reasonable. Go here if that resonates with you, and, figure out your Procrastination Type! Are you a Busy Bee or a Deadline Lover? Tell me!
But when the procrastination is less emotionally charged and more, well, something more tactile, I offer this very specific question for your brain.
“What could I do right now, that would set future me up really nicely?”
This has served me so well in my business. When I set aside working time in my calendar. When I write that email instead of delaying it. When I take time to do deeper work that usually gets skipped over. When I schedule a newsletter or email (I wrote this over a month ago - thanks past Rikki! You rock!)
It helps at home, too. When I opt to take the trash out early in the evening. Or when I clean the dishes while I’m cooking. Or when I prep lunches the night before rather than the morning scramble.
I actively think of myself as my own assistant, and I want to make Rikki’s future life as easy as possible.
So what’s one action you could take right now that future you would thank past you for?
So let’s hook up our future selves, lovingly, with lots of support - as simple as cutting up the fresh fruit so it’s easy to grab. Mmm, that sounds really damn good to me.
Tips to work against revenge procrastination!
Set aside intentional time to bedrot: rather than beating yourself up for scrolling, might I recommend utilizing a free tool like screenzen that control when, and how long, you can spend on a social media app? Basically, set a timer and let yourself revenge procrastinate with a limit so you don’t lose the thread.
Build it as a reward or starting point: earned rest has some complicated connotations, and yet, it can be effective. You might consider setting aside a specific task or period of time that you need to do more “productive” items before you enjoy the glutton of revenge procrastination. That might look like clearing up the kitchen first, or, doing a quick workout. Alternatively, you might set that timer in tip 1, and when it goes off, say yep, that’s enough, time to get up and go!
Combine it: I was 35 years old before I realized that you could fold laundry while watching tv. I know, this seems obvious, but I had never put it together that I didn’t have to fold laundry at the laundromat or in a creepy basement. I could bring the laundry with me and watch a silly tv show while I folded. Maybe there’s a show or podcast you want to zone out to, but you could combine it with a more restorative activity that brings real rest: maybe the podcast comes with you on a walk around the block. Or perhaps you do a slow lazy stretching routine in bed while scrolling - though, I can’t recommend phones in the bedroom - get ‘em outta there - f’reals, it’ll change your life
Create your “rest” menu: often we pick up our phone and hit an app without thinking. Just try looking at the number of pick-ups a day! It’s wild! Something that can help is creating a list of activities that actually restore you more deeply than instagram - it’s hard to remember them all! So you can develop a little “rest” menu, or a “dopamine menu” - a set of activities or tasks that would actually support you
Set up future you: be kind to tomorrow you. When you’re craving that revenge procrastination moment, take a beat and ask - what could I do right now that tomorrow me would be so grateful for? And then try that, instead.
Want to create your own “rest” menu? Snag the Dopamine Menu Template!
At the end of the day, we all procrastinate. Whether that’s to avoid discomfort, fear, or we’re struggling with clarity on our goals. And sometimes, we revenge procrastinate to feel a semblance of control. You’re human!
Want to figure out what type of procrastinator you are?