Find The Root Causes Of Your Procrastination And Solve Them All
Procrastination is the thief of time!
~Edward Young
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to more urgent ones, or doing more pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones, and thus putting off impending tasks to a later time. When you procrastinate it means that you are willingly delaying a task for some reason even if it causes negative consequences.
But why do we procrastinate? Many research has been done to study why human beings procrastinate and have confirmed that there are three main reasons why people procrastinate- task aversiveness, future incentives, and time delay of these incentives [1]. For example, if the task is hard and it will be in the future, then people might not want to do it. Also, if they have an incentive right now rather than in the future or if there is a delay between starting and getting the reward of completing the task, then people might also not want to start it.
But some people have traits that make them more likely to procrastinate. For example they may not have good self-control or they may be impulsive. And research shows that these two traits could be inherited [2].
Reasons why You Procrastinate
Types of Procrastination- Primary vs Secondary procrastination
Procrastinators delay tasks for both primary and secondary reasons. Primary reasons are those that procrastinators themselves identify as the cause or origin of their procrastination; whereas, secondary reasons are rationalizations that the procrastinator fabricates for procrastinating. Here are some reasons why you could be procrastinating.
1. Task Aversiveness
Task aversiveness is the measure of how much one dislikes or fears performing an activity. It has been considered as one of the procrastinator’s central problems. When people procrastinate, they are probably delaying tasks which are unpleasant for them to do, and procrastinators tend to choose easier tasks than non-procrastinators,- the state of being averse to a task due to its negative, unpleasant nature.
2. Future Incentives
One main reason why people procrastinate is because of no immediate incentives. People procrastinate on a task or goal they want to achieve because of the lack of incentive for them to pursue the goal right now. A college student might easily procrastinate with his studies because there is no immediate incentive for studying at that point in time.
3. Under planning
Some researchers believe that procrastination is driven by the planning fallacy, in which people underestimate their time needed to complete tasks resulting in them wasting time and delaying projects due to not starting it on the appropriate time. These people generally believe that they will perform tasks more successfully if given more time to complete them, and expect to perform better as a result of the delay.
4. Having a Vague Goal
In this kind of procrastination you have a vague goal in mind, and not a clear idea on how to achieve it. For instance, you might say that your goal is to “get fit,” but not consider what this really means or the steps needed to get there. These goals which are vague or abstract, compared with those that have clear objectives and can be achieved may quickly lead you down the path of inaction- they’re too broad for your attention span and make it difficult to decide what should come next in terms of action steps; contributing towards becoming distracted very easily by other things going on.
5. Analysis Paralysis
We have 20 different flavours of icecream you can choose from- and you after thinking for 5 long minutes answer- I’ll just have the Vanilla! Have you faced this? Have you been stuck with too many choices and ended up procrastinating on making a choice?
Analysis paralysis is the state of over thinking to an extent that it prevents you from taking action. It occurs when there are too many choices, causing overwhelm thus leading to procrastination. Many people may not want the hassle that comes with making tough choices so they choose neither option- putting off these sorts of tasks altogether
6. Perfectionism causes procrastination
Procrastinators often set extremely high standards for themselves and others. They may even procrastinate on tasks that they perceive as relatively easy because it does not meet their unrealistic expectations. Some procrastinators procrastinate because they fear making a mistake. Perfectionists procrastinate for many reasons; the most common reason is that they are concerned about what others might think if their work is not up to par or is not completed exactly as they envisioned.
7. Low Self efficacy
When someone does not believe they can do something, they will be less likely to do it [4]. So if someone has a task that is difficult for them, they might not start doing it right away. They might even wait until the last minute to do it because then if they are unsuccessful, the cause will have been their lack of time rather than their lack of ability or knowledge of how to complete the task.
8. Impulsivity and Procrastination
An impulsive person might end up procrastinating on an assignment that they’re currently working by suddenly deciding to go out with friends, even though the consequence of not finishing is a lot more severe than just getting stuck at home all day.
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Why is Procrastination bad?
Procrastination can cause your mind to become preoccupied with all the things that need doing that have not been done; whether it be during a time when you’re trying not do anything or even just before bed. This could affect sleep patterns as you may find yourself tossing and turning at night worrying about it, which doesn’t leave much time for restful relaxation before getting out of bed again in the morning which then further influences our emotions causing more stress and anxiety
2. Procrastination will eat into your free time.
That’s right – if you spend hours browsing social media, or numbing with Netflix instead of doing your work, you’re not going to have much time to relax. Whether it’s doing your laundry or simply taking a nap after a long day of work, procrastination is robbing you of valuable free time.
3. Procrastination makes you less productive.
When individuals wait until the lastminute to do tasks, they are not as productive working under stress. They rush through the process and may have to redo some of it or miss deadlines completely. This can cause them to procrastinate even more because it messes up the task they were supposed to complete by procrastinating, which is a negative feedback loop.
4. Procrastinating can become a habit too difficult to break.
We all like to sit with our feet up but procrastination can become a habit that is difficult to break due to the fact that procrastinators tend to put off tasks as long as they possibly can. The cycle continues as procrastinators fall further behind on their necessary obligations and begin procrastinating even more. While it may be easy for an occasional procrastinator, those who procrastinate as a lifestyle can find it increasingly difficult to make themselves start on time as the procrastination cycle continues.
5. Procrastinating can be costly.
Procrastinating can cause loss, both in terms of time and money. For example, procrastinating can lead to rushing last-minute which leads to carelessness that may result in mistakes or accidents.
6. Procrastinating can Impact your overall wellbeing
People who procrastinate wait until the last minute to do things. They are more likely to lack mindfulness or confidence, which means they will have low Subject of WellBeing. These people are less confident in facing the challenges of procrastination, and they waste time and emotions. This leads to negative consequences like reduced mindfulness and decrease in Subject of Wellbeing.
How can you overcome procrastination?
1. Understand what procrastination is and why you do it .
The first step is to know if you are procrastinating or not. You can do so by keeping track of how much time you spend procrastinating on certain tasks and writing down your observations, having a weekly check-in with yourself where you consider whether procrastination crept into your week, or by talking to someone about it.
2. Identify your triggers for procrastination .
Understand the things that trigger procrastination in you. What are the factors that contribute to procrastination? Is it your thoughts, feelings or environment which triggers procrastination? Write down all possible triggers and revisit them periodically to make sure procrastination is not creeping back in.
3. Acknowledge and accept your procrastination.
Sometimes the urge to procrastinate can be overwhelming and you might feel like you can’t handle it on your own, that’s ok. Accepting procrastination as a part of yourself (just like procrastination!) will help you identify the triggers and analyze your procrastination more clearly. Once you accept procrastination as part of yourself, only then can you move forward in overcoming procrastination.
4. Change your environment to reduce procrastination .
Sometimes it is difficult to avoid procrastinating if the conditions are right for procrastination. Work on removing procrastination triggers from your environment first. For example, if you have a habit of procrastinating by watching TV , then maybe there are less procrastination triggers on your phone or laptop that can help you divert the urge to procrastinate, whatever they might be.
5. Take small steps to start implementing your plan .
If procrastination occurs every time you feel overwhelmed, then set yourself up to take small steps towards your goal. Instead of making a big list of things to do and procrastinating on all of them at once, make a short list that gets completed quickly and move on from there. Research shows that exposure to the task you have been procrastinating on in small doses can help deal with procrastination [4].
7. Talk to someone about procrastination .
Talking to a friend, family member or a coach about your procrastination can help you identify triggers and procrastination habits which might have otherwise gone unnoticed. Talking out loud will also help you take ownership of procrastination as something that is actually happening within you.
8. Keep procrastination in check .
Remember procrastination is not bad, it’s only procrastination when you know what you should be doing and end up procrastinating anyway. By keeping procrastination under control, you can still enjoy the benefits of procrastination without creating negative consequences like missing deadlines.
6. Reward yourself if you are successful .
If procrastination is driven by procrastinatory thoughts or feelings, then give yourself small rewards for completing tasks to keep procrastination under control. For example, treat yourself with your favorite snack after finishing any one task to keep procrastination under control.
Conclusion
Procrastination is a common and normal human behavior, but when it becomes an obstacle to achieving goals or daily tasks it can create significant problems. When you procrastinate, your brain feels like you’re doing something “good enough” in the moment instead of focusing on what needs to be done now. The end result? You get less work done and more stress builds up over time. Now that you are armed with the knowledge of why Procrastination occurs, you can be mindful and catch it as it occurs.
Simply becoming aware of when you procrastinate is a great step ahead to over procrastinating and a big stepping stone towards your overall Personal Development.
If you need more help to get procrastinating out of your life, then a professional coach can help you. Reach out for some expert coach today.
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References
- https://wires.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wcs.1492
- Gustavson DE, Miyake A, Hewitt JK, Friedman NP. Genetic Relations Among Procrastination, Impulsivity, and Goal-Management Ability: Implications for the Evolutionary Origin of Procrastination. Psychological Science. 2014;25(6):1178-1188. doi:10.1177/0956797614526260
- Beutel, M. E., Klein, E. M., Aufenanger, S., Brähler, E., Dreier, M., Müller, K. W., Quiring, O., Reinecke, L., Schmutzer, G., Stark, B., & Wölfling, K. (2016). Procrastination, Distress and Life Satisfaction across the Age Range – A German Representative Community Study. PloS one, 11(2), e0148054. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0148054
- Rozental, A. & Carlbring, P. (2014). Understanding and Treating Procrastination: A Review of a Common Self-Regulatory Failure. Psychology, 5, 1488-1502. doi: 10.4236/psych.2014.513160.