Do you often find yourself postponing your tasks? Whether it’s studying, a work project, or a New Year’s resolution, procrastination can creep into various aspects of our lives, leaving us frustrated and stressed as deadlines approach. This article will explore the four primary causes of procrastination and delve into four effective solutions to overcome it for good.
Before we dive into the causes and solutions, let’s define procrastination from a psychological perspective. According to the dictionary, procrastination means:
“To defer or postpone from one day to another, from today to tomorrow, to gain time or even with the intention of not doing what one should.”
This definition highlights the dangerous aspect of procrastination, particularly the part that mentions “with the intention of not doing what one should.” This embodies the most severe consequence of procrastination: failing to complete tasks we’ve set out to do.
As stated on the psychology portal State of Mind, procrastination is:
“The behavior that leads us to voluntarily delay an action despite being aware of the future negative consequences. At this moment, we tend to replace priority activities with less relevant and more enjoyable ones.”
Of interest here is the part about replacing activities. This triggers a psychological and mental block towards more critical tasks, initially affecting one area of our life (like studying or working) and eventually influencing broader aspects of our lives and social behavior, becoming a well-established habit. The ultimate result is a widespread inability to act, leading to lowered self-esteem and confidence in our abilities.
We all occasionally exhibit procrastination tendencies, but it becomes a problem when postponing tasks becomes a habit. Chronic procrastinators evade tasks to escape their insecurities and fears, putting off work to avoid the issues and worries.
So, what can be done? For chronic procrastinators, a practical guide with targeted interventions can help overcome procrastination. However, if procrastination is a temporary issue for you, here are some small tips to help you overcome this challenging period and prevent you from fitting the profile of a chronic procrastinator. Causes of Procrastination and How to Stop Now, let’s explore the four leading causes of procrastination and four corresponding solutions to help you stop postponing your tasks:
Procrastination might be a symptom of poor time management. If you work or study late into the night or during weekends, your brain will inevitably take breaks, creating a vicious cycle where more work leads to more accumulated work.
It’s not uncommon to find ourselves wandering on social media or news websites during intense study or work periods.
Solution:
If you despise your job or feel you need to choose the right field of study, procrastination will persist no matter how many personal growth techniques you apply.
Solution: It’s time to reconsider your career path. List your passions, what excites you, and what you’d do even without a paycheck. To address the issue in the short term, try using one of these seven techniques to stop procrastinating.
Procrastinating routine and tedious tasks is common, even if you love your job.
Solution: Instead of focusing on individual tasks, place them in a broader context and visualize how relieved you’ll feel once you’ve completed those tedious chores.
Fear and procrastination often go hand in hand. Whether searching for a new job, approaching someone you admire, or starting your own business when you’re scared (even if you won’t admit it), you’ll always find plausible excuses to delay what you want and need to do. Procrastination driven by fear is the worst thing that can happen to an individual. Instead of pursuing your dreams, you find yourself immobilized, unable to act.
Solution: Recognize that you can take action despite fear. Taking action despite fear is the only way to make it disappear.
As you reflect on your procrastination tendencies, consider which causes resonate with you. Understanding the root cause is the first step towards conquering procrastination and achieving your goals. Don’t let procrastination hold you back. Take charge of your time and life, and make procrastination a thing of the past.