Why Do I Procrastinate?

Procrastination

“I won’t do it now, I’ll do it later.” Procrastination is, unfortunately, a familiar companion to many of us on this life’s journey.  Why do we put things off? We know in our mind that it is not the best, that we might even regret it later on!

I’d like to suggest that there are 7 reasons why we procrastinate.

1)The Perfectionist. “Well, I don’t have enough time to do it perfectly, so I won’t do it now.” Alfred Adler was famous for saying we need to develop the courage to be imperfect. So, it’s a matter of courage- we’re afraid we might fail. Or fail to be the best. Or fail to win someone else‘s approval.

2)  The Adrenaline-Junkie “I’ll put it off till it’s exciting to do it. When there’s little time, there’s more pressure, and I like that feeling.”  Many of us operate like this, but it isn’t wise or mature. It’s letting our feelings run amok, not caring what is best. Which is better: to feel good doing it, or to do a good job?

3)  Passive -Aggressive, or Defiant “You can’t tell me what to do. Sure I’ll do it, but you can’t make me. I’ll do it in my own time…” We often deny this, but it is hidden in the depths of our heart. Really, you are rebelling against the thought (or the person) who said you have to do it. Recognize it for what it is!

4) It's not a fun task. Other things that are more fun get higher priority. This goes for things that are easier, or just things that I like better. Unpleasant tasks will remain as low a priority as possible until there is no other option (like a deadline) or it's no longer tolerable (like laundry or garbage). You could call this the path of least resistance. Again, not a mature or wise way to live, and we can overcome it by positive self-talk.  

5) ADHD. A description of ADHD, which I've found to be often accurate: everything is top priority, especially what I'm thinking about NOW. And NOW. And NOW. This can CREATE the situation in #2, where the pressure of a deadline creates a hyperproductivity and adrenaline rush, but it's exhausting to always live this way. Seek out help if you are a person who struggles with ADHD!

6) Lack of reward/payoff. A lot of times the payoff for finishing or doing a good job just isn't as high as we want it to be. This doesn't justify doing a substandard job or not making a deadline, but it does make it a lot less appealing at any given moment. This seems almost the opposite of the perfectionist one, but the phrase "better done than perfect" has helped me a lot with both.

7) Big picture overwhelm. For people who have trouble with details, especially dreamers, the big picture of how much there is to do total can be paralyzing. It can keep us from starting. This goes for everything from cleaning my room as a kid to designing a new course or reorganizing a room in the house. We have the vision, but the many steps it's going to take to accomplish it causes us to put it off until some "future point where I have all the time and resources." Which usually never comes. While dreamers are notorious for talking about things they'll probably never do, some of those things are things they probably could do, but are putting off. 

Get help from a practical person for this! There are lots of people who can help you make a dream become a goal: setting up steps to accomplish it. The world needs visionaries AND practical people; so if you’re a visionary, team up with someone who can help your dream become a reality.

These insights may help us because they take us deeper than the behavior. The procrastination is the fruit of one, or several, of these thoughts.  But with intentionality and effort, we can get the upper hand on it, make improvements. How gratifying would THAT be?!

(Thanks to Jon Gill for his valuable help on this blog.)