“My mother always told me I wouldn’t amount to anything because I procrastinate. I said, ‘just wait.’” ~ J. Tenuta
Around 20% of Americans (more men than women & many young people) struggle with chronic procrastination. There are several negative side-effects (e.g., health issues, decreased self-esteem, negative consequences etc.) and truly – most people who procrastinate wish they did not. As with all behaviors, it’s important to figure out the underlying cause, this will help determine the right course of corrective action. So, let’s go through three of the top reasons why people procrastinate along with some of the most proven ways to fight this unhelpful behavior.
There can be mental health issues that bring about procrastination. Two of the top three culprits are depression & ADHD. If you think this is why you put things off, it would be best to get advice from a professional. Then there is obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), which is a type of anxiety. Underneath ALL anxiety is the issue of control, for the person with OCD, procrastination is often about perfectionism.
The perfectionist procrastinator puts off tasks out of the fear of not being able to complete them perfectly. Because nothing can ever be perfect (i.e., the cognitive distortion of all or nothing thinking) the person has a very difficult time getting things done. It’s paralysis of analysis in action, or you can think of it this way: perfectionism -> procrastination -> paralyzation. I tell people who are struggling with perfection to try substituting the word “excellent” instead. Another tactic is to actively work to embrace imperfections & failures (clients love these homework exercises – not) as a part of life. Perfectionism truly is a very difficult issue to deal with, I’ll put a couple helpful books below.
Another reason people procrastinate is because our present self deceives our future self. We all suffer from present bias – being more motivated by immediate rewards vs. delayed gratification – so we tell ourselves:
• There’s plenty of time (studies show we are horrible prognosticators of how much time tasks actually take),
• I’m going to wait until I’m motivated (motivation & momentum most often occur ~2 minutes after you start a task),
• I do better under pressure (adrenaline is not linked to higher performance – it’s also harmful to many body systems (https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body).
• By not thinking about this I’ll avoid stress (procrastination adds far more stress than actually doing the task)
If this sounds like you, please tell yourself the truth – procrastination is nearly always an unhelpful behavior that does not serve you. Remind yourself: pain now = gain later (and vice versa). If this isn’t enough try incorporating accountability into your routines. This website provides negative consequences for procrastination: https://www.stickk.com/. The idea is simple – you place a bet on yourself. If you stick to your goals, you get a reward – if not – your money goes to a charity you hate (clever).
One final reason people procrastinate is because they simply don’t want to do the task. Whether the task was assigned by someone else or something you must get done, not doing it allows you to feel defiant. This is called “head in the sand” procrastination, because in essence, you trick yourself into pretending the task doesn’t exist – but it does. If this sounds like your flavor of procrastination try one of these strategies:
• Pair the unpleasant task with something desirable. The catch is, you can only have the desirable item after you complete the task (e.g., I will get Starbuck’s only after I vacuum etc.). Along these lines is the APP Carrot-to-do, which makes a game out of completing tasks.
• Break down the large task into more manageable & realistic pieces. For each of the smaller tasks set up an appropriate external reward, when you finish the task, allow yourself a larger reward. This is very similar to the token economy method you’re probably familiar with (I’ll put a link below). It’s a time-tested & proven method anytime you are looking to motivate yourself.
• Incorporate a time management system into your day. There are so many practical tools for time management, I’ll put a couple of my favorites below – they really are good and proven, I hope you’ll check them out today (not tomorrow 
!
Resources:
Perfectionism:
• Brené Brown: The Gifts of Imperfection
• Taylor Newendorp: The Perfectionism Workbook: Proven Strateiges to End Procrastination, Accept Yourself & Achieve Your Goals
Token Economy:
• APP: Class Dojo
• Neil Fiore: The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrasination & Enjoying Guilt-Free Play
Time Management:
• 10 APPS: https://www.lifehack.org/879171/stop-procrastinating-app
• The Pomodoro Technique: https://www.pomodorotechnique.com/what-is-the-pomodoro…
• Eisenhauer’s Urgent/Important Principle & Matrix: https://youtu.be/tT89OZ7TNwc
• The Ivy Lee Method: The Ivy Lee Method: https://jamesclear.com/ivy-lee
Thank you to James Clear – I reference his material in this post.