Why Do I Procrastinate?

What does procrastinate mean?

Webster’s Dictionary defines procrastinate as “to put off intentionally and habitually.”

In other words, procrastination means putting things off you’d rather not do or are afraid to do because they are unpleasant or uncomfortable.

But what causes procrastination and what can be done about it? Just because you procrastinate on one thing now, does that mean you will always delay important tasks?

I recently had a bout of procrastination over publishing articles right here on this blog! I wrote articles, but they sat for over a month in my feed…unpublished. Also, procrastination was holding me up from being productive and creating even more content.

You can see my procrastination problem in the image below.

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You can see in this image, my procrastination lasted more than a month!

It wasn’t until I mentioned to my sister that I was having a problem, and we discussed it, that I was able to push past the procrastination.

I can’t remember everything she said during that pep talk, but one thing that stuck in my head was, “done is better than perfect.”

She was right, these articles were done, and I had nothing to lose by getting them out there in public. After thinking about what she said, I immediately published those posts that had been dragging me down. I reminded myself that I can always go in later and edit them as needed.

Procrastination affects most of us at some point or another in our lives. It has struck me more times than I’d like to count.

And, once I push through the procrastination and get on the other side of it, I always wonder why I procrastinated in the first place.

I wanted to find out why I start dragging my feet on my blog posts and how to keep it from happening to me in the future.

Here’s what I discovered about procrastination, why we do it, and how we can overcome it.

Why is Procrastination Bad?

I found the answer to this question from one of my favorite motivational speakers, Brian Tracy. He says that he receives an abundance of requests for more information on procrastination.

So we are not alone, people.

Tracy also explains that procrastination is one of the largest enemies of our productivity and that if we don’t break the habit, it can derail our path to success.

He recommends these strategies to overcome the habit of procrastination.

Change your thinking from negative to positive. Instead of thinking of how you procrastinate and wasting energy thinking about what you are doing wrong, use positive thinking to encourage yourself to “do it now.” The more you say it and act on those words, it will push that thinking into your subconscious to help get tasks done right away. Then you can spend your time thinking about how organized and productive you are, which encourages you to keep moving in a positive direction.
Eat that Frog - Tracy recommends if you have a daunting task (aka a frog), take care of it right away. There is no point in looking at this looming project; just get it done and off your plate.
Focus on the most important tasks first - Tracy explains that we can’t manage time, but we can control our lives. So, in reality, you are executing the sequence of events in your life. When you make a choice to do the essential things first, you put your life on the fast track. You can more than double your productivity in one day by simply changing the order of choices in the way that you use your time. Think…what will have the most significant impact on my life right now and do THAT task first.
Plan each day in advance - Every morning, take a look at your major goals. Then align your tasks with things that will help you achieve those goals. Prioritize those tasks and then get to work.

Brian ends the video with this final thought (which I have had written in my planner since 2017), “If you do right things in the right way, you will get whatever results you desire.”

You can watch Brian’s motivating video below.

What is the main cause of procrastination?

According to Life Hack, there are seven reasons why we procrastinate. You may be affected by one of these causes or a number of them. I know several of these apply to me at the moment!

No clear plan or vision
Poor time management
Disorganization
Tired and worn out
Fear
Distracted
Overwhelmed

Hope is not lost; in the next section, we’ll learn even more ways to overcome the causes of procrastination.

How do you get rid of procrastination?

You can actually stop procrastination dead in its tracks. Here are seven tips and tricks to move forward.

Align your tasks with a goal. You will be much more likely to accomplish a task if it helps you achieve your dreams.
Be ruthless with your time. Don’t do tasks just to appear busy; take on work that propels you forward. Say no to things that suck up your time and don’t impact your life or help you achieve your goals.
Use time blocking. Once you decide on your tasks for the day, schedule them accordingly, and block out the appropriate amount of time to get them done. This video by Amy Landino really helped me understand and make the most of calendar blocking.
Too tired to work? Figure out why. Think back to when you were a kid…you used to have boundless energy. What happened? There are lots of reasons including stress, tired from a long day at work, poor eating habits, not enough exercise, even that time of the month ladies. Figure out what is making you tired so that you can push past it.
Fear. You may have fear of completing a task or goal because you are afraid of failure, and likewise, you may be fearful of success. Make a clear plan with outcomes of accomplishing a task or reaching a goal before getting started.
Distracted. With TVs, smartphones, and computers, it’s very easy to get distracted. When you are working to achieve a goal and complete tasks, turn off notifications, texts, and other distractions. Find a quiet space where you can work without family, friends, or co-workers breaking your concentration. You can block out time on your calendar and share it with others, put a do not disturb sign on your door, and turn off your phone.
Overwhelmed. Lifehack author Ciara Conlon suggests that one of the main reasons we experience overwhelm is that we don’t know where to get started. She recommends breaking large projects down into bite-sized chunks and then break it down even more. Work on your goal every day. Even a small step forward each day is still a step in the right direction.

An Alternative Look at Procrastination

Another one of my favorite motivational speakers is Mel Robbins. She approaches procrastination with a unique point of view and she may just be on to something.

In the video below, Robbins suggests that the real reason people is because it is a habit which is triggered by stress. She explains that the stress overwhelms us and we need to not be so hard on ourselves.

By using a starter trigger we can move forward from the situation using the 5-Second Rule. Then do a task for only five minutes. Research shows that once you get started on a task, 80% of us will keep going. The trick is just getting started.

The goal is to break the connection between the trigger which is stress and the response which is procrastination.

After watching Mel’s video, I realized the past month has been stressful for me. I adopted a new puppy right around the time I stopped blogging.

I forgot how time consuming and stressful having a new puppy can be. So, I guess when I sat down to blog, I procrastinated instead to relieve stress.

I hope these procrastination insights help you to move forward and get things done to achieve your goals!