6 reasons why we procrastinate
You may already split up with times when you left something for the last hour or else, things you’ve been putting off for years for some reason. In general, we all have the ability to postpone something, thanks to our cognitive reward ability to postpone. However, this can undermine anxiety management by dealing with the possibility of not having enough time to complete, or else not completing what we should be doing in the most appropriate way. The possible reasons for procrastinating and how to deal with it will be discussed below.
The procrastination of routine things like washing your clothes or putting on the painting you bought a year ago, as well as the bigger things like taking up a new course that you have been thinking about for a long time, can reach any human being. Of course, some individuals may postpone more than others, so it is important to identify as the causes for which this extension happens indiscriminately to some.
Why we procrastinate
1. It’s boring
We can postpone an activity simply by finding it boring. For example, declaring income tax is an activity that can be massive, and then many people postpone until the last day to do it or what can generate nervousness and anxiety. It doesn’t matter if you are promising yourself that next year you will be more aware of the deadline, you will probably be late again once you considerer is this too boring.
2. It is irritating
It is also possible to prolong something that is irritating, such as starting a project at home, as you know that the noise and mess generated will irritate you, so that decision is postponed as much as possible. Even if this work has a significant improvement in your daily life, you prefer to avoid dealing with this discomfort.
3. It is ambiguous, doubtful
Another possible reason for which trend is to postpone something can happen when you don’t know what to expect or when the next steps are unclear. If you decide to release a book, for example, you don’t know how the public will react, if it is well accepted or criticized and this doubt can paralyze you, preventing you even from writing. Ambiguity can also generate anxiety, if you don’t know what to expect, it will tend to create the most diverse scenarios in your head.
4. It is unstructured
We can also procrastinate something that has no structure enough to start with. For example, if you are asked to learn something totally new like learning a language and with the following words: “you have to learn Chinese in 6 months”, you will probably be lost, not knowing where to start, how to study, what is the best method, school and so on. Lack of structure can be a motivator for procrastination.
5. It is difficult
In addition, we can postpone something as challenging. If you know that you have a hard time doing something specific in your sport for example, you will probably skip all the other options ahead of you that have the most difficulty. Naturally, we tend to postpone what we have the most difficult because there is certainly some kind of discomfort.
6. Without purpose or meaning
We may also postpone activities for which we will not find purposes or meanings, such as finishing a college where you no longer identify. Or take a test that deals only with an obligation, but will not bring you any benefit in the future.
In addition to the possible reasons, it is important to emphasize that the root of procrastination is fear and, therefore, it is easier to postpone and “hide” something that generates fear and discomfort. Remembering that fear has different and important functions in the lives of individuals, such as signaling when something needs to change or when there is something that threatens.
Main fears associated with procrastination
1. Afraid to fail
When the individual knows that there is a possibility of failure or error, he can avoid exposing that risk, as well as the maximum activity or decision.
2. Fear related to expectations
People who try to avoid judgment, make another one and be the same. With the receipt of not meeting expectations, how people can avoid an attempt and can contact “incomplete” or “not good enough”, so, before that, adopt something until the last moment.
3. Fear of not being enough
There may be fear or it may not be enough to learn something new for example. People may have a limiting belief that something is very difficult or if it is within their reach, then try something that doesn’t stop the feeling of “not being able to handle it”.
4. Fear of regret
There are two aspects to this category: repenting for not having done it, called “what if …?”, And repenting for having done something impulsively. One side or the other, they regrets can come and be seen in different ways, as punishment or as an opportunity to learn, it is up to the individual to choose how to deal.
How to identify the roots of fear and deal
In short, it is important to do a self-analysis by asking yourself:
1. What am I postponing?
2. What is the central reason? (one or more of the 6 listed above)
3. What is my fear related to this? (one or more of the 4 listed above)
4. How could I deal with this more effectively?
5. What would be the benefits if I performed this task or decision now instead of postponing it again?
After asking these questions, you will be able to see more clearly what is motivating you to prolong something and possibly make a decision about it. Make no mistake, there is also discomfort in procrastination when the individual constantly remembers that he needs to do something or make a decision, this generates more anxiety and frustration putting him in touch with his fear. The perception, although unconscious that something is still open, generates discomfort and dissatisfaction. In other words, whether doing something, or just keeping it in your head and choosing to postpone it, the discomfort will come, but the intensity and durability of it is your choice.
“You don’t need to see the whole staircase, just take the first step” Martin Luther King Jr.
Procrastination and anxiety
Finally, some patients have asked me how it is possible for an anxious person to be procrastinating at the same time. When we stop to look more closely at this pattern, we can see that when procrastinating something for one of the reasons listed above, the individual tends to be distressed and anxious to have left it for the last minute. In addition, anxiety can be fueled by the simple reminder that there is something open, something that needs to be done, which feeds the pattern of anxious behaviors in a cyclical manner. To break this cycle, it is necessary to identify the reasons and triggers for the postponement behaviors and use the strategies above in order to act proactively on what is in its scope to change.
“A year from now you may wish you have started today” — Karen Lamb
Last considerations
Finally, the first step in dealing with procrastination is recognizing it and not punishing yourself when you encounter it. That is when you remember something that you have postponed so long ago, tell yourself that it is okay not to have done it before and make an action plan for this activity, duty or desire to be accomplished. Remember that small advances are progress as well as great leaps. No matter the speed, small steps make the way.
