A widespread and common obstacle faced by many people globally, procrastination acts as a barrier that hinders people’s ability to achieve their goals — both personal and professional. It involves delaying or putting off tasks that you need to complete, which could range from household responsibilities and personal goals to work projects and assignments. Constantly stalling completing your duties can result in significant negative consequences: including poor and hasty performance, high levels of stress, and a loss of opportunities that might have otherwise been attainable. These repercussions often translate to feelings of inadequacy, anxiety, and guilt, creating a vicious emotional cycle that is difficult to break. 

As defined by the American Psychological Association (APA), self-actualization is: “the complete realization of one’s potential and the full development of one’s abilities and appreciation for life.” And if you’ve ever gone over the well-known Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, you’ll remember that self-actualization was placed at the top of the pyramid, in that to attain it, one must fulfill the previous needs- psychological, safety, belonging, and self-esteem needs. Maslow’s hierarchy can be applied in business too. Business leaders who can see the big picture are more likely to reach success and self-actualization as individuals or for their businesses.

Thankfully, there are many valuable methods you could incorporate into your routine to foster a productive mindset and beat procrastination. Develop a deeper understanding of procrastination, the possible underlying reasons behind this tendency, as well as practical tactics to overcome it, so you can take meaningful steps towards a new and improved approach. 

Understand Procrastination

Psychologists have defined procrastination as “the voluntary delay of an intended action despite knowing that one will probably be worse off for the delay”. In other words, this phenomenon observes the act of deliberately delaying responsibilities, even though you are aware that doing so is damaging and will almost certainly backfire. So how are 20-25% of adults globally chronic procrastinators? Why are people knowingly engaging in habits that are harmful to them?

Underlying Reasons

Studies show that individuals who procrastinate are more focused on short-term “mood repair” than on long-term needs. What this signifies is that you might be engaging in this behavior in order to feel better in the moment instead of facing the challenging emotions that the task in question arouses. 

If a task is perceived as too daunting, it can provoke a variety of emotions that prompt the brain to look for an immediate remedy for these negative feelings: that’s when procrastination comes in. Some of the most common emotions include boredom, fear, and anxiety. These emotions may arise due to various factors: 

Boredom. Boredom could stem from a lack of interest in the task or a belief that the task is tedious or monotonous. As a result, you might find it fairly difficult to actively engage in the task and instead choose to put it off for something more pleasant. 

Fear. Procrastination can be driven by deeper feelings related to the task, such as fear, possibly fear of failure, fear of rejection, or judgment. Procrastination could also be induced by a fear of the unknown, where your uncertainty about the task and what to expect can make it difficult to determine where to start and what steps to take. This can lead to a sense of unease that makes it easy to avoid the task altogether.

Anxiety. If you experience anxiety surrounding your skills or have a low self-esteem, you might be doubting your ability to get the task done. These overwhelmingly negative feelings are a threat to your emotional wellbeing, and so to eliminate this threat you push it off to the future. However, procrastination only makes the problem worse, as it reinforces your anxiety and can make the task seem even more challenging than it really is.

Perfectionism. Similarly, if you are a perfectionist, you can find yourself putting off a task that you believe you will not complete the task to the desired standard or that you will make mistakes well. Sometimes, you might even believe it is more justifiable to not get the job done at all than to do it poorly. 

In all cases, procrastination acts as a coping mechanism to avoid dealing with these emotions. By delaying the task, you can relieve the negative emotions associated with it. However, this relief is only temporary and procrastination often leads to increased stress and negative consequences in the long run. In that sense, we can identify procrastination not as “laziness” as most people perceive it, or as a flaw, but rather as an inability to regulate emotion. 

Side Effects

Procrastination has grave consequences that have been proven across many studies, where it was found to be associated with higher stress, more acute health problems, psychological distress, anxiety, and low life satisfaction. On the behavioral level, procrastination was associated with weak impulse control, lack of work discipline, and lack of time management skills, to name a few.

Overcome Procrastination

There are several techniques that can help you become effective and overcome procrastination, and these include:

Fostering emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is crucial to having a healthy relationship with yourself, as well as with the external environment. The term refers to the ability to understand and manage your emotions, and to identify how they might affect your behaviors and your interactions with your surroundings. Managing your emotions requires a high level of self-awareness, which allows you to first recognize how you are feeling and addressing those feelings effectively. In doing so, you are able to confront the underlying reasons behind your procrastination and take steps towards more effective methods of coping. 

Practicing self-compassion. Procrastination occurs as a result of overwhelming negative feelings, and so one way to overcome it is by accepting your emotions and being compassionate towards yourself. Research has shown that procrastinators have low self-compassion which might be what is contributing to their high levels of stress. Showing kindness and consideration to yourself might then help alleviate stress levels which might in turn allow you to engage in tasks with lower levels of anxiety and fear.

Breaking down tasks. The feeling of being overwhelmed is often the reason why you might procrastinate: you just don’t know where to start, and you’re experiencing a lot of negative emotions. Breaking down tasks into smaller, more manageable parts can make the task feel less daunting and thus, more achievable. 

The journey to overcoming procrastination is not an easy one; it requires an awareness of emotions and an ability to regulate those emotions. However, it is certainly achievable and incredibly rewarding. With learning how to be compassionate towards yourself and understanding your emotions, you will be able to regulate them in a way that increases your effectiveness. In time, you can transform your mindset and achieve the changes that will ultimately allow you to lead a better —and healthier —life.