Nothing exposes my procrastination quite like the holiday season. Every year I have aspirations of getting my gift shopping done earlier and sending cute family Christmas cards in the mail. I tell myself, this Christmas I’m going to be on top of things. Yet, despite my noble intentions, here we are…another Christmas is quickly approaching and I still have gifts to buy and no cards to send.
While the holiday season seems to magnify my procrastination, the truth is that procrastination creeps its way into my best-laid plans and ambitions year-round. My hunch is that I’m not alone.
Whether you find yourself putting off schoolwork, ignoring financial obligations, avoiding decisions, or postponing work projects, habitual procrastination can potentially lead to major problems.
In this blog, we’ll delve into the psychology of procrastination, unpack its underlying causes, and equip ourselves with strategies to overcome it.
What’s Beneath Your Procrastination?
Procrastination is often chalked up to mere laziness or poor time management skills. However, the root of procrastination is often much deeper. An article published by Counseling Today suggests that procrastination is actually an issue of managing emotions, not time. In the article, Julia Baum, a licensed mental health counselor, says, “Poor time management is a symptom of the emotional problem. It’s not the problem itself.”
The article goes on to talk about a key concept in the conversation of procrastination—”discomfort intolerance.” Discomfort intolerance describes the anticipation that a task or activity will cause some sort of unbearable discomfort. This discomfort may feel like embarrassment, anxiety, fear, frustration, boredom, exhaustion, anger, or any other discomforting emotion.
In anticipation of this discomfort, we procrastinate as a way to temporarily avoid the discomfort. And this is how the cycle of procrastination rears its ugly head. The more you push off a task, the more discomfort you feel about it. And the more discomfort you feel about it, the more likely you are to push it off further.
How Does Procrastination Manifest in Your Life?
This article by Simple Practice offers relatable descriptions of ways procrastination may manifest in your life. Here’s a summary of the different types of procrastination they identify:
Arousal procrastination
This type of procrastination describes those who gain motivation from the thrill of leaving things until the last minute. This might look like the college student who starts an important paper the night before it’s due because they “write their best work under pressure.”
Avoidant procrastination
This type of procrastination is driven by fear of the result or consequence. This might look like an employee who puts off preparations for a company presentation because they’re afraid they don’t have the needed communication skills to do well.
Productive procrastination
Sometimes procrastination manifests in the completion of other tasks that may not be directly related to the primary task but are still beneficial to get done. An example of productive procrastination could be the student who puts off working on their final research paper in order to do household chores or review lecture notes.
Impulsivity-related procrastination
This describes the prioritization of immediate gratification over long-term benefits. For instance, quickly saying yes to an invitation to hang out with friends instead of working on an important task.
Distraction procrastination
This type of procrastination is driven by distractibility; inability to stayed focused on the task at hand. The accessibility of technology can be a major distraction that might delay the completion of important work.
Did any of these manifestations of procrastination align with your experience? When I first read through these, I found my experience in each one of these descriptions at some point. That said, you’re in good company.
How Does Procrastination Impact You?
Tangible effects
Some procrastination habits can have direct, adverse effects on your life. For instance, if you procrastinate on financial obligations such as paying bills or paying rent, you could find yourself without utilities or a home. If you habitually procrastinate on completing assignments, you may fail a class. If you consistently miss deadlines at work, you might be let go from the company.
Emotional effects
Above are examples of the tangible effects of procrastination, but there are also emotional effects. Delaying and pushing off tasks is likely to increase anxiety and stress levels. Baum says, “Procrastination is a response to anxiety, but also a trigger for anxiety, so its a vicious cycle: the more one procrastinates, the more anxious about the task one becomes.” Procrastination might also lead to feelings of self-doubt. You may question your ability to meet your goals or fulfill your responsibilities.
Relational effects
In addition to the increase in stress and anxiety, procrastination can affect your relationships with others. For instance, procrastinating on responding to emails, calls, or text messages can result in frustration from the other person who may interpret your delay as disinterest. Postponing the planning of important events or activities could cause anger, disappointment, and missed opportunities with others. Putting off important or difficult conversations, whether they involve addressing conflicts, expressing needs, or discussing future plans, can result in unresolved issues and growing tension between you and others.
Mental health effects
All of these combined effects can adversely affect your mental health. The anxiety stemming from uncompleted tasks may result in lowered self-esteem and have a negative impact on your overall mental well-being. The habitual postponement of responsibilities can create a sense of helplessness and frustration, further exacerbating mental health issues like depression. Additionally, the guilt associated with procrastination may contribute to a negative self-perception, adding an emotional burden to the already challenging task at hand.
How Do You Overcome Procrastination?
Name the discomfort
An important factor in overcoming procrastination is learning to name the discomfort that you are seeking to avoid. Rachel Eddins, a licensed professional counselor, says, “When we suppress our feelings, that’s when the procrastination and avoidance habits emerge.” The next time you think about delaying a task, ask yourself what emotion you feel when you think about the task. If you are unable to attach an emotion to the discomfort, ask yourself where you feel it in your body—tightness in your chest, increased heart rate, etc.
Become aware of urges to procrastinate
Like most behavioral changes we attempt to make, becoming aware of our own patterns is a helpful starting point. Let me give you a couple examples from my own experience. I often feel the urge to grab a snack or drink when faced with a task I’d rather procrastinate on. If I am around others, I have the urge to initiate activities or conversations that will take me away from the task at hand. Here is a list of other urges you might experience:
- Social media scrolling
- Streaming tv shows or movies
- Cleaning or organizing
- Mindless internet browsing
- Engaging in hobbies
- Excessive planning (without actually taking concrete steps toward completing the task)
- Chatting with others
Start to learn what your personal urges are around procrastination. This awareness helps you to learn to embrace the discomfort when these urges strike.
Make tasks more manageable
If you procrastinate to avoid the discomfort of feeling overwhelmed, breaking down a task or goal into smaller, more achievable steps can be a helpful motivator. It is also a good idea to give yourself clear deadlines with each step. If a step is going to be completed “later” be clear about when “later” is. Seeing smaller steps get checked off the to-do list can be an encouragement to keep going.
Be accountable to someone
Being honest with someone else about your procrastination-related behaviors and asking them to hold you accountable to completing challenging tasks can help. Knowing that another person will be checking in on your progress can provide the boost of motivation needed to sit in the discomfort and get things done.
Celebrate small achievements
Pat yourself on the back when you complete small steps toward your intended task or goal. Some have found that a reward system offers a helpful incentive in overcoming procrastination. For instance, allowing yourself to watch an episode of your favorite tv show or getting take-out from your favorite restaurant may help you push through the discomfort of a task.
How Does Procrastination Relate to Mental Health Diagnoses?
While this isn’t the focus of this blog, I didn’t want to leave this question out. Sometimes traits associated with certain mental health diagnoses can make procrastination more likely to occur. This article from VeryWellMind offers brief descriptions about how depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) might impact procrastination-related behaviors.
Concluding Thoughts
Procrastination is something we all do from time to time, but habitual procrastination can become very problematic if left unchecked. I hope that these strategies will help you the next time you face the discomfort of a task or goal ahead of you. As you seek to make changes around your procrastination tendencies, be kind to yourself. You won’t be perfect at it, but that’s no reason to put it off!
*Ginger Hanny, MSW, LSW is a therapist at Journey to Joy Counseling. Ginger enjoys doing individual counseling with adults. She also provides teen and adolescent counseling. Journey to Joy Counseling serves the Indianapolis area, including Carmel, Fishers, Noblesville, Zionsville, and Westfield.
