The Psychology Behind Procrastination and How to Overcome It
Understanding the Psychology Behind Procrastination
Procrastination — the silent productivity killer that we all struggle with at some point in our lives. But have you ever wondered why we procrastinate? What drives us to put off important tasks until the last minute?
At the root of procrastination lies a stack of interwoven psychological factors. They range from a fear of failure, perfectionism, or even a lack of motivation. Understanding the underlying causes could help us to break free from the unproductive habit of procrastination.
What the Experts Say:
Psychologists suggest that procrastination is often a coping mechanism to deal with negative emotions such as anxiety or boredom. Delaying tasks is a coping method to avoid dealing with certain emotions and efforts. However, putting off the inevitable just makes emotions such as anxiety even worse, and affects your self-esteem.
Our brains are wired to seek instant gratification in the form of dopamine. When we are faced with a task that won’t provide our dopamine “fix”, we naturally gravitate towards things that will — such as social media scrolling. Dr Anna Lembke, who is an addiction expert, claims that social media is turning us into “dopamine junkies” with every swipe, like, and follow feeding our habit.
Breaking free from procrastination requires real effort, brutal honesty, and consistent self-awareness. The first step is to recognize that you are procrastinating, and tasks (either menial or important) are being neglected. You’re going to have to get around to them eventually.
Identifying Your Personal Procrastination Triggers
We all have triggers that spark a pattern of procrastination. These triggers vary from person to person. They could be the fear of failure, perfectionism, lack of motivation, or even feeling overwhelmed by a task. By recognizing your personal triggers, you can begin to tackle them head-on.
Techniques to Beat Procrastination and Get Sh*t Done
Procrastination can creep into every aspect of our lives, from minor things such as making the bed to major tasks like writing the quarterly budget report. There are several ways to overcome it and become more productive.
Flip the Switch
If social media is your Achilles’ heel, then you could consider using blocking apps when you simply have to be productive. Getting rid of your access to distractions allows you to focus on the things that need to get done. You’d be amazed at how much more productive you become just by flipping the “off” switch on social media for a few hours.
To-Do’s (and Don’ts)
Creating a schedule or a to-do list is a great way to keep you on track. Planning your day, prioritizing tasks, and allocating set times for certain things will help you stay on top of your workload or duties.
It’s important to keep your list in a highly visible place so that you’ll see it all the time. Write it on your whiteboard above your desk, or keep it open on your desktop or phone. Don’t write your list and stash it somewhere to be forgotten.
Lock In and Shut Out
You must eliminate every possible distraction if you need to focus on something important. Close your office door, put your phone on ‘silent’, and disable desktop notifications for 45 minutes. Let your colleagues or family know that you shouldn’t be disturbed for that period. The people around you will begin to take your DND zone seriously and might even begin to adopt the same strategy themselves.
Break it Up
One of the reasons we delay doing certain tasks is that they often seem too daunting to tackle. You might be overwhelmed by the task if you look at it in its entirety, a massive mountain of work that you need to get through. The trick is to break it up into smaller chunks and work your way through them. Smaller steps are much easier to take than hiking the Himalayas.
Walk Away
Let’s face it, nobody is a robot that can work endlessly with unwavering productivity and accuracy. You need to take breaks at regular intervals, adopting the Pomodoro Technique. Studies have shown that 45 minutes is the ideal time limit for laser-like focus. After that, you should get up and walk around for 5 minutes. Talk to someone, water a plant, or make yourself a cup of coffee. Then go back to your zone for another 45-minute focus session.
Discipline Trumps Motivation — Every Time
If you rely solely on motivation to achieve your goals, you’ll never get there. Self-discipline is what will get you through. You have to learn to silence the voice in your head, telling you that you can do it later or that you don’t feel like it. Not allowing anything to get in the way of doing what you said you would do when you said you would do it, is the commitment you need to make. There should be no room for excuses in your mind.
Make Yourself Accountable
Letting other people know what you plan to do will help you to overcome procrastination. Share your goals and progress with your colleagues, family, and friends. They in turn can encourage you and help to keep you on track. You won’t be able to tell yourself that nobody will know if you do something or not. Make it public, then smash through it. Rinse and repeat the cycle.
TL;DR — Takeaway
Procrastination is Psychological and Can Be Overcome
Procrastination stems from fear of failure, perfectionism, and lack of motivation.
It can lead to anxiety, unproductivity, and low self-esteem.
Ditching quick dopamine fixes such as social media scrolling helps to beat procrastination.
Ways to overcome procrastination include:
- Turning off notifications on your devices.
- Using focus apps.
- Creating to-do lists and keeping them visible.
- Retreating to a quiet, “do not disturb” zone.
- Breaking up big tasks into smaller pieces.
- Use the Pomodoro Technique (45-minute focus — 5-minute break).
- Don’t wait for motivation — be ruthlessly self-disciplined instead.
- Be accountable and make your tasks and goals known to others.
The next time you find yourself procrastinating, simply smile, get up, and get it done. Forming this kind of habit will boost your productivity, improve your relationships, and even make you feel better about yourself.
Now, who wouldn’t want that?
