8 Causes of procrastination

​Awareness is the first step to solving any problem. Before you can implement your solution, you must ensure that you have the right solution. To do this, you must be able to properly identify the problem and; where possible, the actual cause of the problem. Procrastination is no different. It is a very common problem but there are a number of different causes of procrastination. Each individual situation differs so, it is important that you don’t make assumptions and treat each case on its own merits.

​The following 8 causes of procrastination are some of the most common causes. If you are experiencing procrastination, ask yourself honestly if one of these causes of procrastination could be the root of the problem.

We live in a world where so much is available at our finger tips. Think for a moment about the wide range of things you can do just by taking your phone out of your pocket. So many things in life have become really easy. We can achieve a lot without any discomfort or difficulty.

However, there are many areas of life for which there are no shortcuts. Even with technology, you still have to sit down and grind out the difficult jobs. You still have to do jobs you hate and you still have to make difficult decisions. If you are procrastinating; could it be that you are just unwilling to endure the extra discomfort that comes with performing difficult tasks.

This even applies to ou​r ability to think clearly. Modern technology has been designed in such a way that we can spend hours using it without ever having to engage in any serious thought. We have gotten out of the habit of thinking clearly and; effective decision making.

If you can’t think clearly and make quick decisions, you are going to find yourself procrastinating frequently.

​If you are struggling with procrastination, check out Stop Procrastinating.

The things which you tend to procrastinate are generally the more difficult tasks or, at the very least, the tasks which you perceive to be most difficult. If you tend to blame yourself when problems arise, then you may not feel able to ask for help and to overcome the difficulties.

This makes the problems worse. It is very common that people procrastinate because they lack confidence in their ability to successfully complete the job; despite the fact that they are more than capable of doing so.

This problem stems from perfectionism. Society sometimes makes you feel like you need to do a perfect job at everything you. So, you won’t start until you feel that you can do that perfect job. But that is the worst thing you can do.

When you take action, you achieve an outcome. That outcome may be the outcome you were looking for or, it may not be. Either way, you can learn from the outcome and make any adjustments / improvements required.

If you don’t take action, you have nothing to learn from.​

When you first look at a big project or difficult job, it can be overwhelming to see how much work needs to be done. This isn’t helped by the fact that you automatically assume that you are going to have to do everything yourself and, you don’t take into account how much time you have to complete the job.

To avoid the overwhelm, you need to break the job down to its smallest tasks, identify what you can hand off to others and how much you would have to do each day (usually small amounts) to get the job done by the deadline.

This leaves you with a more realistic view of the job which helps to reduce the sense of overwhelm.

You can only do so much in one day. You need to know what you are capable of and, where you can seek help. The better your organisation, the better able you are to manage your workload and eliminate overwhelm.

​If you struggle with organisation, check out The Modern Professional’s Guide to Organisation and Focus.

You may feel that you have insufficient skills to complete a job successfully. You forget that you can develop the skills and, whilst completing the job, you will get every chance to practice those skills and sharpen them.

When I first took my business online, I knew nothing about websites. I have learned almost entirely through Google and now run a number of large websites. You have to start somewhere but if you don’t start you cannot learn and improve.

Take a moment to imagine a life where you never learned, grew or improved. How boring would that be? Thankfully, that is not how life works. You need to constantly grow and stimulate yourself to achieve new levels.

When you are faced with a challenge whereby you don’t know how to do it; you should see that as a great opportunity to learn. If you can make a start, you should do so; safe in the knowledge that you can learn what you need to learn as you go along.

Some people get carried away with their expectations of what is required to get a job done successfully. This leads to them demanding too much of themselves and continually deferring finishing the job. The easy way to deal with this is to get clear on the expectations before you start the job.

Before I sat my final exams for my degree, I asked one lecturer if she deducted marks for answering in bullet points rather than essay style. She told me that she didn’t care as long as the important information was in the answer. I completed her 3-hour exam in 1 hour while everyone else was stressing, trying to find the right words to construct sentences.

Unrealistic expectations are truly one of the self-inflicted causes of procrastination. If you think that you need to do way more that you really need to do; of course, you are going to be overwhelmed and, tempted to procrastinate.

In business, there is a great term – Minimum Viable Product. The idea is that you identify the least work needed to get a product up and running. Then, you can improve on it. You could translate this approach to anything.

For example, if you were writing a report, you could write if off the top of your head. You can then proofread it, edit it and identify the areas where you need extra information. This would be much quicker than sitting there trying to work out everything you are going to need.

And, always ask others what they really need from the job; not what they want. Meet the needs and the bells and whistles can be added later.

Perhaps you are constantly being assigned work that you don’t think you should be doing. Maybe you just don’t like your boss or, maybe you feel that you always end up covering somebody else’s backside.

When things like these are happening, it is easy for resentment to build up and you can find yourself withdrawing your services and deliberately delaying work. It’s your way of getting back at others.

While you may have a case, this is not the best way to deal with it. Each of these issues should be dealt with on their own merits. In the end, performing below your best only damages your own reputation.

Always live by your own values. I am sure that always doing your best is one of your values. By allowing your resentment to take over and keep you from doing your best; you are making the other person look better. People quickly work out what you are up to and it makes you look bad. It also makes the other person look like the victim; even if they are not.

If you keep procrastinating, it eventually becomes a habit. It just becomes easier and more comfortable to put things off rather than do them. Also, the sense of urgency you feel when you need to rush to meet a deadline can become addictive.

For years, I prided myself on saying that I was great under pressure. As if it was something to be product of. Generally, if you are good under pressure, it because you are even better at putting yourself under pressure than you are at coping with it.

Habit is one of the more stubborn causes of procrastination to eliminate because you have to put a great deal of effort into  developing better habits. But the effort Is worth it as the benefits are beyond measure. For example, just improving your organisation, can help you to get more of your most important work done while reducing the pressure and stress you are experiencing.

If your procrastination is a habit, for the sake of your career and your health, break that habit.

Inability to concentrate and lack of motivation can be a symptom of depression. If you have other symptoms, like sleeping problems, lack of energy and appetite, crying a lot etc., you should go and get advice from your doctor.

There is no shame in experiencing depression. It is something which many of us will experience at some time in our life. So, put yourself and your health first and seek the support of your doctor. You will be much better off for it.

If you thought you might have a serious physical issue, you wouldn’t ignore it. You would have it checked out as soon as possible. Mental and emotional issues should be treated with the same respect. If you have any suspicions that you may be experiencing depression, anxiety etc., see your Doctor.

​ If you are struggling with procrastination, check out Stop Procrastinating.

​Procrastination is a major problem in the modern working world. It costs companies and the economy a fortune as work gets delayed and deadlines pass. If you are experiencing procrastination, it is important that you tackle the problem at the earliest opportunity. To do this, you must first consider the causes of procrastination and determine which may be the cause(s) of your procrastination. Once you have done so, you can then set about putting an end to the problem.