10 Reasons You Procrastinate & How To Train Your Brain To Stop
Still Putting It Off?
In the face of a looming deadline and a mounting to-do list, do you find yourself staring at the clock instead of being productive? We've all been guilty of procrastination, even though we know it just makes life harder. Beyond being a bad habit, it's a complex psychological problem often rooted in fear and insecurity. However, it's nothing you can't train yourself out of once you understand the underlying problem. Here are 10 reasons you might be procrastinating and 10 strategies for training your brain out of the habit.
1. Anxiety
Procrastination is a common practice as a coping mechanism for stress among people who suffer from anxiety. Even though you know it won't make the problem go away, you tend to push it into the future until you can't ignore it anymore, creating a negative feedback loop.
2. Depression
For people experiencing depression, getting out of bed can feel like a monumental task. They procrastinate because even simple tasks feel impossible.
3. Feeling Overwhelmed
Most of us procrastinate on tasks because they feel overwhelming, and we don't know where to begin. Feeling overwhelmed makes us feel stressed and like we don't have control.
4. Fear
People procrastinate because they're afraid of failure in meeting their own or other people's expectations. Delaying the task gives our self-esteem temporary protection.
5. Distractions
Our day-to-day lives are inundated with distractions from our phones, TV, social media, and social lives. Especially for those who grew up with the internet, sustained attention is particularly tough.
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6. Low Self-Esteem
Harkening back to the fear of failure, low self-esteem is a major driver for procrastination. Self-deprecating thought patterns make us believe we can't complete the task, so we delay starting.
7. Perfectionism
Perfectionists procrastinate because of the unrealistically high expectations they put on themselves. The fear that they won't be able to reach perfection prevents them from beginning.
8. Impulsivity
Impulsive people have trouble sticking to one task because they constantly act on their urges. They'll often take on far too many projects simultaneously and have trouble setting boundaries for themselves.
9. Poor Self-Regulation
Self-regulation is the ability to manage thoughts and feelings to reach your goals and achieve success. If you have trouble managing negative emotions tied to a task, it will prevent you from starting.
10. Not Knowing How To Start
Perhaps the most common reason for procrastination is not knowing where to start. It's the "blank page syndrome" that overwhelms us, breaks us down, and makes us want to curl up in a ball and do nothing.
Now that we've covered the most common reasons for procrastination, let's talk about how to curb the bad habit and become a productive human.
1. Break Down Tasks
Don't let large tasks loom over you and make you feel overwhelmed. Instead of looking at the whole project like one big roadblock, break it up into little bite-sized pieces and tackle them gradually.
2. Reward Yourself
A simple way to curb your procrastination is to offer yourself little enjoyable rewards at each small milestone. It reinforces productive behavior and gives your brain its much-craved dose of dopamine.
3. Change Your Environment
Sometimes, all it takes to kickstart productivity is a change of scenery. Are you tired of sitting at your desk? Take your laptop to your local cafe or your living room sofa for a change.
4. Eliminate Distractions
If you find your eyes keep wandering to your phone, engaging in social media, or replying to texts, get that phone out of your sight. Put it in another room on silent.
5. Visualize Success
A great way to get your head in the game is to remind yourself of your motivating factors. Visualize your version of success so you can complete the tasks necessary to reach it.
6. Give Yourself Deadlines
Setting deadlines for yourself will create a sense of urgency. Giving yourself time limits prevents you from slipping into the mindset that you can just do it tomorrow or next week or next month.
7. Just Do It
Nike was onto something. Many of us tend to overthink a task instead of just starting on it. Instead, try not thinking about it beforehand and just dive in.
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8. Make A List
One of the oldest productivity tricks in the book is also the most effective. Making a to-do list can help you break up larger projects and prioritize tasks. It's particularly helpful if you're a visual person.
9. Try The Pomodoro Technique
To boost your productivity, consider trying the pomodoro technique, in which you engage in sustained, focused work for 25-minute intervals, split up by five-minute breaks. By splitting work into manageable chunks and offering breaks as rewards, you prevent burnout and avoid procrastination.
10. Understand Why You Procrastinate
Everyone procrastinates for different reasons. Understanding why you procrastinate is the first step to overcoming it. If you don't know the underlying problem, how do you expect to address it?
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