Procrastinating is something we all do from time to time. It can be quite tempting to put off something today that you can do tomorrow. But what about people who habitually procrastinate? Although it may seem easier to postpone an unpleasant task, chronic procrastination has serious emotional and physical health consequences, including increased rates of anxiety, depression, and hypertension. As Abraham Lincoln once said, “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” Let’s examine why we procrastinate and eight tips to prevent it.

Why Do We Procrastinate?

Many people associate procrastination with laziness or poor time management, but you might be surprised to learn that procrastination is primarily a problem of emotional regulation. Here are the main reasons why we procrastinate:

Emotional Coping

Procrastination is frequently used as a coping strategy to deal with unpleasant feelings. Certain tasks bring up complicated emotions, and rather than managing them, you would rather avoid doing them altogether. For example, an individual may feel overwhelmed and anxious about a work presentation, so they keep putting it off. When they avoid performing the task, it provides emotional relief and becomes reinforcing.

Unclear Expectations

When a project is confusing, our brain sees it as threatening and unmanageable. Rather than expend the effort to organize the task ourselves, it is much easier to delay and deal with it later. Assignments that are accompanied by clear and specific instructions are less likely to be the object of procrastination.

Small and Slow Rewards

If a task is perceived as having little value—or the outcome is far in the future—it is more probable that it will be subject to procrastination. People want immediate rewards for work they can appreciate. If an assignment feels pointless or lacks a quick payoff, individuals may postpone its completion.

Perfectionism

Perfectionists make the most elementary tasks more difficult. Because everything needs to be perfect, the individual feels immense pressure to perform up to an unrealistic standard. As a result, they would rather avoid doing it than do it imperfectly. Procrastinating takes away the stress of producing perfect outcomes (at least temporarily), and this relaxed feeling is highly reinforcing.

Inadequate Energy or Attention

I have often preached the importance of sleep in this blog, and this is another reason why. Individuals who are tired or stressed are more likely to avoid a difficult task. You just don’t want to deal with anything when you are exhausted. This also applies to those people who have limited attention spans and have difficulty synthesizing information. When our brains are fatigued, they are ripe for procrastination.

Eight Tips to Stop Procrastinating

While the reasons we procrastinate may feel legitimate, chronic avoidance can cause substantial harm. Here are eight tips to combat procrastination:

Examine Your Emotions

Earlier, we discussed how procrastination is mainly a problem of emotional regulation. So, it makes sense that we would need to examine exactly what emotions we are avoiding by delaying a task. Is it boredom? Fear of failure? Feelings of general inadequacy? If you can recognize and explore those feelings, you won’t have as much need to use procrastination to avoid them. And don’t be afraid to practice some self-compassion. You aren’t alone. We all struggle with feelings we would rather avoid.

Utilize the Five Minute Start

Starting a project is always the hardest part for procrastinators. This strategy helps you to begin a task while reducing the intimidation factor. Instead of thinking about completing the whole job, tell yourself that you will spend five minutes on it and see what happens. This makes it seem less threatening and allows you to get going. Once you have started, you will probably continue working without a problem.

Remove Barriers

Procrastinators will use any excuse they can find to put off a task. Therefore, you want to make it as easy as possible to perform the desired behavior. This includes removing any potential barriers. For example, if you want to work out in the morning, you set up a gym bag the night before. When you wake up, you just have to roll out of bed and go. This eliminates potential excuses to avoid going to the gym. Think ahead and ensure that you have addressed possible obstacles before they arise.

Time and Reward Your Efforts

This technique works to overcome hesitancy and optimize efficiency. It consists of working in brief timed sprints with a small reward at the end. For instance, say you have a school project that is due at the end of the week. Instead of thinking about how much work you need to complete in a week, set up 30-minute work periods and take a five-minute break at the end. This technique works on a couple of levels. First, the short intervals seem less threatening than completing a full project, and second, the reward reinforces the behavior.

Aim for Progress, Not Perfection

It is helpful if perfectionists work on reframing their thinking. Instead of striving for perfection, they can recognize that doing the job well is more than acceptable. In fact, perfection is an unrealistic goal that will only slow their progress. The overall objective is to do a good job within the time allotted, not being flawless at any cost. Setting reasonable, timed goals will help perfectionists to keep moving forward without getting bogged down in self-doubt. Creating specific deadlines puts the emphasis on getting the job done rather than attempting to meet an impossible quality standard.

Make Yourself Accountable

We are more likely to follow through on obligations if we tell someone else about it. Do you want to go to the gym more consistently? Or stop falling behind on homework? Tell a friend or family member so they can help you meet your goals. Having others hold you accountable is not a permanent solution, but it can help jump-start adaptive behavior when your motivation wavers.

Create Small Specific Goals

As we noted previously, confusing and complicated tasks are often met with procrastination. The solution is to set specific and brief goals. These are seen as more manageable and don’t invite avoidance. For example, break a long-term, difficult project into small daily objectives.

Visualization

Visualization is a powerful motivational tool. To use visualization, picture yourself performing a certain task successfully. The more detail you provide the better. For example, you might visualize yourself giving a kick-ass presentation at work. This involves you going over every aspect of the presentation in your head, including the very positive audience reaction. Visualization enables you to practice a specific task in your imagination and increases your confidence in its successful completion.

You Can Conquer Procrastination

Procrastination is a common, fleeting problem for most people. However, some individuals exhibit chronic procrastination that leads to more harmful consequences. Fortunately, you can do something about it. By understanding its emotional foundation and taking steps to make tasks less threatening, you can break the bonds of procrastination.