Mental Health
4 Reasons We Procrastinate and 10 Steps to Overcome Them.
Understanding the reasons and the consequences can solve half of the problem, but the other half requires action.
Procrastination is a behavior triggered by our thoughts and emotions and aggravated by environmental, health, and lifestyle factors. This undesirable behavior adversely affects our lives.
Understanding the reasons and their consequences is the first step in overcoming them. The second step is to take systematic action.
This negative behavior forces tasks to be delayed to the point of intense discomfort and anxiety, leading to depression and other health situations. Chronic procrastination can negatively affect creativity, productivity, health, and well-being.
Anxiety, fear, frustration, sadness, and boredom are common emotions that trigger procrastination. Mental attitudes, like focusing on perfection or lacking motivation, and other factors I cover in this article can aggravate procrastination.
Some people use procrastination to cope with stress and anxiety, but this maladaptive (self-defeating) strategy can sustain and intensify those negative emotions, leading to further psychological and physiological developments.
Cognitive-behavioral interventions can effectively reduce procrastination, as procrastination is not necessarily a sign of laziness or lack of motivation but might relate to cognitive and limbic system dysfunctions.
As this topic is close to my heart, I researched it intensely. I practiced guidance from decades of research to fix my typical and unique procrastination. The typical ones were easy to correct, but the unique ones took me years to address with additional guidance from my mentors.
When I fixed procrastination by rewiring my brain and mind, a big load from my shoulders disappeared. I started seeing life from a new perspective. Everything looked more meaningful in a better mood.
Working and delivering in a flow state lowered my stress, improved my physical and mental health, increased my creativity and productivity, and enhanced my life satisfaction. Therefore, I want to pass along this tacit knowledge with passion.
I structured the article into three sections to make this a practical and helpful piece for a broad audience. To highlight its importance, first, I introduce the consequences of chronic procrastination.
In part two, I introduce and discuss four major factors causing procrastination based on my research. In part three, I provide ten steps and practical tips to defeat procrastination sustainably.
I only highlight the key points as the topic is comprehensive and complex. You may check the details from the linked papers and my previous articles.
Part 1: Consequences of Chronic Procrastination
As chronic procrastination has many negative consequences, I will summarize them under five major headings to give you a broad perspective.
1 — Financial Problems and Damaged Reputation Caused by Missed Deadlines and Opportunities
Delaying action on important tasks or decisions can result in missed opportunities. Missed deadlines might result in job loss and damage our professional reputation.
Chronic procrastination can cause distrust and might diminish respect from colleagues, clients, friends, family, and community members.
Therefore, it can lead to financial problems resulting in failed projects, job loss, late fees, penalties, etc., and additional financial stress and hardship.
2 — Increased Stress, Anxiety, Regret, and Low Self-Esteem
Avoiding a task can overwhelm us, leading to a sense of dread and loss of control. When the deadline approaches, stress can increase, making it harder to complete the task.
It can lead to more anxiety, rumination, and worry, contributing to the development of anxiety disorders and depression.
Chronic procrastination can lead to feelings of regret and missed opportunities, leading to a sense of unfulfillment and life dissatisfaction.
It can lower our self-esteem, making us feel like we’re incapable or incompetent to complete the task.
If unchecked, these unpleasant emotions can cause psychological problems leading to mental health issues.
3 — Reduced Productivity and Creativity
We may spend more time than necessary on less important tasks, leaving less time for important tasks, resulting in lower-quality work.
Chronic procrastination can limit our ability to explore new ideas and think outside the box, stifling creativity and innovation.
The pressure to complete tasks quickly can cause us to rely on traditional methods instead of exploring new approaches.
4 — Long-Term Health Problems
Chronic procrastination can cause health problems such as chronic stress, anxiety, insomnia, headaches, fatigue, inflammation, and mood disorders.
When procrastinating, we may stay up late trying to complete tasks or worry about them during our leisure time. It can interfere with our lifestyle, breaking the balance of the body and leading to burnout.
Chronic procrastination can increase our workload, so we rush to complete tasks that we have put off until the last minute. This overstresses the body and mind. This situation can cause additional pressure, leading to a nervous breakdown.
5 — Relationship problems
Procrastination can cause relationship problems, making us unreliable and unresponsive to others.
When we procrastinate in responding to phone calls, emails, and messages, people get the impression that we don’t value or care about them.
Neglect of obligations to others can lead to feelings of frustration, disappointment, and resentment, which can damage relationships.
Part 2: Four Major Factors Causing Procrastination
In this section, I provide a high-level overview of the theoretical framework of procrastination and summarize four major factors.
An Overview of Theoretical Framework for Procrastination
Temporal motivation theory suggests that procrastination results from a conflict between the immediate desire for short-term rewards and the long-term goals and benefits of completing a task.
The theory presents that the likelihood of procrastination increases as the delay between the current moment and the deadline for a task increases.
In Wire’s Cognitive Science, this paper defined procrastination as the voluntary and irrational delay of an intended course of action. The paper highlights that self-control and impulsivity have been identified as the two most predictive traits of procrastination.
The authors point out that “procrastination has troubled individuals and society extensively.” Two important theories explain procrastination by integrating multiple factors I cover in this section.
Firstly, the emotional regulation perspective regards procrastination as a form of self-regulation failure that prioritizes short-term mood repair over long-term goals.
Secondly, temporal motivation theory explains why people’s motivation to act increases when time approaches a deadline with a time discounting effect.
They explored the neural substrates of procrastination. They revealed that individual differences in procrastination correlate with structural abnormalities and altered spontaneous metabolism in the parahippocampal and prefrontal cortex.
The activities in these brain regions might contribute to procrastination through episodic future thinking or memory and emotional regulation, respectively.
This paper defined procrastination as the model of self-regulatory failure. It highlights the role of impulsivity and intrusive thoughts in procrastination, specifies the links between these self-regulation problems, and provides insights into their underlying mechanisms.
Based on literature reviews and experimentations in my field, I categorized factors under four main headings. As these topics are comprehensive and highly complex, I only touch on the critical points to give you an idea.
1- Cognitive Factors — [Preferontal Cortext vs. DMN]
Difficulty initiating tasks is a cognitive factor for experiencing procrastination, as the prefrontal cortex (cognitive brain) becomes inactive.
When this brain region is inactive, executive functions stop working, and we cannot start a task and don’t know where to begin, even if we think and feel it must be done.
People with executive functioning issues may have difficulty prioritizing tasks, managing time, and initiating or completing tasks.
The brain’s default network (DMN) becomes active when we are not focused on the outside world. Our minds wander. We engage in self-referential thoughts, daydreaming, mind-wandering, and planning for the future.
Procrastination might be caused by deficits in the brain’s executive functioning. This process includes cognitive abilities like planning, decision-making, and self-regulation.
Some people start a tedious or complex task but stop doing it immediately to tackle it later. Time passes, and they have no motivation to do it. Imbalances of neurotransmitters might cause a lack of motivation.
For example, when the brain does not produce enough dopamine, we don’t feel motivated to do anything. We rationalize and find excuses not to do it.
Cognitive distortions and cognitive rigidity might keep us from reality. Therefore we might approach the task with false beliefs and assumptions. Even though it is a simple task, we exaggerate the look and feel of it and stop trying based on first impressions.
Perfection is another cognitive issue causing emotional problems, delaying starting or completing a task. People with a perfection mindset keep high standards due to fear of failure and concern about the judgment of others.
2 — Emotional Factors — [Dysfunctioning Limbic System]
We procrastinate more when we are unable to regulate our emotions. Unpleasant emotions make it hard to get motivated to start or complete a task. This might be caused by dysfunction of the limbic system.
Emotions triggering procrastination are anxiety, fear, insecurity, frustration, sadness, and boredom. These emotions cause poor behavior toward work. Our attitudes, like perfection, can aggravate procrastination.
Some people might avoid tasks because they fear that they will fail or not meet expectations. Some procrastinate when they feel they have no control over the situation or the outcome.
These emotions and feelings can increase stress and anxiety, cause amygdala hijacks, and adversely affect mood, leading to more procrastination.
Emotional dysregulation keeps the focus on instant gratification and cognitive biases. For example, we pay attention to what we enjoy now and don’t think about bigger rewards in the future.
3 — Environmental Factors
Distractions, lack of structure, excessive workload, climate, and an overwhelming workload can affect attention and focus and cause procrastination.
Distractions can interrupt our flow and make it harder to get back into the task once we’ve been pulled away. This can lead to frustration and an avoidance of the task altogether. Examples are social media, phone calls, noise, and interruptions from others.
A lack of structure can lead to overwhelming and indecisiveness, making it harder to take the first step. For example, knowing where to start or how much time to allocate can be challenging when there is no plan or timeline for completing a task.
An overwhelming workload can contribute to procrastination. When there are too many tasks to complete or when the workload is too heavy, it can be challenging to know where to start or how to prioritize.
Extreme weather conditions (too hot or cold) can make working uncomfortable, leading to a lack of motivation and productivity. Some people feel low energy on gloomy days as climate can affect the hormones and neurotransmitters.
4 — Health and Lifestyle Factors
Finding the motivation to start or complete a task can be difficult when we feel tired or fatigued. Fatigue, a major health factor, can affect the brain’s ability to focus and concentrate, making procrastination intense.
Sleep deprivation, nutritional deficiencies, and a sedentary lifestyle might lead to fatigue and poor concentration, making procrastination more drastic.
Physical ailments manifesting as pain can also cause procrastination.
Mental health conditions like depression and anxiety can make it difficult to act. In addition, these conditions can lead to negative thoughts and self-doubt, further reinforcing procrastination.
Substance addiction can affect the brain’s reward system, breaking the balance of neurotransmitters. When dopamine is low, those people feel no motivation and energy to start a task.
Part 3: Ten Steps and Helpful Tips to Deal with Procrastination Effectively
1 — Start with awareness, understanding, and self-compassion.
We shouldn’t confuse procrastination with self-care. If we are tired, exhausted, experiencing grief, or unwell, we must rest and rejuvenate. Avoid self-criticism that may lead to guilt and shame.
2 — Set specific and realistic goals and deadlines.
Setting realistic and measurable goals can add motivation and structure to a task. It helps us to focus on what needs to be done and when rather than getting lost in the uncertainty of the task.
3 — Break tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.
By breaking the task into smaller and more manageable steps, we can reduce this feeling of overwhelm and make the task feel more doable.
4 — Use tools and track progress.
Using tools like calendars, digital planners, diaries, or to-do lists can help us keep track of tasks and prioritize them effectively.
5 — Remove distractions.
Remove environmental distractions like phones and set a timer to complete a task. This approach helps us stay present and focused on the task at hand rather than getting sidetracked by other things.
6 — Stay mindful when undertaking a task.
We must watch our thoughts and feelings when working, as negative thoughts and unpleasant feelings can disrupt our flow. Accepting and acknowledging them can make them disappear quickly.
7 — Enter flow and stay in it until you finish the task.
The flow state changes the content of our consciousness at a specific time to an optimally functioning mental and physical performance. In my previous article, you can learn how to enter a flow state.
8 — Reward yourself for making progress and completing tasks.
Rewarding ourselves for making progress and completing tasks can provide a sense of accomplishment and motivate us to continue working. Use a reward system that aligns with your goals and values.
9 — Strengthen the neocortex and tame the limbic system.
Strenghening the thinking brain and taming the emotional brain can put us in an advantageous position to deal with procrastination sustainably.
Mindfulness practices and meditation can be helpful.
Improving attention, focus, intuition, working memory, procedural memory, task switching, and problem-solving is possible.
10 — Seek professional support when feeling overwhelmed.
If you follow the previous steps, are still experiencing chronic procrastination, and cannot control your situation, there might be underlying physical and mental health conditions.
Therefore, you may obtain professional support from your family physician, psychiatrists, and psychotherapists. Here’s my personal experience with a little humor.
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Thank you for reading my perspectives. I wish you a healthy and happy life.
As a new reader, please check my holistic health and well-being stories reflecting my reviews, observations, and decades of experiments optimizing my hormones and neurotransmitters. I write about health as it matters. I believe health is all about homeostasis.
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Disclaimer: My posts do not include professional or health advice. I only document my reviews, observations, experiences, and perspectives to provide information and create awareness.
As part of my creative non-fiction writing goals, I’d like to share a few stories that might warm our hearts with a bit of humor into weighty topics.
Based on my writing experience and observations, I documented findings and strategies that might help you amplify your voice, engage your audience, and achieve your desired outcomes in your writing journey.
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Here are some of my boosted stories.
Here’s How I Train My Brain Daily for Mental Clarity and Intellectual Productivity.
Meditation Can Boost the Cortical Thickness in the Brain and Prevent the Thinning of It
Here’s How to Make the Nervous System More Flexible and Functional
A New Clinical Trial Found a Low-Carb Diet Better Than the Dash.
How Writers Can Attract More Readers by Using Design Thinking Principles
Here’s Why I Focus on Nutritional Biochemistry Rather Than Diets
Queer Organisms: Nature’s Lesson for Diversity, Inclusion, and Equality
