Have you ever caught yourself saying “Why do people procrastinate?” and at the same time found yourself catching flies? If yes, then you are not alone. In fact, most people who procrastinate tend to leave things until a later time. Most do it consciously, and most unconsciously. Though, when we talk about unconscious reasons, the first thing that comes to mind is self-handicapping. So, what is self-handicapping actually? Self-handicapping is a cognitive strategy to avoid efforts altogether to keep the future outcome from hurting one’s self-esteem.
Furthermore, it has also been seen that procrastination habits are somewhat linked to our daily routine and choices overall, plus negative affirmations like, “I am a failure,” “I am not worthy,” or “I can’t do anything,” keep us stuck in a repetitive cycle and rarely allow us to break free from it.
8 Reasons Why People Procrastinate + Some Tips.
1. You Have A Fear Of Failure
Whenever we start something new, whether it is a blog, YouTube channel or a small business, we feel very excited in the beginning and even try to stay as consistent as possible. Though, as the days go by, when we don’t see any results, we begin to lose our patience, and rarely make an effort to carry it further. It usually happens when we tend to allow our fears control our lives, whether it is a fear of failure, fear of socializing or fear of success itself. These fears keep us locked into the walls of prison that lead to procrastination, self-sabotage, anxiety and even make us repeat self-pitying words, “that we are not enough”, “we can’t do this” and beyond that.
We get trapped in a vicious cycle that makes us continue the same mistakes again and again until we believe that we are useless and can’t do anything in our lives. This quickly becomes so destructive that we accept our fears as reality and terrorize ourselves by visualizing them. Tony Robins once said,
“The only impossible journey is the one you never begin.”
It is an undeniable truth. We accept failure before we even think of starting something, and close ourselves off to the wonders of the world and what the universe has for us. However, regardless of what situation you are in, you always have a choice to decide what you can do about your circumstances and procrastination.
2. You Are Insecure
More often than not, people procrastinate not because they feel lazy or lack time; they procrastinate because they feel insecure about themselves and their personality overall. They feel reluctant to show their vulnerable side as they fear getting caught, not by the outside forces but by their own selves. Not only that, they prepare the perfectionism mask on their own to show their fake persona and wear it to camouflage their true loving self. In fact, they feel secure behind it, as it elevates their deep down insecurities and self-loathing vulnerabilities. They hide their sorrows in isolation and keep crying at the back of the stage. They wish they had someone to talk to them or embrace them with open arms when they are going through the worst faces of their lives. But guess what? Their perfectionism never allows them to show their true selves.
“People are never more insecure than when they become obsessed with their fears at the expense of their dreams. – Norman Cousins.”
This quote perfectly describes how so many people get addicted to procrastination habits, not because they are trying to figure out something , but because they are so obsessed with their fears and insecurities that they don’t allow themselves to leave their temporary comfort zone.
So, what is the solution? The solution is simple. Stop allowing your insecurities to steal your happiness, instead make slight changes in your daily pattern and your perspective regarding life. Try to overcome your negative thoughts about people, and challenge yourself to make little changes every day, no matter how hard they are.
3. You Don’t Ask For Help
Asking for help is as difficult as confronting someone you don’t like, because there is a lot of pride, ego, and inferiority attached to it. Asking thousands of questions before banging the door of someone is the new normal. Isn’t it? But is it really worth it? Can’t we just go and say “I need your help.” Perhaps it may be difficult for most people. But it is OK. Asking for assistance may be difficult, but not impossible.
Here is how you can ask for help without compromising your ethics.
- Be transparent – Try to be as transparent as possible with yourself and the person you asking help from, as a little lie or an uncontrollable ego can hurt others’ sentiments and make them lose trust in you. So, share your problem as clearly as possible so that other people can understand it and help you accordingly.
- Don’t apologize – No need to say I apologize or I am sorry for disturbing you. Just stay confident, and keep your self-esteem high. Let the other person know how you are feeling at the moment and why you need his or her help. By following this approach, the other person will respect your feelings and provide you with the best possible help he or she can.
- Express gratitude – Don’t forget to say thank you when your issue is resolved. Meet that person individually or express your gratitude via call. This way, you would form a strong bond with that person, who will always be ready to help you out in difficult times. Though, don’t forget to do the same in return.
4. You Live In The Past
It is not easy to leave the past behind and focus at the present when there are lot of memories attached to it. Memories can be good or bad. But, what memories we need to feed and what memories we need to let go is completely a matter of choice. Negative past events make us feel guilty of our decisions, lower our confidence and trap us in a constant loop of procrastination. Gradually, it becomes a serious pattern that stops us from becoming what we truly want to become in our life.
“Never be a prisoner of your past, it was just a lesson not a life sentence.”
Living in the past is not a solution to any problem. It won’t do you any good. It would only steal your happiness and cause you to lose everything in the present. It is so painful how so many people become prisoner of their past, and fail to live the life to the fullest.
But like any other problem, there is a solution of it as well.
- First, whenever you recall something from your past, just take a moment and think how it is going to affect your present, your emotions, and the people around you.
- Second, if you are in a relationship, then instead of yelling back at your partner, help him or her know how much you love them. Recall the moments when you were both happy together, “enjoying a vacation”, and “surfing on the sunset beach.” This would help your relationship grow and build an unbreakable trust.
- Third, try to build positive habits, as it will help you fight back procrastination, and motivate you to live a meaningful life.
5. You Doubt Yourself
Whenever we try to do something big, the first thing that comes to our mind is, “It is impossible.”We speak negative words to ourselves that, “we are not good enough,” “we are not worthy,” “we are just a nomad, and can’t do anything in our lives.” But these negative words soon become a part of our lives and sting us every day, the way a scorpion stings a beetle. Gradually this becomes a pattern that repeats itself in an autopilot mode. We hardly recognize it, but it is there changing its mazes to make us stuck there forever. But, like any other maze, there is a way out of this maze as well. All you need is to develop a systematic strategy to get out of the maze alive or you can say “beat procrastination to death.” Here is what you can do about it.
- Focus on your strengths: You may be good at helping others or have a good understanding of the world around you. Whatever strengths you have, you can use them to upgrade your life and your self-esteem. The higher the self-esteem, the higher would be your chances to attain greater fulfillment and wisdom.
- Use the power of “I am”: I am amazing. I am worthy. I can do anything. I am me. Use these affirmations to boost your self confidence. This is not like you are being self-centered or thinking about your own self or being selfish. You are just trying to unleash your inner power to make an impact in your life and the life of others. This approach is so powerful that it would help you break free from the procrastination cycle, and live the life according to your own terms.
- Take help if necessary: We are social beings, and can’t do everything all alone. So, if you are going through difficult moments in your life, then don’t hesitate to ask for help. It will only help you to overcome life challenges, and help you gain better outcome.
6. You Run For Perfectionism
“Perfectionism is a dangerous state of mind in an imperfect world.” — Robert Hillyer
Another major reason why people procrastinate is “Perfectionism”. Most people can’t just let go of their perfectionism. Losing perfectionism means like if they have lost some part of identity. They hold on to it as much as they can, as they get enormous amount of energy out of it, called “fakeness.” They hesitate to reveal their true selves, and hardly acknowledge the fact that they are less than a perfect. Being perfect state of mind makes them stuck in their fake world, and guess what, they hardly try to get out of it, as they have made it their truth or reality.
Though, understanding perfectionism won’t do us any good, would help us uncover the brightest possibilities out there, and help us invest our time in meaningful things. Soon this positive approach and little efforts make us overcome the stubborn laziness and procrastination.
7. You Don’t Have Time
Most people have a tendency to put off things that are important for them, not because they are busy or don’t feel like doing it. They do it because they fear to let go their insecurities and deepest fears. Think of it as you are busy in fulfilling corporate responsibility and out of sudden you get a call from a childhood friend and you pick up the call, and say “I am busy”. After few weeks, he calls you back again, and asks to catch up, still you say “I don’t have time”. You do it not because you don’t have time; you do it because you don’t want to deal with the reality you live in. You fear the change. You fear to show your weaknesses. You feel glad doing unproductive things. But, this won’t do you any good, but stifle your dreams for the exchange of temporary comfort.
Solution? Don’t hide behind your fears. Instead, face it head on. Do what is necessary, no matter how hard it is. Even, if it means sacrificing your comfort zone.
8. You Have A Fear Of The Unknown
Fear of the unknown does more harm than anything could ever do. It takes your peace away with its mere presence. It gets into your nerves when you are lost thinking about the future outcome. Whether you starting a new business, or looking for a job. It terrifies you in every possible way, so you accept your defeat, and never think of your goal again. But, guess what? You can overcome the fear of the unknown. Here is how.
- Find out the cause of fear: To transcend your fear, you must know about yourself, and how you operate. Focus at present and get attuned to your feelings and emotions. You can do this by practicing mindfulness, doing meditation, and attending yoga classes. Sometimes the fear of the unknown has direct link to our past events. So, it is imperative to identify these patterns and take action accordingly.
- Learn about your fear: Do everything in your power to know about your fear. Take someone’s help, make notes or educate yourself as much as you can. These little steps would help you to face your fear adroitly.
- Challenge your fear: Facing your fear is a great way to build your self-confidence. Not every fear is bad; some are good for your growth. So, focus on the good ones, and use them as a stepping stone to overcome life challenges.