Generally, when we see people always postpone their tasks, we tend to think they are just too lazy to do them.
But before judging people, let's understand what procrastination really is.
What is procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of postponing tasks and cancelling plans when it is not necessary. We all did that in our lives, even if we were super organised and committed.
It is normal to do things later sometimes, but it becomes a problem if you tend to persevere in it and if you are pushed by emotional reasons.
Anyway, procrastination is not strictly related to laziness and let's see why...
Intrinsic reasons for procrastinating are explained by the Psychologist Fuschia Sirois, who says that logically no one would do something which has surely negative consequences.
The fact is people prefer to stay in this procrastination cycle, because of an inability to manage negative feelings around a task. In fact, she adds, this behaviour allows short-term mood repair and emotion regulation over long-term satisfaction. But with time, it can lead to feeling worse and worse with yourself.
What are the real triggers of procrastination
Once in a lifetime, we all said "I will do it tomorrow" and watched a film on Netflix or had a drink with a friend, just to feel guilty the same night.
Procrastination is more common than you think and for this reason, it is important to acknowledge its real triggers:
Anxiety and Fear. It can be the fear of failure, novelty, rejection, but also the anxiety for success, especially if you become the center of attention
Low self-esteem. If you tend to beat yourself too much and think you are not enough and you also procrastinate, most likely your emotional brain is avoiding tasks, because it is not motivated to do them anymore.
No motivation. Are you doing it for yourself? Or to reach other's expectation about your life?. If the second is the answer, probably you are doing things with no passion and no motivation, which leads to dissatisfaction and no control on your life.
Lack of knowledge. When procrastinators have to deal with a new project, work or a new challenge in general and they don't know how to do it, they simply give up, without even trying.
Avoid bad emotions. Amigdala hijack is the way our brain takes control and let emotions drive us, every time we face stressful and potentially dangerous situations. This is why, even if you know that postpone work will make you feel worst in the future, you prefer to remove the danger and to feel safe now instead.
In Conclusion
Procrastination can be the cause of serious problems in work, relationships and school. It is not enough to buy calendars or download apps to solve the problem: first it is necessary to realise the pattern, then learn how to regulate emotions and most important, be more gentle with yourself.
To learn more about how a real procrastinator learn to deal with always waiting until the last minute to get things done, watch this TEDx talk by Tim Urban.
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