Postponing Your Responsibilities
How to deal with the art of procrastination
Dear mental health advocate,
Becoming an adult comes with more responsibilities. How do you approach this fact of life? To-do lists? Trial and error? Delegation? Or just wait and see? It’s a topic most of us are familiar with, avoiding a certain task because it is annoying, routine and often mundane. Sounds familiar to you? Well… then today’s free article in The Present Psychology Paper might be of interest to you. I will cover the topic of procrastination and what you can do about it. Want to know why we do this and how to deal with this frustrating but self-induced postponement? Keep on reading!
Procrastination Explained
I’m curious here, because I believe we’ve all been there. But maybe you can confirm if this has happened to you before: there’s this looming deadline, that one important presentation, or even something as seemingly simple as needing to tidy up your room but instead, everything else seems far more appealing. Have you ever found yourself doodling on paper for ages, diving into obscure Wikipedia rabbit holes, or suddenly endlessly doom-scrolling through Instagram reels when you should actually be working on something urgent? Congratulations! You’re just as human as me, and you’ve just met your old but never lonely friend—procrastination.
As a psychologist, I can reassure you: procrastination isn’t a mysterious curse reserved for the lazy among us. It’s actually a very complex, psychologically fascinating phenomenon that affects virtually everyone at some point in their lives. So let’s unpack exactly what’s happening when you’re procrastinating, why we all do it (even psychologists—trust me, you have no idea how often I do, even sometimes with this newsletter…), and, most importantly, how you can tackle this common challenge as effectively as possible.
What exactly is procrastination?
Procrastination is simply the act of delaying or postponing tasks that you need to do as it is part of a certain responsibility you have in life. But there’s a catch: it’s not just putting off tasks randomly, it’s essentially actively avoiding tasks that we find uncomfortable, daunting, boring, or emotionally quite charged. Basically, you can consider procrastination to be an emotional management tool. Yes, you read that correctly. At its heart, procrastination is more about managing your emotions than time itself.
Think about it: facing a complex or annoying task often brings stress, anxiety, uncertainty, self-doubt, frustration or other negative moods. Procrastination helps you temporarily dodge these unpleasant feelings. But there’s a downside as it often leads to increased stress and guilt later on. It’s the emotional equivalent of eating junk food: temporarily satisfying your needs but it is potentially problematic in the long run.
Why do we procrastinate?
Let’s dive deeper into the psychology of procrastination as there are some interesting reasons why we deal with this behavior that can make us feel hopeless and frustrated at times. Here are some of the main psychological culprits:
Fear of failure: ah, perfectionism, well… it’s basically the sworn enemy of productivity. Fear of failing or not meeting impossibly high standards is a common reason why many people delay tasks. The logic is simple: if you don’t start, you can’t fail.
Instant gratification: humans naturally seek immediate pleasure and avoid discomfort or a benefit that does not come in the moment. Unfortunately, binge-watching Netflix provides instant dopamine hits, while writing that report offers delayed rewards. Guess what your brain prefers to choose?
Lack of clarity: not knowing precisely how to tackle a task can create massive anxiety. Ambiguity is uncomfortable, prompting your brain to seek clearer, simpler, and often irrelevant tasks instead. What if you simply do not know what is expected or how to deal with it?
Low energy and fatigue: If you’re tired, mentally or physically, your brain becomes an expert negotiator. It’ll easily persuade you that tomorrow, or “later,” is a far better time to begin. Because in that moment, rest and feeling good is a much better option, right?
Task aversion: one of the reasons that really hits close to home for me. Some tasks are genuinely boring, tedious, or unpleasant. Facing a stack of tax forms or cleaning out the garage? Your brain is likely to find any excuse to escape, I know mine does…
Let’s get personal here. Ever spent hours watching random TikTok videos or Instagram reels when a big deadline is looming? I can be addicted to funny cat videos or even obscure food recipes sometimes… Or you suddenly decided that your sock drawer needs immediate color-coordinating right before an important exam? Welcome to procrastination in one of its most delightful disguises. And to tell you a secret, even psychologists procrastinate. True story: I once spent an entire afternoon reorganizing my bookshelf by genre, author, and then decided to do this by color scheme, all just to avoid writing a newsletter as I was not feeling well. Yes, the irony isn’t lost on me.
Can you fight this procrastination?
The good news is procrastination isn’t inevitable. Many psychologists have done their best to research the postponement of these responsibilities and researched how people can deal with this. And trust me, there are very useful strategies grounded in psychology that can help you to manage procrastination effectively:
1. Breaking tasks into smaller steps: make your goals small, clear, and manageable. Facing an enormous task? Break it down into bite-sized actions. Writing a book sounds like a chore, but writing just 200 words a day? That’s maybe more manageable!
2. Using the Pomodoro-technique: a famous one with psychologists, working in 25-minute intervals, then taking a 5-minute break. Short bursts of focus make intimidating tasks feel more approachable and give you frequent rewards like a quick coffee break.
3. Creating accountability: Share your goals with friends or family or announce your deadlines publicly. Knowing others are aware creates healthy pressure to follow through. It really feels better to actually talk with others and work towards progress together.
4. Reward yourself immediately: attach immediate rewards to completing small tasks. Finish that tough and stupid email? Give yourself five minutes of a new or favorite YouTube video. Immediate rewards help your brain to link productivity with pleasure.
5. Mindfulness and emotional regulation: recognize when you’re procrastinating and ask yourself, ‘what emotions am I avoiding right now?’ Acknowledge and sit with that discomfort. Over time, you’ll find it easier to move through emotional barriers.
6. Just get started: Often, simply starting a task creates momentum. You might now the saying ‘once you get to it there is nothing to it’. Set a timer for just five minutes and dive in. Chances are, you’ll continue beyond that initial burst. Reminds me of my frustration with going to the gym, I don’t feel like it, but when I am there it’s actually okay!
7. Optimize your work or task environment: make your workspace conducive to productivity. Remove distractions, keep it organized, and ensure it’s pleasant enough that you actually want to be there. You have no idea how much positive effect this can have on your task list!
8. Practice self-compassion: beating yourself up only reinforces procrastination by associating the task with negativity. Be kind, patient, and understanding towards yourself. Everyone procrastinates, even experts and people you look up to! That inner voice can become overwhelming, but fight it actively.
9. Schedule your tasks: treat important tasks like meetings with yourself. Schedule specific times in your calendar dedicated to tackling them. Seeing tasks visually can drastically improve the follow-through.
Remember that you have the tools to manage this common psychological challenge effectively. You’ve got this!
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