8 Solid Reasons Why We Procrastinate (& What to Do About It)

To procrastinate is defined as delaying or postponing an action; or putting off doing something that we need to do intentionally and/or habitually. 

But why? What causes us to not do the things that we need to do but will probably have to do shortly whether we like it or not? 

After 31 years around the sun, here are 8 solid reasons that I've certainly experienced:

1. Overwhelm
2. Lack of self-worth
3. Self-sabotaging behaviour 
4. Confusion
5. Lack of focus
6. Waiting for the perfect time to start
7. Feeling like I'm too late to the party 
8. The fear of failure

Now, here's the thing…

I generally believe that no one is lazy. I just think it's a terrible by-product of not feeling engaged, creative, passionate, and on purpose. 

After all, no one's lazy and no one procrastinates when excitement, joy, and creativity overflows from their being. So, that's why I believe once those four things find their way into a person's life, an abundance of energy springs up from an unlimited well that gives their life colour. 

I know it did mine. 

"When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy" - Rumi 

By knowing why we procrastinate we can simply cheat and do the opposite. 

So, let's look at each one more closely to better understand what's going on.

1. Overwhelm 

Overwhelm can happen through either being physically, emotionally and/or mentally stretched and it's usually felt when our external environment is demanding more than we can handle. 

So, an obvious way to avoid feeling overwhelmed is to avoid doing anything that causes it. 

Cue procrastination. 

I know this all too well. I'm amazed at my ability to find incredibly creative ways to get out of doing the things I need to do whenever I feel overwhelmed, so I get it. 

What I've found to be super helpful is to follow the advice of Mark Twain: 

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and starting on the first one"

2. Lack of self-worth 

If the thing we're about to do will reaffirm my lack of self-worth, trust, and confidence, why do it? 

For those who live believing they're not worthy of living the life they want, it will be incredibly difficult to do anything that changes that narrative. So, naturally, they'll avoid it. 

Procrastination is the best friend of every person who believes they're not worthy.

An easy way to combat this is to follow the old adage "fake it until you make it."

So, think kind thoughts even if you don't believe them, say kind words even if they're hard to say, and take appropriate steps toward the person you wish to become so you move ever closer to them. 

3. Self-sabotaging behaviour

Procrastination is an incredibly effective self-sabotaging behaviour and it usually follows the feeling of lack.

Self-sabotaging behaviour can take many forms too. It's a wonderful shapeshifter that might look like running late, "forgetting" to respond to emails/messages, leaving things to the last minute, or being easily distracted by things like Netflix, social media, friends, alcohol, etc….  

"Self-sabotage is when we say we want something and then go about making sure it doesn't happen" - Alyce Cornyn-Selby

By knowing what we want and how we self-sabotage we can figure out ways to stop it from happening. 

4. Confusion 

This is a legitimate reason to procrastinate because being confused makes it hard to focus because there's no clarity. 

However, confusion is a temporary thing and it can very quickly ease with dedication and determination to see it through. 

The downward-spiralling motion that can happen here is that confusion can lead to the feeling of being overwhelmed and together they can create self-sabotaging behaviour that avoids doing what needs to be done at all costs. 

So, if you're confused, learn. Once you've learned, act. 

Viola!

5. Lack of focus 

Let's be honest, if something sucks, there's not a whole lot of enthusiasm to do it. This can make it hard to show up, commit, finish, and complete the necessary tasks it takes to move on. 

Money is often a fabulous way to get lots of people to do things they don't necessarily want to do but even money doesn't cut it sometimes. 

What drives and builds energy, focus, and joy is the feeling of being on purpose in a life that has meaning. That's one of the best ways to eliminate procrastination for good. 

So, if you're in that frame of mind, direct your attention towards a vision, a goal, a dream, or anything that warms your heart and lifts your spirit and take tiny steps towards making it happen. 

I guarantee that this will then feed back into all your other tasks and make them feel less heavy. 

6. Waiting for the perfect time to start

I think we know that this one doesn't exist but for some reason, it's one of the biggest culprits. 

There is no perfect to time start. Every situation and time is going to present difficulty and challenge just as much as creativity and flow. 

So, ride the waves but… ride. 

"The only impossible journey is the one you never begin" - Tony Robbins

7. Feeling like I'm too late to the party

"I wish I started online 5 years ago," said a content creator in 2027. 

Don't be fooled: You're not too late, the party isn't over, and the spaceship hasn't landed. 

In fact, you're exactly where you need to be and it's the perfect time for you to be here. 

So, start! 

"Cut your excuses in half and double your actions around your goals" - Robin Sharma

8. The fear of failure 

"If we are brave enough, often enough, we will fall" - Brené Brown

A lot of people procrastinate because of a fear of failure. I get it. Living our best life is a scary thought. It indicates that we believe that we are worthy of such greatness which takes tremendous courage, vulnerability, trust, and the ability to step into the unknown without any guarantees. 

However, the alternative doesn't bear thinking about. 

One of the special things that Brené Brown reminds us of is that failure is inevitable. 

Phew! What a relief! 

This gives us tremendous freedom to experiment, play, and explore. 

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A quick word of warning.

Going after a dream doesn't sit well with everyone. Some will even try and talk you out of it. 

Don't concern yourself with people who tell you you're a failure, that you can never make it, and you should do something else because they're scared too. 

And definitely…

"Don't wrestle with pigs. You both get dirty and only the pig likes it" - Mark Twain

Quick recap 

The 8 reasons why people procrastinate are:

1. Overwhelm
2. Lack of self-worth
3. Self-sabotaging behaviour
4. Confusion
5. Lack of focus
6. Waiting for the perfect time to start
7. Feeling like I'm too late to the party 
8. The fear of failure

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To close, I'd like to leave you with a pertinent quote by Thomas Edison.

"If we all did the things we are really capable of doing, we would literally astound ourselves"

So, jump off the fence, get the ball rolling, and dream big. 

The world is waiting to see what you do with it.