Contrary to popular opinion, procrastination is not born solely from laziness.
In fact, laziness oftentimes has little to do with it.
It’s typically the result of two things:
A lack of preparation and a fear of failure.
Lack of preparation includes:
- Being disorganized. When your life lacks systems, routines, and order, work becomes harder and procrastination becomes far more appealing.
- Failure to prioritize sleep, stress reduction, and overall mental health. Your prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain responsible for thoughtful, long-term decision-making, but it does not work well when you are feeling tired, anxious, stressed, or overwhelmed. When we fail to prioritize sleep, exercise, and the things we need to reduce anxiety, we invite and almost guarantee that we will procrastinate on the things that matter most.
Fear of failure includes things like fear of mistakes, the foolish pursuit of perfectionism, concern over the opinions of others, aversion to criticism, and niggling self-doubt.
Combined, these things result in a failure to take action, and thus procrastination.
The defeat of procrastination is not accomplished via caffeine, a pep talk, or a rewards system. Instead, you can procrastinate less and accomplish more through a more organized life, an increased focus on your mental health, and accepting the reality that mistakes are an inevitable and expected part of any worthwhile pursuit.
The good news is that you’re not lazy.
The better news is that your inability to move forward is absolutely correctable.
