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Why Do People
Procrastinate?
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The question “why do people
procrastinate” is one of life's great mysteries. Deep down, I
suspect we all know the answer but we just don’t want to admit it.
Putting off an inevitable task not only keeps us from achieving our
goals, it can cause a level of stress and anxiety, until you finally
cannot wait anymore and you have to do the job anyway.
There are a number of reasons to explain why people procrastinate
and each person has their own explanation. In fact, the tasks that
we procrastinate about may have different underlying motivations
with some people only procrastinating about one particular thing
while for others it is a way of life.
Bad Work Practices
You’ve heard people say that they thrive when under pressure or
tight deadlines and it may actually appear to be true. However,
there is one problem with this … they are fooling themselves. Poor
work practices are a major reason for procrastination. It is poor
organization and prioritizing skills that are the crux of the matter
in this situation.
Feeling Overwhelmed
If you are presented a task that you just have no idea how to start,
let alone complete, you are likely to put it off instead of figuring
out how to do it right away. Sometimes, procrastination is the
result of feeling that a task will take forever to complete.
Therefore, feeling overwhelmed is another answer to the burning
question, “why do people procrastinate?”
Perfectionism
Another reason people procrastinate is because they may see the task
set for them as a burden which curbs their motivation to begin the
task. Trying to accomplish their task perfectly also tends to cloud
issues and actually is a leading cause of procrastination,
particularly in individuals who are creative or those who need to be
in control. Therefore, they continually work on their task, striving
for perfection, which frequently isn't necessary and, as a result,
totally miss the deadline.
Disliking Tasks
Disliking a task or project put before them is another popular
reason why people procrastinate, particularly in kids. If you don't
want to clean your room, study for a test or write a ten-page report
and you'll procrastinate. Of course, when finally forced to complete
the task, you'll end up hating the task, which is counterproductive
since these tasks are frequently recurring.
As you can see, there are four probable answers to the question, why
do people procrastinate? Just remember that the moment you put off
something for another time, you are automatically sabotaging your
goals. So why not just tackle that project or task now, get it over
with and enjoy the fact that you don't have to stress about it?
