Psychologists Explain Why You Procrastinate — And How to Stop
Procrastination, a common yet perplexing behavior, often hinders our productivity and success. Delve into the psychological underpinnings of this habit, as explained by experts, and discover effective strategies to overcome the urge to delay tasks.
Procrastination is not just avoiding or delaying a task
It also has to include an aspect that’s counterproductive, irrational, or unnecessary
- Strategies for overcoming procrastination will vary depending on why it happens in the first place
- Step back and figure out what’s going on
- Identify your own habits
If you’re simply hitting a wall
Take a break to focus on taking care of yourself
- Even the most efficient workers have days when it’s harder to finish tasks
- Small breaks like taking a walk or enjoying nature can increase productivity and make up for lost time
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Common reasons for procrastinating and strategies for combatting them
- Once you have a clearer picture of your own work or study habits, you can make better, more consistent, and more productive decisions.
If you’re easily distracted
Optimize your environment
- Put your cell phone away, turn off notifications on your computer, and don’t have 10 tabs open at the same time
- Avoid multi-tasking
- Take the time to wrap up a task, put it away, take a breath, and stretch before moving on
If timing is the issue
Work around these natural productivity ebbs and flows by scheduling your days around them
- If you know you work better in the mornings on certain kinds of tasks, schedule it for then
- Don’t try to do it at a time when you’re tired
If you’re struggling with something larger
Sometimes, what looks like procrastination may actually be a symptom of something more serious, such as depression, anxiety or attention problems.
If you get overwhelmed by big tasks
Break down a big task into smaller sub-tasks to increase self-efficacy and reduce anxiety
- If you don’t believe in yourself enough to actually conduct a particular task, you can try to do it in smaller and more manageable parts to increase your self-confidence
If you struggle with delayed gratification
Break a long-term assignment into multiple smaller ones to break down the work into smaller chunks
- Clarify why the task is important to you and why you are doing it
- It may also help to pause long enough to really think about why you’re doing a certain task