Procrastination is a familiar phenomenon that touches every person’s everyday life. It is that annoying habit that creeps into every corner of life, from postponing school assignments to putting off work and personal responsibilities. Yet even knowing this, people still fail to act in ways that would stop them delaying in one way or another. This raises the question of procrastination and its psychological causes: why do we put things off, and what might be going on in our minds when we do?

This article looks at why people procrastinate, where procrastination comes from, and the effects of procrastination on mental state and performance.

What is procrastination?

Procrastination is work avoidance: a person deliberately puts off an activity or task that needs doing, preferring to find something more enjoyable or less tiring to do instead. It is not simply a matter of inefficiency or poor organisation. Procrastination happens when we intentionally steer clear of things we should do, and then feel stressed or guilty about it. It is a behaviour that shows no regard for a person’s intellect, desire or capacity to achieve.

Procrastination can be divided into two types:

• Active procrastination. Here people delay tasks deliberately, believing they work most efficiently when racing against time. Active procrastinators may develop the ability to complete tasks successfully, but they always work in a state of anxiety.
• Passive procrastination. This happens when people delay for any number of reasons, including feeling pressured, tired or lazy, or simply having no idea how to begin. It is also worth noting that the passive type is associated with anxiety and self-criticism.

The psychological causes of procrastination

Many psychological factors help explain why people procrastinate. Sometimes it is not because a person is unmotivated or simply cannot manage their time well; procrastination in fact runs deeper. Here are some of the main psychological causes:

1. Fear of failure

The most common reason for procrastination is fear of failure. Someone shouldering an assignment that seems too big or complex is likely to procrastinate, because failing to perform well is likely to attract criticism. Perfectionism frightens people too, since it is painful to produce work that might be judged low-quality, or simply to make a mistake.

2. Perfectionism

Perfectionists face constant challenges at work, since their bar for success is extremely high, and they easily fall into procrastination. The idea of not being able to perform a task to the highest standard is so dreaded that it stretches out the time taken to start, or to finish, the job in hand. Perfectionism then leads to the belief that anything less than perfect is unacceptable, which means that a person given a task feels they cannot do it to the standard they demand of themselves, and so avoids it altogether.

3. Lack of motivation

At other times, procrastination is simply the result of not needing or wanting to complete a given task. When a task is monotonous, meaningless to the person or, worst of all, unenjoyable, it becomes hard to return to it. This is especially the case when the task is seen as compulsory or offers no reward at the end for the person doing it.

4. Immediate gains versus long-term consequences

Our brains are wired for instant gratification. People with this tendency will work on a complex project only if the benefit is greater than the pleasure they could get from a leisure activity, such as watching TV or browsing social media. This is a cognitive bias known as “temporal discounting”, where we prefer immediate gratification to anything that involves putting off important work.

5. Task aversion

Some tasks are emotionally or cognitively aversive: they produce feelings of anxiety, frustration or discomfort. When people see a task as too difficult or unpleasant, or believe that doing it will bring negative consequences such as the loss of personal resources, they may delay working on it. As the deadline approaches, the stress and the aversion to the task grow, so the longer the task is put off, the worse the stress becomes.

6. Decision paralysis

For some people, procrastination is caused by uncertainty, and they delay the decision to start a task. Because different activities involve different amounts of decision-making, it is not unusual for a person to be overburdened by the number of decisions they have to make. They freeze up and can become completely stuck: because they do not know where to start or how to proceed, they end up doing nothing at all.

The impacts of procrastination

Even though putting things off until the next day, or the day after, helps avoid a certain amount of stress or anxiety for a while, it brings even worse consequences in the end. These are not limited to work and productivity; they reach into emotional and mental wellbeing.

1. Increased stress and anxiety

One of the things most closely associated with procrastination is the level of stress, which rises as the deadline gets closer. The awareness that a task has been postponed can become a source of stress equal to the worry caused by the task itself. This stress usually peaks as the time for the task draws near, especially if the task involves a great deal of work.

2. Lower self-esteem and guilt

If a person tends to procrastinate, the habit continues, and this dents their sense of self. Most people set themselves obligations to meet at particular times, and when they fail to meet them they feel a kind of remorse and shame at not delivering as expected. In the long run this can bring a drop in self-efficacy and lead to feelings of inadequacy. It can also take another negative form: having put something off, the person starts to think of this as a personal weakness, which of course is damaging to their self-image.

3. Academic or professional failure

Delay plays a huge part in reducing performance in the classroom and the workplace. The quality of work produced is usually low, especially if the task was done half-heartedly or at the last minute. In an academic context, procrastination can lead to poor performance, poor time management, poor communication or incomplete work. In professional life it translates into lost chances, conflicts of one kind or another with peers, and staying stuck at the same level.

4. Health consequences

Chronic procrastination also has a negative impact on physical health. The stress people experience because of procrastination leads to sleepless nights, headaches, digestive problems and even a weakened immune system. In turn, people who habitually delay may fall into unhealthy eating, smoking or drug dependence as they try to cope with the stress the delays cause.

5. Damaged relationships

Procrastination interferes with personal and working relationships. When a person does not deliver as expected, meet set deadlines or honour their promises, others eventually become frustrated with them. This is especially damaging in organisations, particularly on large projects or in groups, because it slows the group’s progress and upsets team members who have been waiting for that person’s output.

Breaking the cycle of procrastination

Understanding why you procrastinate puts you on much better ground to change. Here are some strategies to break the cycle and develop healthier habits:

1. Set specific and achievable goals

When a job feels overwhelming, avoid getting stuck examining the whole process. Setting clear, descriptive goals can shrink the perceived size of the task and motivate you to take the first step. Even completing a set of small tasks brings a certain satisfaction and gives a certain boost.

2. Prepare a plan or use a timer

A planner is another tool that makes planning achievable, since it makes it easy to structure a schedule that separates what is important and deserves real time from what can be set aside for later. Many people prefer the Pomodoro Technique, in which you focus for a fixed period (for instance, 25 minutes) rather than losing time to long breaks. This method can help reduce the general feeling of stress and increase concentration.

3. Eliminate distractions

Work out which interruptions most affect your working habits and come up with ways to reduce them. This could mean turning off social media notifications, working away from noise, or using apps that block any website unrelated to work during working hours.

4. Practise self-compassion

Demanding of yourself that you must work now instead of procrastinating tends to result in more slacking off. Instead, accept that all of us procrastinate at one point or another, and treat each lapse as a valuable lesson that practice can improve on. Be gentle with yourself, and focus more on the process and less on the results.

5. Reward yourself

To counter the brain’s pull towards instant gratification, set up an effective reward system for when a particular task is done. For instance, after writing a set number of pages, allow yourself to watch a favourite cartoon or eat a favourite sweet. This uses present-day rewards to serve future gains, and vice versa, making it easier to balance the two.

Conclusion

Procrastination is a complex psychological behaviour rooted in fear, perfectionism and the desire for immediate gratification. While it provides temporary relief from anxiety or discomfort, the long-term consequences can be damaging to one’s mental health, productivity and relationships. By understanding the psychological causes of procrastination and putting practical strategies in place, people can take control of their habits and reduce the impact of procrastination on their lives. Breaking the cycle of procrastination takes effort, but with persistence and self-compassion it is possible to overcome this challenge and work towards a more productive and fulfilling life.