Why We Procrastinate & 5 Ways to Stop

This is a blog post I’ve been itching to write. It was one of the first I added to my list of topics to write about and every time I refer back to that list it’s the topic I get most jazzed up about writing. And then, un-ironically enough, I don’t do it. I want to write it well so as long as I don’t write it at all it’s neither good nor bad. Dead nor alive. Like Schrodinger’s cat. So here I am, removing the proverbial lid and accepting the fate of my study subject.

So let’s unpack procrastination.

Different psychological schools of thought say there are anywhere between three to six types of procrastinators. We’re going to take a look at the three main types that can be agreed upon, as I’m certain one of them will resonate with you. (If you’re reading, I’m assuming you are, in fact, a procrastinator. That said, feel free to bookmark this page and come back to it later. I see you and I accept you.)

There is one thing all forms of procrastination have in common… you ready for it?

Procrastination is a mind game we play with ourselves that gives us a false sense of control. No matter which type of procrastination you engage in, you’re gaslighting yourself into believing you are in control by not doing.

You are convincing yourself that procrastination is part of your strategy, and the longer you put off doing the thing the easier it is to believe your future self has successfully done the thing.

Lies.

You aren’t doing your current self or your future self any favors. What you are doing is:

• putting yourself on a path to burnout

• not creating space for new endeavors, creativity, and true rest

• perpetuating a subconscious core belief of ineptitude

• shirking the control you actually do have.

So how do you break the procrastination pattern?

First, determine which type of procrastinator you are.

1. The Perfectionist ·

It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem, it’s me. If you put things off until you have an exact plan, aaalll the information, a clear vision of the end result, Venus is in retrograde, the wind is blowing NNW, and your coffee is the perfect temperature then you are my people.

I’m sorry to be the one to tell us, but it will never be perfect. Whether it’s the process or the end result or both, IT WILL NEVER BE PERFECT. You have to start imperfectly and get comfortable with ending imperfectly. Most of the time (unless you are a surgeon or structural engineer), good enough really is good enough. Moreover, the longer you procrastinate you are getting further and further away from perfection and the best you can start to hope for is just okay-ish. As you ruminate, your brain thinks you’ve actually been doing the work. Ideas will begin to stagnate and fatigue will set in. So when you finally do perform you are already weary of doing the thing you haven’t done. Which brings me to…

2. The Self-saboteur ·

This type of procrastinator cuts out The Perfectionist middle-man and aims straight for meh. Self-saboteurs can’t fail because they don’t try. They also can’t succeed. Avoiding success is often an attempt to avoid change or the commitment that comes with success. However, Self-saboteurs do succeed at bolstering their own narrative of incompetence. By delivering less than good enough results… or no results at all… The Self-saboteur with low self-esteem or suffering from imposter syndrome proves themselves right again and again and again. And we humans sure do like to be right about the stories we tell ourselves.

3. The Adrenaline Junkie ·

You’re The Adrenaline Junkie type if your mantra is “I work best under pressure!”

I’m sorry, but no. No you do not. You are addicted to the rush of adrenaline and cortisol (a.k.a. stress hormones) that come with pushing the limits. You have a false sense of confidence that isn’t too far removed from the person who says, “I drive better when I’m high”. No. No they do not. Everyone else can see they are behaving erratically, not noticing important details, and endangering everyone who is on the same path.

That’s you.

And you’re very likely not delivering your best by sliding under the fence.

Now that you’ve identified how and why you procrastinate you probably want to know what to do about it.

Here are my top five tried and true, completely unscientific methods for combating procrastination:

1. Chunk the work + build momentum

Perfectionists and Self-saboteurs will especially benefit from this strategy to put off procrastination (see what I did there?). Start by writing down what needs to be done, then break it down into smaller tasks. For example, if you’ve been putting off writing a blog your task list might look something like this:

Write this month’s blog

o Brainstorm blog topics

o Choose topic

o Research chosen topic

o Create outline

o Write rough draft

o Edit rough draft

o Proofread

o Find images

o Format final draft

You can break the project into as many micro tasks as feels helpful for you. By tackling one bite-sized piece at a time you’ll start building momentum and confidence around the effort you’re making. You can even go a step further and give yourself a deadline for each of the tasks to keep you on track to meet the final deadline.

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I go deeper into the specifics of how to divide and conquer in my blog post

When Tackling Your To-do List Feels Like Punching in a Dream

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2. Reward yourself

This is one of my favorite ways to trick myself into being eager to complete the thing I don’t want to do and it’s so simple. When there’s a prize at the finish line it’s so much easier to motivate yourself to get there. When I land my next client I’m treating myself to a new record player and pulling my vinyl out of storage after nearly four years. I’ll invite some friends over to unpack it and sip some adult beverages. Obviously, a new client means more money, but earning more money just feels like a basic chore of adulting. Looking forward to this event really lights a fire under me to dig in my heels and ramp up my marketing game, something I don’t love doing, so I’m putting off mining for clients. On a smaller scale, when I’m finished writing the rough draft of this article I get to take a walk and call my sister. Which brings me to my next anti-procrastination trick…

3. Enlist your hype squad

I’m very fortunate to have other women entrepreneurs in my immediate orbit. We push each other when the going gets tough or we’re short on mojo. My go-to gals are my sister, who cheers women on for a living at New Age Fitness, and my BFF who is killing it in her biz Simply Organized by Chelsea (both offering virtual services if you’re not local!). When I find myself putting off something that will propel my business forward I unload it on one of these bosses. They hype me up and hold me accountable when I’m struggling to do it for myself. Without their confidence in me there’s a very good chance I would have perpetually kicked the can down the road and never started my business in the first place. If you don’t already have a hype squad, build one. I’d be happy to be part of yours so send me an email or DM when you can’t get out of your own way. I’m here for it!

4. Race the clock

Listen up Adrenaline Junkies! I have a super fun game for you! Have you ever seen a kid clean up all their toys in two minutes flat by giving them a five-minute timer? They’ll complain and resist until you say “I bet you can’t get all these toys picked up before the timer goes off”, then they’re off to the races! Guess what? This works on adults too. Especially The Adrenaline Junkie. Cyril Northcote Parkinson, a British naval historian, wrote “It is a commonplace observation that work will expand to fill the time available for its completion”. With that in mind, shrinking your deadline to a smaller window than what’s available pushes you to get it done in a timely manner while leaving a buffer to tweak the final product. As a bonus, you get the motivating adrenaline rush along with the satisfaction of beating the clock.

5. Talk it out with Future You

This can be a challenging one and it takes practice. It’s all about playing the long game and flexing your mindset muscles. If you must, put a sticky note somewhere you will see it that reads: Your future self will thank you. When the thought crosses your mind to take action on something you’d rather put off check in with Future You. Ask her these questions (and feel free to add your own):

• How will you feel tomorrow if I don’t work on/complete this today?

• How will you feel tomorrow if I do work on/complete this today?

• What are you doing with your time since I’m choosing to do this now?

• What are you doing with your time since I’m choosing to continue to put this off?

Odds are that Future You is stressed and/or distracted if you haven’t done the thing and relieved if you have. She is likely using the time to work toward another goal or, heaven forbid, engage in some guilt-free relaxation if you’ve done it. Conversely, she is probably plugging away at unimportant and non-urgent tasks in order to keep procrastinating if you haven’t.

The more often you have this conversation with Future You the more automatic it becomes to power through procrastination in order to feel the payoff of relief that comes with completing a task expeditiously.

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When you understand the why and the how of your own procrastination cycle it becomes much easier to load your toolbox with the right tools to break through it. I hope you can take these tools I’ve offered, make them your own, and build yourself an individualized arsenal to combat procrastination. You really will feel better and maintain true control of your workflow like the boss we both know you are!

- Candi

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