Why do I keep procrastinating?

The core reasons people procrastinate have something to do with the way they see
themselves and the world.

We all have rules and assumptions by which we live our lives.

1. Need to be in charge 2. Pleasure Seeking

Rule of living- ‘I must be in charge at Rule of living- ‘Life is too short to be doing things that are boring or
all times’ or ‘I shouldn’t have to do hard. Fun should always come first’
things I don’t want to do’
Assumption- ‘If I forgo fun, then I will become a lifeless drone’
Assumption- ‘If I’m not 100% in charge
Procrastination to alleviate boredom and help them to seek out the
of what I do then I am weak
pleasure they desire
Procrastination due to lack of self-
4. Fear of uncertainty or catastrophe
control over situation
Rule of living- ‘I must be certain’ or ‘I should be prepared for the
3. Fear of failure or
worst’
disapproval
Assumption- ‘If I take action, then something bad will happen’
Rule of living- ‘I must do things
perfectly’ or ‘I can’t have others Procrastination to alleviate their fear, by putting of any action that
think poorly of me’ could lead to an unknown or catastrophic outcome. It ensures
nothing changes for the mean time, and hence if nothing changes,
Assumption- ‘If I put my work out nothing bad can happen at least for now, so they temporarily feel
there, then others will think badly more certain about things
of me’
6. Depleted energy
Procrastination to avoid fears- you
can’t fail or be judged negatively Rule of living- ‘I can’t do things when I am stressed/ fatigued/
by others, if you never follow unmotivated/ depressed’ or ‘I must rest when my energy is low’
through on the task in the first
place Assumption- ‘If I do things when I am stressed/ fatigued/
unmotivated/ depressed, I will make things worse’
5. Low self- confidence
Procrastination as a way of trying to rebuild energy and get rid of
Rule of living- ‘I can’t do things
exhaustion, with the idea that I rest rather than do, things will
because I am incapable’
somehow get better
Assumption- ‘If I try things, then
my inadequacies will show
through’

Procrastination as a way of not

having to face that they can’t do
something because of their flaws’
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How to overcome procrastination?

1. Prioritise

 Create a to-do list

 Judge how realistic it is to complete in time
allocated

2. Grade

 Break the task into all the small steps that are involved in achieving the task
 Think of the first step and then work forward through a series of steps until
the task is completed
 Include all steps

1. Tell time
 Estimate how long each task will take
 Keep a record of time taken to do tasks you regularly struggle with
 Once your time telling has improved, you can then make more accurate
estimates of how long each step of each task will take you.
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10 tips to help you STOP procrastinating:

1. Worst-first: get the most dreaded task out of the way first and then the
rest will seem like a breeze
2. Using momentum: start with the task that energises you the most
3. Just 5 minutes: start task by telling yourself you will spend just 5
minutes. After this, reassess and check if you can tolerate another 5
minutes
 4. Set time-limits: give yourself a specific amount of time for a task, stop
after this and set another amount of time.
5. Prime-time: choose the time of day when you are most productive
6. Prime-place: choose a place that makes you feel productive away from
distractions and noise
7. Remember-then-do: for smaller tasks that it is easy to forget, seize the
moment when you remember and do it
8. Reminders: set reminders on fridge, on phone, in diary etc.
9. Focus: focus your mind by breathing before tackling a task
10. Plan rewards: after a dreaded task, plan something you enjoy to
motivate yourself

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When can I do it?

This involves having some routine, and hence an idea of where the
tasks you have been putting off can slot into your routine. It is about
making or allocating time to work on tasks or goals.