What Causes Procrastination

Procrastination is a bad habit and you are definitely not alone if you procrastinate. Many people are procrastinators, and overtime, this bad habit can cause severe damage to your work life and your overall mental wellbeing. You may find yourself feeling depressed, guilty or suffer from high levels of stress due to work piling up.

Like all other bad habits, such as dragging our feet or hunching when we walk, procrastination is not easy to spot in yourself. Even if we are aware that we are avoiding our work, we are unable to pinpoint the exact reason why, and often exist in the state of denial where we simply blame our procrastination on other things. Procrastination is the habit of intentionally avoiding and delaying doing our work, and it is very easy to get into this bad habit.

If you find that you or your close ones are procrastinating, it would help to get them engaged in acknowledging that they have a problem. Much like joining Alcoholics Anonymous, there are many support groups available for procrastinators to get back on their feet. It is also advisable to see a counsellor or therapist to work through the reason why you started procrastinating in the first place. More often than not, by the time a case of procrastination is identified, the individual has already suffered huge blows to their self esteem and confidence, and are likely to be depressed, guilty or suffer from anxiety disorders, among others.

There are many causes of procrastination, and it differs from individual to individual. It could be due to the person’s character, or an event that was traumatising on some level. The repetitive act of pushing off doing work over time develops into the habit of procrastination, and it is important to go back and unearth the initial cause that sparked off this bad habit. Below is a list of possible causes of procrastination, and by running though you can possibly identify similar causes in yourself.

1) Poor Time Management

These are individuals who either overestimate their efficiency and capability, or they have a mismanaged sense of how much time they have available to complete tasks.

2) Inability to Prioritize

It is always easier to do the simple and unimportant tasks first, but this problem goes beyond that when the individual is unable to differentiate between what needs to be done first, and what is less important.

3) Negative Mindset

These are people who have low self esteem, or have become unduly affected by people’s comments putting them down. They genuinely believe that they are inferior and incapable of working well.

4) Fear of Failure

This is a very common problem, as nobody likes failing after putting in a lot of effort and work. The fear of failure may be sparked off from a previous failure, causing them to avoid putting in effort and failing again.

5) Lack Challenge

Not all jobs can be exciting and stimulating, and jobs that are repetitive and unchallenging can cause the individual to be demotivated. This results in feelings of restlessness and a general unwillingness to work.