9 Reasons why you procrastinate
(and how I handled it)I have to admit that I used to be a master in procrastination; I always had excuses to postpone tasks.
At some moment in time, I had enough of it and read some books about human psychology and came to the conclusion there are 9 main reasons why people procrastinate.
1. Fear of failure
2. Perfectionism
3. Lack of motivation
4. Overwhelming
5. Poor time management
6. lack of skills
7. Distractions
8. Low self-esteem
9. Lack of goals
2. Perfectionism
3. Lack of motivation
4. Overwhelming
5. Poor time management
6. lack of skills
7. Distractions
8. Low self-esteem
9. Lack of goals
And by acknowledging an issue, it's easy to find a cure or solution for it. And get the right mentality to build your passive income streams, cos this can be a mental game sometimes.
Like this blog site, I had this idea in mind for 3-4 years but never started it. Why? A combination of 9 points below. I mixed the 9 main reasons with some personal experiences and how I handled it (if it was the correct way, I don't know, but I did it).
1. Fear of failure
People are afraid they won't meet expectations or wont't succeed in their tasks. This fear can be paralyzing and they start to delay tasks or even not finish them.
It often happens that people overthink issues or are afraid of what their peers, friends or persons in their neighboorhood will think of them when they fail.
Not starting (or even finishing) a task or project means they didn't fail, giving them a fake feeling of satisfaction.
I had this too, many many times before: thinking 'what if I fail?'. To be honest, this is the worst thought you can have. You have to start thinking positively and ban those negative thoughts.
If you don't succeed in your mission, you have at least tried. And that is already much more than most of the others will achieve. And even if you fail, you learn many things that can help you in the future. And remember:
It often happens that people overthink issues or are afraid of what their peers, friends or persons in their neighboorhood will think of them when they fail.
Not starting (or even finishing) a task or project means they didn't fail, giving them a fake feeling of satisfaction.
I had this too, many many times before: thinking 'what if I fail?'. To be honest, this is the worst thought you can have. You have to start thinking positively and ban those negative thoughts.
If you don't succeed in your mission, you have at least tried. And that is already much more than most of the others will achieve. And even if you fail, you learn many things that can help you in the future. And remember:
It's better to regret things you have done than to regret things you haven't done
2. Perfectionism
Aiming for perfection may make some people doubt about delivering flawless work. They may wait until the very last moment, hoping for the perfect ideas or conditions to come to them. And most of the time, it never comes.
I learned about striving for perfection and MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) by reading 'The Lean Machine' (see Books that influenced me).
Delivering a functional product is much better than waiting for the perfect one. The perfect product doesn't exist, there is always something that can be improved or added.
With an MVP, you have at least a working product, which you can always make better or add things, according to the wishes of your clients (or visitors).
Also don't try to add too much unneccesary and fancy stuff, most people will not use it. It's not because you think it is amazing that other people will think the same.
Keep the KISS principle in mind: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
I learned about striving for perfection and MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) by reading 'The Lean Machine' (see Books that influenced me).
Delivering a functional product is much better than waiting for the perfect one. The perfect product doesn't exist, there is always something that can be improved or added.
With an MVP, you have at least a working product, which you can always make better or add things, according to the wishes of your clients (or visitors).
Also don't try to add too much unneccesary and fancy stuff, most people will not use it. It's not because you think it is amazing that other people will think the same.
Keep the KISS principle in mind: Keep It Simple, Stupid.
3. Lack of motivation
A lack of interest or motivation in the task can lead to procrastination. When people don't see the value or relevance in what they have to do, they might postpone it in favor of more enjoyable activities.
There are always annoying parts in (bigger) projects that could be more fun or easier to do. You'll always encounter moments where you say 'pffft, I do not want to do this'. But hey, things needs to be done to complete something.
The best you can do is start this part immediately; don't think about it, just do it. It will give you a good feeling after you finish it.
No matter how long you postpone it or leave it alone, it will not solve itself, you will have to do it anyway. Choose for the short pain and do it immediately. This works also motivating.
There are always annoying parts in (bigger) projects that could be more fun or easier to do. You'll always encounter moments where you say 'pffft, I do not want to do this'. But hey, things needs to be done to complete something.
The best you can do is start this part immediately; don't think about it, just do it. It will give you a good feeling after you finish it.
No matter how long you postpone it or leave it alone, it will not solve itself, you will have to do it anyway. Choose for the short pain and do it immediately. This works also motivating.
4. Overwhelming
When a task seems too complex or too big to start, it can lead to procrastination.
As we say in Belgium 'you do not see the forest through the trees'.
But this one is easy to overcome: let it sink in, think about it, and try to break it into several smaller tasks.
I encountered this a few times when I was still working as a network administrator. Sometimes, big failures occur, and my fixed thing to do was to get a cup of coffee, sit down, and split the issue into different parts. This worked much better than stressing around and trying several things simultaneously.
Always ensure you have control over what you do, and everything can be split into smaller and easier tasks.
As we say in Belgium 'you do not see the forest through the trees'.
But this one is easy to overcome: let it sink in, think about it, and try to break it into several smaller tasks.
I encountered this a few times when I was still working as a network administrator. Sometimes, big failures occur, and my fixed thing to do was to get a cup of coffee, sit down, and split the issue into different parts. This worked much better than stressing around and trying several things simultaneously.
Always ensure you have control over what you do, and everything can be split into smaller and easier tasks.
5. Poor time management
Sometimes, procrastination can be the result of inadequate time management. Many times, people underestimate the amount of time required to complete a task, or they prioritize wrongly, leading to last-minute rushing.
Countless times, it happened to me that I thought, 'O, I have more than enough time', especially when I was a university student. And then I had to rush, skipping things, ...
Best you can do is plan, plan, plan. Write down everything that needs to be done and how long it's supposed to take. If you add 10% extra, you will have a perfect schedule with room for adjustments.
Stop thinking you have enough time to finish something. Just do it and finish it even if you have several days left. By this, you will have time to do other and more pleasant stuff or even start a new project where you have a few days extra to complete.
Countless times, it happened to me that I thought, 'O, I have more than enough time', especially when I was a university student. And then I had to rush, skipping things, ...
Best you can do is plan, plan, plan. Write down everything that needs to be done and how long it's supposed to take. If you add 10% extra, you will have a perfect schedule with room for adjustments.
Stop thinking you have enough time to finish something. Just do it and finish it even if you have several days left. By this, you will have time to do other and more pleasant stuff or even start a new project where you have a few days extra to complete.
6. Lack of skills
'That is too difficult to do, I am not smart or capable enough to do it'. This attitude often delays tasks or leads to fear of being unable to complete a task.
My father always told me, 'You can always learn what you don't know', which is so true. Learning new skills is always positive and leads to more motivation to conquer more difficult taks.
Nothing is impossible, and as we say in Belgium, 'where there is a will, there is a way'.
My father always told me, 'You can always learn what you don't know', which is so true. Learning new skills is always positive and leads to more motivation to conquer more difficult taks.
Nothing is impossible, and as we say in Belgium, 'where there is a will, there is a way'.
7. Distractions
In today's digital world, we are all surrounded by many distractions. Emails, social media, smartphones, games, etc., are all within reach and can easily divert our attention from important tasks.
Social media have such sophisticated algorithms that they can hook you up for hours, tied to your smartphone. And away from tasks you have to do.
This happened to me, too; I have to be honest about it. The best thing you can do is put your smartphone in another location and only focus on your work. And when you finished a task, you 'reward' yourself with a break and then you can check your smartphone.
You really don't have to check your phone every 2 minutes, the world will keep on turning if you don't answer a message within a second. People survived without smartphones for centuries.
Social media have such sophisticated algorithms that they can hook you up for hours, tied to your smartphone. And away from tasks you have to do.
This happened to me, too; I have to be honest about it. The best thing you can do is put your smartphone in another location and only focus on your work. And when you finished a task, you 'reward' yourself with a break and then you can check your smartphone.
You really don't have to check your phone every 2 minutes, the world will keep on turning if you don't answer a message within a second. People survived without smartphones for centuries.
8. Low self-esteem
Procrastination can also be caused by self-doubt and low self-esteem. Some people may put taks aside because they doubt their own abilities or fear receiving negative feedback from others.
I had this feeling, too, when I was younger, but then I realized that people always criticize and will always see negative things even if you're proud of what you've achieved.
This is out of jealousy, and giving criticism is always easier than giving positive comments; it gives them a false feeling of superiority.
Don't care about what those people say, you do it for yourself and not for others. It is you who will succeed while they fail!
I had this feeling, too, when I was younger, but then I realized that people always criticize and will always see negative things even if you're proud of what you've achieved.
This is out of jealousy, and giving criticism is always easier than giving positive comments; it gives them a false feeling of superiority.
Don't care about what those people say, you do it for yourself and not for others. It is you who will succeed while they fail!
9. Lack of goals
Without clear goals, it can be challenging to stay focussed and motivated.
'Why should I do this?', 'Is it really worth my time and effort?' or 'What is the use of this?' are questions I often ask myself.
The most difficult part here is getting started. Once you've started, it's like an old locomotive, you keep on going and going. And when a 'useless' project is finished, having it finished is a reward in itself. It fills you with positivity and joy, and you must start embracing these feelings as a reward or goal.
'Why should I do this?', 'Is it really worth my time and effort?' or 'What is the use of this?' are questions I often ask myself.
The most difficult part here is getting started. Once you've started, it's like an old locomotive, you keep on going and going. And when a 'useless' project is finished, having it finished is a reward in itself. It fills you with positivity and joy, and you must start embracing these feelings as a reward or goal.
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