Have you ever felt utterly overwhelmed and unmotivated while looking at the tasks on your day’s to-do list, even though they might be easy and fast to complete? We have news for you… The term procrastination is an umbrella term used for this exact occasion. It is the act of delaying or postponing tasks or actions in which the individual gets unnecessarily and voluntarily caught in a cycle of avoidance and feels overwhelmed by the task at hand. The causes of procrastination define the type each one belongs in and give guidance on how to cope with it.

There are mainly 6 types of procrastination, with the first three types caused by some sort of anxiety, while the rest are primarily caused by frustration or even boredom.

The Worrier

This type of procrastination is caused by fear of failure. The individual does not feel confident or able to complete the task at hand and, therefore, does not start it at all. The cycle created here is that you are doomed to fail if you never even try.

The Perfectionist

While the perfectionist and the worrier avoid completing a task because of fear of failure, it is a more profound sentiment for the perfectionist. Failure equates to not completing the task perfectly for this type of person. Typically, they are over-organizers, so they cannot even imagine starting a task without a plan for every detail. Imagine how hard it is to plan everything in a world as chaotic as the one we live in…

The Over-Doer

This type of person commits to doing many tasks at the same time, and while multitasking comes easy to them, the leading cause of their procrastination is the inability to prioritize. These people are constantly trying to keep up with their own impossible standards and feel utterly useless when they fail.

Having covered the anxiety reasons that cause procrastination, it is essential to say that not all people who procrastinate suffer from an anxiety disorder. Many just feel unmotivated, frustrated, or bored. The three remaining types of procrastination are motivated by what is called Low Frustration Tolerance (LFT), which translates as the belief that we won’t be able to cope or put up with the frustration of the mundane, repetitive, or tedious aspects of a task or situation.

The Crisis Maker

To feel motivated to do a task, this type needs the pressure inherent in last-minute action. Without this, they believe that they won’t perform at their best. The pressure is their way of alleviating the boredom attached to a mundane task. The problem that arises on this occasion is that the quality of a last-minute project could never compare to that started at a reasonable time frame. Eventually, the crisis-makers are doomed to mediocre results if they don’t intend to stop procrastination.

The Dreamer

As dreamers, when it comes to procrastination, we refer to those who believe that everything should fall in their lap and that they should not need to work hard to get what they want. At some point in our lives, we’ve all been dreamers. Great ideas come to us every day, but they end up going against the grain because the thought of hard work overwhelms us.

The Defier

Last but not least, we have the defier. Imagine the situation; your boss has given you a downright dull task to do, which feels unworthy of your precious time. You feel angry or even resentful, so you delay and focus on more exciting projects. However, at the end of the day, you WILL have to complete it eventually, which may frustrate you even more.

Ways to solve your procrastination problem

According to Itamar Shatz (Ph.D.), in order to fight procrastination, you must take tiny steps. To get started with a task that you have been avoiding, for example, a uni project, an easy step would be to lay out all the tools you may need to use without yet trying to begin working and, as a second step, remove any distractions from your environment, like your phone.

In order to overcome procrastination in the long term, there are four rules to follow.

1. Set specific and realistic goals. Do you want to start exercising? A good plan would be “be able to run a full mile by the end of the month,” while a wrong goal would be “do some running,” which is unspecific.

2. Assess your procrastination. Chat with yourself, identify the cases in which you unnecessarily delay, to find out what exactly you procrastinate (e.g., studying) and how you do it (e.g., by browsing social media). Once you identify what and how, you must think of where and when you tend to procrastinate (e.g., at home, when starting/finishing tasks, in the morning/the evening). Finally, figure out why you procrastinate. Is it due to perfectionism, anxiety, or plain boredom?

3. Create an action plan. Your plan should involve using relevant anti-procrastination techniques that account for the nature of your procrastination problem (take a look at the types of procrastination above). The techniques involved in your plan may differ according to your goals. However, be careful for those suffering from procrastination; you may create the perfect plan but never feel eager to follow it.

4. Implement your plan. Be sure to check up with yourself every once in a while to see if the techniques you have decided to follow are working, reflect on your progress, and refine your approach if needed.

Key anti-procrastination techniques

• Break tasks into steps. The satisfaction of completing small steps will motivate you to continue.

• Commit to a tiny first step. Want to tidy up your room? Start by making your bed, and the rest will follow.

• Develop self-efficacy and self-compassion. Allow yourself to make mistakes and accept that your work will not be perfect.

• Prepare in advance. Lay out everything you will need to complete a task (e.g., cooking dinner), making it easier for you.

• Make boring tasks more enjoyable. Blast some music to set the mood for the task at hand. Why not clean while dancing to some bachata?

• Remove potential distractions. Turn off your phone and the TV, tidy up your workspace. The sight of a clean and organized workspace is enough to put you in the mood for work.

• Delay before indulging the impulse to procrastinate. Take a deep breath, count to 10, and start.

• Set realistic deadlines. Estimate the time you will need to complete a task and stick to your plan of completing it within the specific time frame.

• Plan ahead for obstacles you may have to handle. If you can’t follow plan A, always have a plan B.

• Identify and address your fears. In each situation, think of what advice you would give to a friend were they in your shoes.

• Increase your motivation. Nowadays, there are plenty of habit trackers. Don’t lie to yourself; it feels great to mark a task off your to-do list and see it as completed.

• Increase your energy. Plan ahead for little breaks, maybe even follow time-management techniques from specialists.

• Improve your environment. Decorate your spaces according to the mood you need to feel in order to complete a task tied to each space. Fill your desk with candles, books related to your studies, etc.

• Create starting rituals. Remember the first technique of breaking a task into small steps? Doing this is a good starting routine because you reflect on the task you are about to start and eventually realize it can be easy; why delay it?

• Start with your best or worst task. For me, start off with your worst and most challenging task. Thinking of its completion will make everything else look so much easier.

• Treat underlying conditions. If your procrastination is caused by a condition like ADHD or chronic anxiety, do not delay professional treatment.

Overall, most people nowadays suffer from procrastination, especially the younger generations. There are many ways to work with yourself to stop it, but it will take some effort on your behalf. As a 22-year-old student who has suffered all my life from procrastination, these are the techniques I have found on my journey of trying to cope with it. To say the least, sometimes it will feel like you can’t fight it. For example, I started this article on June 20th, 2023, and had it ready some hours before the deadline by July 18th, 2023…