11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination
I wanted to write an article on procrastination, but kept putting it off.
The irony is obvious, but what’s not obvious is why I put it off. So I’ll tell you why — because my life (like yours) is jammed full of responsibilities.
We juggle our jobs, children, marriages, aging parents, and household chores. We pay bills, do laundry, clean the house, and mow the lawn. We battle traffic, buy groceries, and negotiate with associates.
And in the midst of all this chaos, we convince ourselves that none of our varied obligations is so pressing as to require our time right now. In other words, procrastination’s short-term benefit is a feeling of control and peace. We tell ourselves, “I’ll do the laundry tomorrow. Right now, my life is right as rain, and I’m taking a break, thank you very much.”
So take a break. There’s nothing wrong with taking time to read a book, watch television, or chill in your favorite chair while the sun sets outside your beautiful picture window. Just be aware that the feel-good benefits of procrastination can quickly erode into panic.
You’re looking for the sweet spot between procrastination and frenzy, the magic pace at which the assembly line of your life runs smoothly.
Here are 11 common causes of procrastination and corresponding tips to help you find the pace you’re looking for:
- Complicated-task anxiety: Break big, complicated tasks into smaller pieces. Complete a starter task, no matter how small.
- Fear of imperfection: Accept that perfection is rarely attainable and seldom necessary. You’re a person, not a robot. Use the 80/20 rule whenever appropriate.
- Indecision: Determine your decision-making criteria, then set a deadline for your decision. Ask a friend to hold you accountable.
- Priority confusion: Distinguish obligations from options. What are you really responsible for? List and prioritize tasks.
- Boredom from minutiae: Automate simple repetitive tasks whenever possible.
- Lack of focus: Minimize distractions. Check e-mail and voicemail only twice per day instead of every 5 minutes. Find a quiet room where you can concentrate. Resist the urge to keep taking breaks.
- Poor organizational skills: Clean your work area. Put tools and utensils in their proper place so you can find them when you need them.
- Laziness: Remind yourself of the consequences of procrastination. Resist the urge to be a couch potato. Try to complete several small tasks to provide a feeling of accomplishment. Reward yourself.
- Lack of energy: Maintain a regular sleep routine. Eat healthy. Exercise regularly. Do not skip breakfast.
- Early morning lag: Before you stop working each day, make a list of the tasks you want to begin first thing the following morning so you can hit the ground running the next day.
- Post-lunch fatigue: Before leaving for lunch, make a list of the things you plan to do when you get back so you can pick up where you left off. Avoid eating a heavy lunch.
In case you’re wondering, I kept putting off this article because I lacked focus. I finally decided to follow my own advice, shut my office door, stop checking email, and make myself write. As usual, starting was the hardest part.
By taking time to understand your own reasons for putting things off and devoting energy to moving forward, you too can beat procrastination.
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Friday, May 25th, 2007 at 10:54 am under
Ugh… I have a hard time focusing too. Sometime I just have to make myself focus, like you suggest.
I also thought the “minutae” tip was interesting, but I’m not sure how to do that. Do you have any tips on how to automate “simple, repetitive” tasks?
May 30th, 2007 at 11:45 pmHello again, Jess.
Yes, I do have tips for automating simple, repetitive tasks.
1) You can use online billpay — that saves me a couple of hours a month.
2) You can also set-up rules in your email in-box to automatically sort emails from critical authors (such as your boss or teacher) into special folders (to help you prioritize).
3) If you have a simple, repetitive activity that hogs a lot of your time, ask yourself if there’s a way to leverage technology to do it for you.
I hope this helps.
May 30th, 2007 at 11:56 pm@Jess:
June 9th, 2007 at 8:15 amGoogle AutoHotKeys! Also, Google “Belkin Nostromo” - both are excellent tools for automating any repetitive task.
Thanks for the tip, Caveman Joe.
June 11th, 2007 at 5:22 pm[…] 11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination - [JohnPlaceOnline] digg_url = ‘http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/11-causes-of-procrastination-and-their-cures.html’; ( function() { var ds=typeof digg_skin==’string’?digg_skin:”; var h=80; var w=52; if(ds==’compact’) { h=18; w=120; } var u=typeof digg_url==’string’?digg_url:(typeof DIGG_URL==’string’?DIGG_URL:window.location.href); document.write(”"); } )() Author: Craig Childs Posted: Friday, June 22nd, 2007 at 10:39 am Tags: procrastination Bookmark or Share this with a friend! […]
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:40 amIt could be also that your procrastination is a form of “self-handicapping”. Being aware of the self-handicapping phenomenon is one step to procrastinate less.
I wrote a blog about it, after I had a lecture about it at my local university (I’m a psychology student).
Why do college students procrastinate?
Basically, the lecturer said that it has to do with personality. If you’re strongly goal oriented or task-oriented, you are more likely to procrastinate than someone who is process-oriented. So trying to focus on the process (learning, growing, whatever) will cause less stress and hence less procrastination. Try to stop focusing on the goal or task (the things that have to be done, deadlines) too much.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:03 amThanks for the tips, Taquoriaan!
The benefits of process orientation do make sense to me.
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:23 am[…] While I was checking my daily RSS feeds, I ran across an article on lifehack.org entitled “11 Causes of Procrastination and Their Cures”. As someone who falls into the procrastination trap every once in awhile I clicked on the link. The site isn’t actually the source of the article, but gives visitors a quick blurb about the post and then provides a link to the site where the article was written (johnsplaceonline.com). The article is worth your read, but the reason why I’m pointing it out to you doesn’t have anything to do with content of the article. Take a look at this screenshot from lifehack.org – the site that links to johnsplaceonline.com: […]
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June 22nd, 2007 at 2:43 pmVery Informative, defenitely helped me to narrow down mine roadblocks
June 22nd, 2007 at 8:23 pmI’m glad it helped you, Vijay.
June 22nd, 2007 at 9:30 pm[…] 11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination (tags: lists) […]
June 22nd, 2007 at 11:22 pm[…] 11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination Symptoms: Complicated-task anxiety, fear of imperfection, indecision, priority confusion, boredom from minutiae, lack of focus, poor organizational skills, laziness, lack of energy, early morning lag, post-lunch fatigue. Cures: Simplified and Automate. (tags: advice habits howto lifehacks productivity procrastination gtd 11 list) […]
June 23rd, 2007 at 1:21 amGreat article. I have never seen a more concise and easy to read/use list of cures for procrastination. You’ll get a trackback from me soon.
A few things though.
1. I may have something to add to your list. On anxiety and procrastination:
I have an anxiety disorder and many times I don’t do things because I am simply afraid of them. The reasons may be wrong but the fear is real. I have found that by slowly exposing myself to the task that I am afraid of over time that I desensitize myself to the task and the fear of the task dissipates (its never all gone though). Its not easy, but it stops the “procrastinating”.
2. What about repetitive manual tasks? Tasks like sorting or filing paper work or archiving old records or dusting or any boring task that a well trained monkey could do. Those tasks are the ones that kill me. I can code away any task on a computer, its the hands on busy work (aka b!tch work) that I sometimes put off for months if not years and then just throw everything out in a fit of boredom. I mean I HATE these tasks. Any tips on not hating them or making them not suck or suck less?
L8s.
PS. You left out the “n” in “indecision”. Sorry to bother, but thought you might want to fix that seeing how popular this article is getting.
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June 23rd, 2007 at 3:42 am[…] 11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination Complicated-task anxiety: Break big, complicated tasks into smaller pieces. Complete a starter task, no matter how small. Fear of imperfection: Accept that perfection is rarely attainable and seldom necessary. You’re a person, not a robot. Use the 80/20 rule whenever appropriate. […]
June 23rd, 2007 at 5:51 amHello therealdonquixote,
Thank you for your additional tips. I can understand and appreciate what you’re saying.
The manual repetitive tasks are a major annoyance for me as well. My first question is always: Is there any way to convert this task from manual to automated?
Automatic bill pay is a simple example of a task that went from manual to automatic.
Others are not quite so easy. If anyone has any good suggestions, I would love to hear them.
–John
June 23rd, 2007 at 10:41 amIf I have to do a boring manual task I put on some music, somethings just have to be done and my favorite music relieves the boredom just a little. I so LOVE my iPod. :)
June 23rd, 2007 at 1:00 pmYeah I
June 23rd, 2007 at 1:06 pm[…] Ways To Get Fired, And How To Avoid Them (Office 2007 Edition) 23 06 2007 After reading 11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination over at johnplaceonline.com, I thought it might be helpful to write a small list of things that […]
June 23rd, 2007 at 3:35 pmMan, one HTML tag and everything was lost. Anyway, I love my iPod too, but people get pissed if you wear your headphones around the office while filing stuff.
In fact, I just wrote a little list of mine own on “16 Ways To Get Fired, And How To Avoid Them”. Here’s the link:
16 Ways to Get Fired and How to Avoid Them .
Sorry for the long URL but it seems that HTML tags are a no no here.
Let it be known that my post was inspired by this post and the comment thread that followed. I hope it can help somebody out there.
Again great job john!!
June 23rd, 2007 at 3:42 pm[…] - 11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination Lack of […]
June 23rd, 2007 at 5:25 pmHey Don, fun article. I hope you don’t mind, I edited your post to shorten the URL.
If you want to insert a hyperlink into a comment, just put the URL in an anchor tag. If it didn’t work for you, maybe the syntax was hosed up or something else was wrong.
June 23rd, 2007 at 7:34 pmNice article . I guess it covers more or less most of the things . its about how badly you want something which keeps you off procrastination
June 23rd, 2007 at 10:37 pmThanks for the comment, starleads.
Oh, I’m sure there are 3 or 4 (or maybe 500) causes of procrastination I’ve missed here, but these are the buggers that seem to get me most often.
There is also a lot of truth in what Taquoriaan suggested — sometimes it’s helpful to focus on the process of what you’re doing instead of the end result you’re striving for. Sort of like the runner who focuses on putting one foot in front of the other instead of winning the race.
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June 26th, 2007 at 6:00 am[…] You’re looking for the sweet spot between procrastination and frenzy, the magic pace at which the assembly line of your life runs smoothly.Here are 11 common causes of procrastination and corresponding tips to help you find the pace you’re looking for (click on the link for the rest):Complicated-task anxiety: Break big, complicated tasks into smaller pieces. Complete a starter task, no matter how small.Fear of imperfection: Accept that perfection is rarely attainable and seldom necessary. You’re a person, not a robot. Use the 80/20 rule whenever appropriate.Indecision: Determine your decision-making criteria, then set a deadline for your decision. Ask a friend to hold you accountable.Priority confusion: Distinguish obligations from options. What are you really responsible for? List and prioritize tasks.JohnPlaceOnline.com […]
June 26th, 2007 at 7:21 amI’ll read this later.
June 27th, 2007 at 12:40 amToo funny, Hardy B. Tardy. :)
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June 27th, 2007 at 8:13 pmGood Morning Mr. Place,
June 28th, 2007 at 5:04 amI read your article on Mercola.com, and found that it is something that I would like to share with my listeners and subscribers on my Internet Radio Show, Body Wonders. If you would like to be a guest on my show, please let me know via my email address or feel free to call me at **number deleted**
Thank you for your consideration.
Donna Vernon
Show Host
Body Wonders on TropicWaveRadio.net
http://www.bodywonders.net
donna@bodywonders.net
[…] Somewhere between your idea of accomplishing something, and seeing it accomplished, there may be something lacking — the act of actually doing it. Procrastination happens to most people, some of the time. To some people it happens most of the time … This quick and inspiring article points out how procrastination can have the short-term benefit of making you feel in control and at peace. Unfortunately this is serenity on borrowed time, and is usually followed by intense panic.He lists 11 common causes of procrastination, followed by tips to nip the slacker-habit in the bud. Complicated Task Anxiety, for example, can be cured by breaking a large, complex project into smaller tasks that can easily be accomplished one-at-a-time. Then, all you need to do is get going on one of those small “starter” tasks.Automate simple, but boring and repetitive tasks whenever you can, to diminish burn-out from boredom. And minimize distractions. See my video on How to Radically Reduce the Time You Spend on Emails, for example, and make sure you’re in a room where you can concentrate without distractions. JohnPlaceOnline.com […]
July 12th, 2007 at 9:04 am[…] 11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination […]
July 13th, 2007 at 12:41 amWow, thank you! Never read something like this before, this will help me a lot!
July 14th, 2007 at 9:15 pmI just can’t decide which one is my biggest cause lol
Glad you liked it, Maria. :)
July 15th, 2007 at 12:03 pmGreat article. I used to procrastinate a lot - now I never seem to get around to it.
July 17th, 2007 at 3:41 amYour piece looks like “11 ways to cope with procrastination” which is useful by itself. What causes our brain, biochemically or else, to make us feel anxiety, fear, indecision, confusion, boredom, and lack the get-up-and-go is at the root of the problem.
July 17th, 2007 at 7:57 amSteve,
Thanks for your comment. I’m glad you overcame procrastination!
Francois,
These are techniques to help a person change a behavior (procrastination), not merely cope with it.
However, as you accurately suggest, these are not strategies for correcting the underlying anxiety, fear, indecision, confusion, or boredeom.
Although I do have one or two articles around here on some of those other topics as well.
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September 5th, 2007 at 2:21 pmthis was very illuminating for a procrastinator like me!!!
September 12th, 2007 at 1:07 pmThanks for sharing, Devahuti.
September 12th, 2007 at 2:23 pmvery well written, I hope to read more like this
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November 28th, 2007 at 9:03 amI learned to overcome procrastination by the delight into throwing it into the face of cyncis. A cynicism is the easiest and most useless activity in the world. A cynic controls you by letting you know how you will fail if you attempt anything. Indeed, I have failed, and also royally screwed up. But boy, have I learned a lot, and with that comes competence, energy, and delight in the act of doing. I love to make those cynics eat crow. They love to say, You’ll never accomplish anything. And then I do. And then I delight in throwing it back at them. Hah! Procrastination is a subset of cynicism. The procrastinor is the cynics victim. I am the thorn in the side of the Cynic, and I love it.
December 6th, 2007 at 8:47 am[…] some of the common causes of procrastination are described. If you find them familiar, or a somewhat accurate description of your actions, thoughts and feelings, it is likely […]
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February 20th, 2008 at 3:04 pmHi,
I love this article. It’s funny cuz stubbled upon it while i was procrastinating writting my essay. My question is if you have a lack of focus what are some helpful tips to avoid it? For me I loose focus really easily. when I take my break during studying i come to see there is always a tv show or movie on that i must see or something else that i rather do first. And whenever I make a to do list I get so overwhelmed I never get anything done. I used to be such a good students but this year my grades are really sufferring. Any ideas how I can get my life back on track?
Nikki
March 9th, 2008 at 9:39 pmIt sounds fantastic. The question is - this post is absolutely new and original, isn’t it? It seems to me I’ve saw it somewhere before.
April 11th, 2008 at 12:01 amThis list is all mine, blob mam. But there’s very little that’s new and original. In fact, I think there’s very little original in the entire blogosphere. My suggestion? Read books.
April 22nd, 2008 at 11:11 pmIt’s a great advice I must. I have not tried it yet but I know full well that it will work. Thanks John.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:11 am