6 Causes of Procrastination – Kicking The Habit
Are you a major procrastinator? If so, you might want to take a reality check as this could seriously hinder you from moving ahead. Procrastination often starts when we are truly uncomfortable with having to do something. We feel intimidated, scared and out of control and therefore we simply procrastinate instead of getting into action.
I used to be a major procrastinator in the past until I realized that it was fear of success that was holding me back. You might laugh at this, but it is often the case that we strive for the stars only to be afraid of them. Procrastination can have multiple causes, but mainly they are:
- Fear of failure
- Fear of success
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Under/or over estimating task time schedules or size
- Blame
- Believing that our mood needs to be right before we start the task.
When we fear success or failure it is often caused by an underlying belief that was drilled into us when we were kids. Parents can do a lot of damage to their kids by trying to stop them making mistakes and “going for it”, regardless of how small the chances of success are in their eyes.
This often leads us to become adults who don’t dare to go for their dreams in fear of making a fool of ourselves.
Then we see something we really want to have/achieve/do and the initial excitement settles, we realize that it is harder than we first anticipated, so an overwhelming sense of fear and blockage sets in and we simply stop.
Another thing is the blame game. How often do you blame the weather, the time, the “others” for not doing something?
My guess is quite often, as I have done so too many times before. It isn’t easy trying to catch ourselves when those self damaging thoughts enter our heads and staying on course will take some guts – especially in the beginning.
I used to think that I had to be in the mood to do a certain task. But to be honest, we hardly ever are. The mood often comes with feeling in control after getting started and it pushes us to go on and finish the task.
Procrastination stops us from being the person we can be which is often sad, since there is so much we could do to be more and have more.
Monika
About the Author: I'm a passionate freelance writer and problogger. To further build my business I'm also in the process of building my own niche empire which pays me residual income.
Ottayan | Jan 26, 2008 | Reply
I feared success. That was the cause of my procrastination.
Monika | Jan 26, 2008 | Reply
Ottayan: thank you for sharing this with us. I did too and it took me a long time to realize this.
rambhai | Jan 29, 2008 | Reply
well i am the biggest lazy head ever~~~i think its timee to become active~~~otherwise life will pass by`~~
Crystal Blahnik | Jan 29, 2008 | Reply
Monika, I really liked this post! You got right to the point and now that I think about the causes of my own procrastination, I feel you are dead on especially for fear and feeling overwhelmed for me. Do you have ideas for getting around some of these other than the obvious “quit procrastinating and just do it!”?
Monika | Jan 29, 2008 | Reply
Crystal: besides the “obvious” what also helped me personally was the belief into myself.
I think if we fear that we are not good enough on a deeper level or afraid of making mistakes (which can be the same thing) we often fail to act and I had to learn to trust myself mistakes and all to give it a go.
Hmark | Jan 31, 2008 | Reply
Great tips to get rid of procrastination. I was eager for them.
Matt | Feb 26, 2008 | Reply
Love it! Great post! A reason I’ve seen that people procrastinate is because they never want to admit they have limits. If they never try hard and fail then they never have to admit they couldn’t do something. Nasty nasty cycle they get in!
Thanks for a great read!
Monika | Feb 26, 2008 | Reply
@ Matt: yes, it is very hard to admit our faults, limitations and mistakes to ourselves, let alone to others. But I’m afraid that is the only way we grow as a person.
hennie | Mar 13, 2009 | Reply
I AM A WHITE ADULT MALE AGR 56 WITH SEVERE PROCASTINATION AND NEED TO BE CURRED VERY URGENTLY. MY LIFE IS IN A MESS AND I LET DAYS,WEEKS AND MONTHS EVEN YEARS SLIP THRUE MY FINGERS AND THAT IS THE LASST THING I WANT FOR MYSELF WIFE AND ONLY SON AGE 24.I DONT WANT TO PROCASTINATE BUT IT FEELS LIKE CHAINS AND LOCKS HOLDING ME DOWN.IT HAS A DEVISTATING EFFECT ON MY DAJLY LIFE.I SOMETIMES DESCRIBE IT AS A DEMON FORCE THAT IS HOLDING ME DOWN.THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT I WRITE SOMETHING ON THE NET.I AM A REBORNE CHRISTIAN.PLEASE HELP.I ALWAYS PLAN THINHG BUT VER SELDOM ACHIEVE THEN.REGARDS
Monika | Mar 13, 2009 | Reply
@ Hennie: I’m sorry to hear you have such massive issues with procrastination. It can make your life hell for sure. I know that from past experiences. Perhaps you try to take on too many things at once and that is why you can’t seem to make headway.
Can I suggest you take one goal you’d like to achieve (start small) and then work on that every day. Just invest a little time. Trying to take too big a bite right off the bat will only see you fail. Remember, you can’t chew a whole elephant in one piece. Start with the tail and work your way through the animal.
Best of luck to you and I wish you strength. Step by step!