These three causes of procrastination have been a lifelong struggle that I’ve only recently learned to overcome. To begin, let’s first answer an important question, “Why do I procrastinate?”
The first type of procrastination involves people who struggle making decisions or taking responsibility for their actions. By learning to accept more responsibility over time, this alone can be enough to cure their procrastination problem.
The second cause of procrastination because stems from a low self-esteem, often to the point that these people fear success or failure, and in particular being judged by other people. By focusing on improving their self-esteem, their ability to become proactive and get things done becomes much easier. This is a common cause of procrastination among students.
Finally, the last group of people procrastinate because they love the thrill and fear involved in doing everything last minute. They often need this fear as a motivator to finish their tasks. According to Dr. Joe Ferrari — a leading expert on procrastination — this is the hardest form of procrastination to eliminate and involves dedicated long-term psychological work.
It just so happens that I fell into that third group, with a mild case of group two. By identifying which group you fall into, it’ll help to better understand your root causes of procrastination in the brain, making it easier to move forward building your dream life!
The Effects of Procrastination
The effects of procrastination have been a major source of guilt, self-doubt, inadequacy and depression in my life. At one point I had even rationalized procrastination as being an important part of my creative process, which was pretty much my way of giving up on solving the problem.
The truth is that procrastination is a monster that holds people back in so many ways. Procrastination examples include a failure to get an important project done, deal with an emotional issue, study for an exam, going to see a doctor, responding to calls or emails, starting anew hobby, exercising. There’s no shortage of beneficial things our brains will effectively trick us into doing “later.”
In the worst case, procrastination leaves a devastating impact on a person’s mental health and self-worth, however these only scratch the surface of the negative harm caused by procrastination. It crushes a person’s ability to achieve their own goals, which leads to blown opportunities, a damaged reputation, career and creates unnecessary stress and anxiety.
It’s a horrible feeling wondering what happened to the precious time we’ve been given. I’ve felt this many times and have dedicated years to ensure that this feeling stays in the past. Life is way too short, and we owe it to ourselves to make the most of this time and overcome laziness forever.
How To Overcome Procrastination With These 10 Simple Habits
I created this video to teach 10 simple habits to defeat procrastination and get stuff done.
Take it from a lifelong procrastinator who at one point thought solving the procrastination puzzle was impossible. Becoming proactive is easier than you think! To summarize the 10 habits:
- I Am Proactive. Do It Now
- Write Down Everything You’ve Been Procrastinating; Set Deadlines
- Create A Starting Ritual; Do Less Than You Are Capable Of In The Beginning
- Plan Each Day In Advance; Limit ‘To Do Lists” To 6 Items
- Do The Hardest Thing First
- Time Block Tasks; Eliminate Distractions
- When You Do Procrastinate, Forgive Yourself
- Make Yourself Socially Accountable
- Imagine Your Own Vision Of Hell
- Develop A Vision Of What You Want Out Of Life
Procrastination Book
I’ve published an entire plan and strategy to implement these 10 habits into your life into my procrastination book: Ten Simple Habits To Crush Procrastination, Get Things Done and Double Your Income, which is available on Amazon by clicking here: