Five reasons why you procrastinate

To be honest, we all struggle with procrastination and it can be a very serious problem. This habit creeps in slowly and takes over your life by the time you realize it.

You might be an occasional procrastinator or a serial procrastinator who keeps pushing responsibilities to a later date.

Although it seems like a harmless thing, procrastination can have dire consequences. It can actually cost you a job opportunity or grades when you miss the deadlines.

Part of dealing with this harmful habit is to understand what drives it. Some of these root causes are direct while others aren’t quite obvious.

Let’s find out some of the reasons why you could be procrastinating a lot.

Time management is an essential life skill that everyone needs to have. It’s something that’s instilled in everyone early in life so that it becomes a part of you. As you grow up, your freedom expands. There is no class teacher with a cane ready to push you so it’s only natural that you’re tempted to do things when you feel like. You postpone doing a task a couple of times and before you know it, the due date has arrived. At this point you’re forced to sacrifice your sleep and your health which isn’t great for your mind and body either.

I’m convinced that seeking perfection is a disease. You might be so focused on getting the perfect results that you barely make progress. Anyone who has ever made it in life always starts from somewhere. Success is a journey so it’s better to start with what you have right now and stop focusing on too many details. Otherwise you’ll keep making scenarios in your head and looking for solutions for thing that haven’t even materialized yet.

The quest for perfection and low self-confidence go hand in hand. You believe that you don’t have the adequate skills to achieve something so you put a curtain over it and throw it in the store. If you don’t have a good sense of self-esteem you end up taking more time than you would on a certain task while criticizing yourself throughout. Whenever you feel inadequate, remind yourself that you’ll meet people on the way that’ll help you. Always have the bigger picture in mind and get going.

Many people procrastinate because they just don’t want to miss out on all the fun. If you’re this type of procrastinator, you probably choose to ignore your duties and go out with your friends because there’s ‘plenty of time.’ You end up realizing over and over again that it’s better to handle your responsibilities early so that you don’t have to struggle with them when you’re hangover. You know that there will be countless parties, endless get-togethers and many fun events in the future so you’re not missing out on anything. Keep in mind that your work is your responsibility.

Constant procrastination might actually be a symptom of anxiety and depression. These conditions can affect your motivation, your energy levels and interest levels as well. You might think that you’re just not interested in something, which is why you keep postponing but, as you take a deeper look you recognize something else is going on. Take some time off for introspection and find out why you feel the way you do. If you realize you’re not feeling okay, talk to a loved one or get in touch with a counsellor who will help you jump back.