I’ve wanted to write about “procrastination” for some time now, but seem to have been putting it off. 

Seriously, I want to because it is such a common yet impactful issue for so many of us. It is timely right now also.  As Mother Nature begins the busy time of harvest, our society is also in the throes of one of the most active times of year.  The start of a fiscal year, another school year and just the energizing cooling of the weather is enough to have most of us reeling at a pretty hectic and productive pace. And yet, there are things we want to address, but for some reason we delay, or perhaps never seem to get to them at all. We know this doesn’t necessarily mean that the “things” we put off aren’t important to us.  On the contrary, often they are.  We just may get caught in a common procrastination trap, lurking in the dark, just waiting for us to fall prey.

If the concept of procrastination strikes a cord with you, rest assured you are far from alone. EACH of us at one point or another, or in at least one area more than others, wrestles with the procrastination beast.  Without fail, at various times, each of us experiences some blocks or inconsistencies in what we say we want, and what we are actually do.  Some manage to stay on top of progress at work, but at home, projects or relationships may languish. Others may be a whirlwind on their home “to-do” lists, or great at addressing personal issues, yet professionally, something holds them back.  Or, from time to time, there may some specific type of issue that can get us stuck.

As complex as procrastination is, there are some common causes for doing it. When we can name the game, we can move a good leap closer to cracking the code on whatever procrastination problem we face.  From what I have seen, the following is a partial yet popularly experienced list of reasons we get stuck in the procrastination mud:

Fear of Failure: If I never get around to starting or completing something, than I can always say that I really didn’t try yet, and therefore have not failed.  I can avoid this risk. This one is also linked to the perfectionist issue.  If I hesitate from doing it, until the exactly right timing, resources, feeling or circumstances are in place, in order to achieve the exact 100 per cent desired result, I can justify a reason for not starting it.  Why would I want to lower my standards for a less than ideal outcome?  Believing that there is one right way, most things should come easily, or that s/he must tackle things alone, lets the perfectionist find a way out by avoiding the task altogether.

Fear of Success:  Those with a fear of failure may not act or may avoid commitment worried they will commit to the wrong thing.  Those fearing success hesitate to commit for fear that it might sweep them into a competitive path they are not yet ready for. Whether I don’t feel worthy, am afraid of getting sucked into a competitive, workaholic mode, or am concerned that it will separate me too much from others, by not acting, I can it avoid it all.  In some way, those with this fear may not feel they have the right or even the desire to win.

Battle for Control:  In a situation where there is a real or perceived struggle for power, hierarchy or control, one can regain the one-up position by opposing someone else’s requests of them.  By not acting, I can feel that I have the upper hand, and do not have to answer to my boss, team members or partner. Feeling constrained by rules or requests, I would rather counter by not acting at all.

Revenge: Related to the control issues, here a person who feels in some way hurt, angered, slighted or betrayed, can retaliate in a different way, by inaction.  If I especially withhold something that someone has come to expect from me, I can obtain my revenge.

The Adrenaline Habit:  This is where procrastination can feed an addiction. If a person is used to, most excited and motivated by the living-on-the-edge rush of getting things done under the wire, they will act only after great delay.  On the surface, I may get anxious about the crunch and possibility of the miss, but on some level it energizes me. Unfortunately when this is a pattern, it does create undue stress and drain.