Procrastination can be serious problem

Procrastination is, for many individuals, a big problem. Mental health professionals have studied this difficulty for many years and give several reasons why some individuals are more prone to procrastination than others.

They have found that procrastinators frequently find themselves falling into some of the following traps:


Setting unrealistic deadlines. This provides excuses for not getting the job done on time.
Leaving undesirable, unpleasant and difficult tasks until the last minute. This gives little possibility to finish the project.
Overcommitting. This creates a feeling of being overwhelmed and wishful thinking that maybe someone else will step in and do the job for them.
Expending a great deal of time and energy looking for an exceptionally easy, novel or unrealistic and untried solution. This is a way to avoid tacking the work and moving on.
Rationalizing and convincing oneself that other projects are more important. That is avoidance of the reality of what needs to be done in order of importance.
Focusing on perceptions of past failures. This provides an excuse for not attempting a project that needs to be done.
Seeking out individuals involved in less difficult or less unpleasant tasks. This is a substitution for one’s own original responsibility.
Continually finding reasons to postpone. This is excuse making, saying, “I am not in the mood right now,” “I don’t feel like it right now,” “I will have more energy after a nap, a movie, a TV show,” “Later I will have more self-discipline” or “I will have the maturity at a later time.”

Procrastinators are frequently possessed by a fear of failure and have low tolerance for mistakes.

Often perfectionists, they set unrealistic goals and fail to take into consideration their abilities and strengths. Equating lack of perfection with failure is a pitfall to their thinking. Refusing to accept anything as “adequate,” they categorize only as good, better, or best.

Procrastinators may have guilt that leads to depression, which leads to inertia. Inertia, or the inability to get started, is common among procrastinators because they feel a delay will prevent failure.

Helping individuals reframe their thinking and develop feelings of accomplishment is a therapeutic goal for many chronically depressed people. Procrastination may have its roots in an unhappy childhood where the child was lead to believe his or her behavior was unsuccessful. These children become adults with a poor self-concept or self-worth. They may have been discouraged from using their talents or abilities, or told there was little reason to try anything unless you could do it perfectly.

Fortunately, procrastination is a characteristics and a tendency that can be changed. With the change, the person will develop a sense of personal worth and be ready to attempt new challenges.

Copyright c 1991 Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D.