Reasons For Procrastination
Top 5 Causes Simply Explained

When you know the reasons for procrastination, you will be able to better handle the problem itself.

You will soon be equipped with all you need to move forward with the tasks you want.

Yes, I know, procrastination is human. It's something we all have in common. Well, from now on, that was something we all had in common. We are going to get out of the chains of procrastination and into the mindset of action and results.

That's my promise to you, just keep reading.

Procrastination Quote

"Do or do not do. There is no try."

– Master Yoda

Top 5 Reasons For Procrastination

There is a whole bunch of answers to the question "why do we procrastinate?". Let us go through some of them together to make sure we tackle this problem from the bottom.

1. Fear Of Failure

Because of the fear we sometimes have of failing at something, it can seem better to not try at all. At least then we haven't failed. This is a really smart way for the mind to fool itself.

The trick used here is based on an erroneous definition of failure. Failure is not about missing the goal with an inch, it's about not taking any action at all. Moving in the direction you want is the first sign of success.

2. Lack Of Self-Control

It's so easy to make fantastic plans for great results. But when it comes to execution of those plans, we might fall short. One could say that we don't have enough self-control to make it happen. There's always some other activity or task that comes in between. So often is this the cause of postponing what you should do.

Well, that's just how life is. Even though you really want the thing you planned for, when it comes down to it, other things get prioritized higher. This is one of the reasons for procrastination that is real difficult to handle. In the end, it's a question of real motivation.

3. Feeling Overwhelmed

When a task is so big you have a hard time to wrap your head around it, there's a risk that you go into a stuck state. Simply because you don't know where and how to start.

Breaking what you want into achievable chunks and milestones is the first step towards beating procrastination in this case. The second step is to keep tackling one thing at a time. It's OK if you don't know exactly how it will turn out. Taking solid action in the right direction (actually, just a vaguely similar direction is good enough) will surely get you moving and into some momentum.

4. Denial

If you hide long enough, the problem might just go away itself or someone else might deal with it. That would spare you the effort of doing this boring task yourself.

Well, this seldom happens. However, it did happen recently too me... a broken light bulb needed to be replaced in my car, but after a week or so of procrastination, it was suddenly working again... probably won't happen too often though ;-)

Best method is just to take the first step and from there it's always much easier.

5. Reason Number 5...

I could go on and on with causes of procrastination, but instead of listing them all, let's just jump straight to the root cause...

The One And Only Reason For Procrastination

So whichever of those above that fits your situation, do not worry. You don't actually have to tackle the problem on that level. There's something deeper that will make you stop procrastinating much faster.

The real and only reason for procrastination is simple:

It's pure lack of motivation.

In this instant.

Yes, I bet that whatever task it is that you procrastinate is very important to you and that you really want to get this thing done (even if your only motivation is being told so by your boss and you don't want to be fired). But let me tell you...

...wanting something and being motivated to take action is unfortunately not the same thing.

The fantastic thing though is that you can move pretty quickly between wanting something to taking action towards that objective.

From stuck to doing.

If we look through the 4 reasons for procrastination listed above, you will see what I mean when I say that lack of motivation is the root cause of procrastination.

  1. Fear of failure - if you're motivated, you face your fears
  2. Lack of self-control - if you're motivated, you prioritize better
  3. Feeling overwhelmed - if you're motivated, you break it down and take the first step
  4. Denial - If you're motivated, you step up and do it

And the amazing this is this: You are already taking action right now by reading this page. This means that you have the motivation within you to kill procrastination.

So simply remember to use it to create the life you want, instead of postponing everything until later.


Early Riser > Procrastination Quotes > Reasons For Procrastination

Thanks for reading! By Matthew M. McEwan


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