Why can’t I get started? Part 2: Procrastination

In part one of this blog series, we explored perfectionism and its impact on getting things done. In this second instalment we will take a look at how procrastination can prevent us from doing things. We will examine what procrastination is, what causes it and some ways in which we can reduce it.

What is procrastination?

Do you tend to put tasks off until the last possible minute despite the stress and anxiety it causes? If you do, you are not alone. Procrastination is something that many people experience at some stage or another. It might be a one-off occurrence in response to a particularly difficult task, or something that happens frequently across different areas of life.

Procrastination can be underpinned by many different things such as fear of failure, perfectionism or feeling overwhelmed. It can also be a symptom of ADHD, depression or anxiety. It is an area in which I have a lot of experience, both in my own life and clinically as a therapist working with people who find it difficult to start and complete tasks.

What does procrastination look like?

My own experience of procrastination, for example with an academic task, usually goes something like this: know about the task and when it needs to be completed by, spend weeks doing other things whilst also feeling like I need to know a lot about the subject and read everything I can before I can start because I don’t want to get anything wrong (perfectionism), feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of material available to be read so don’t read or do very much all. Meanwhile the deadline creeps ever closer. Eventually, the feeling of overwhelm tips into fear of failing by not completing the task at the set time. At this point, failing to meet the deadline feels more shameful than handing in something that isn’t my best because I haven’t allowed myself enough time. It is this which drives me to get started and focus.

When time is ticking, the adrenaline is flowing, and the threat of failing to finish by the deadline is on the horizon, I can somehow get into ‘the zone’ and begin.  This usually happens with very little time to spare, and a lot of stress.  I often don’t produce my best work as I end up handing in a first draft.

Tasks with no deadline or consequence can present an even greater problem to procrastinators like me because there is no sense of urgency to help get started. These tasks can remain on my to do list indefinitely. This blog post, which has taken me many months to write, is a good example of that!

Perhaps some of this sounds familiar? Or maybe you experience something different?

Being driven by fear and shame is not healthy, so I have been thinking about what procrastination is, how to reduce it and approach “getting things done” in a less stressful way.

What happens in our brains when we procrastinate?

Procrastination is largely mediated by a neurotransmitter called dopamine. Neurotransmitters are the chemical “messengers” in our brains which transmit signals between different neurons or between neurons and other cell types. Dopamine is part of the brain’s reward system, and it is released when we do something enjoyable or pleasurable. It is this which becomes problematic for procrastinators. When we avoid an important task and do something that seems more interesting instead, we get a dopamine hit from the more interesting activity which then reinforces avoidance of the unpleasant task. Over time, the more we procrastinate the worse the problem gets because we require more and more dopamine to get the ‘hit’, meaning we feel increasingly drawn to the more pleasurable activities and avoid less pleasant tasks.

Once we get going on the task and finally finish it, we also receive a dopamine hit which makes us feel good. So why can’t we just get on with it in the first place? Because we get caught in the negative feedback loop of procrastination.

Why do some people not procrastinate?

Most people do procrastinate to some extent. Some people experience what psychologists call ‘state procrastination’, where they procrastinate over a particular task. This might be because the task is complex or will take a lot of time. This induces a procrastination ‘state’ that occurs infrequently and is directly related to the difficult task. Other people experience ‘trait procrastination’, this occurs when procrastination occurs habitually, frequently and in many different areas of life (Koppenborg, 2024)

People who procrastinate less usually have a greater capacity for internal motivation.  This means they are motivated to do a task because they want to do it. They want the satisfaction from the process of doing the task or from the end result. For instance, exercising to be healthy or doing something creative because the process brings enjoyment. These activities are driven by sense of achievement or accomplishment. People who are intrinsically motivated are less likely to procrastinate because their driver to get started comes from within.

In contrast, procrastinators are often externally motivated. This means they do things because they have to, not because they want to. For example, completing a work project so they can get paid, handing in a piece of academic work so they can complete their studies. External motivation means being driven by external rewards and consequences rather than having an internal desire to do something.  The task itself seems difficult and painful, and it is hard to engage in it because the external reward seems far off.  If we think back to what is happening in our brains with dopamine, this makes sense - the dopamine ‘reward’ comes at the end of the task rather than as a part of the process.

How can we reduce procrastination?

Can procrastinators switch from being externally motivated to being internally motivated? The answer to this is yes, improvement is certainly possible. Research has shown that people who are externally motivated and procrastinate more than their peers often have lower levels of self-compassion and higher levels of self-criticism (Sirois, 2024). Being able to bring a softer, gentler approach to yourself when approaching a deadline might be a way to procrastinate less.

It has also been shown that procrastinators love a plan, but usually a fairly vague one. Making a detailed, step by step, moment by moment plan with very small achievable goals could be a way to harness the dopamine hit required to begin and complete a task.

Reducing procrastination is difficult and takes time, practice and a conscious effort to bring a more compassionate approach.

These ideas are just some of the ways in which we can reduce procrastination. Now we have understood what procrastination is, what causes it and some ways in which we can reduce it, join me in the next instalment of this blog to take a more detailed look at self-compassion, detailed planning and other practical ways to procrastinate less.

References

Sirois, F.M (2014). Procrastination and Stress: Exploring the role of self compassion. Self and Identity, 13 (2), 128-145.

Koppenborg, M., Ebert, A., & Klingsieck, K. B. (2024). Trait- and State-Aspects of Procrastination and Their Relation to Study Satisfaction: Insights From a LST-Analysis of a Trait Procrastination Scale. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000853