Common procrastination triggers and fixes

What are some of the most common procrastination triggers? Finding out why you procrastinate will help you tackle each of your problems one by one.

There are many reasons we procrastinate, and it is important to first figure out what’s tripping you up, before trying to fix it. The problems I’ve encountered most frequently in my coaching experience (and in myself!) are:

Procrastination Trigger #1: Fear
This could be fear of the task itself, or it could be fear of the consequences of doing the task. For example, you might feel anxious about making a phone call simply because you don’t like talking on the phone, or you might be anxious because the phone call could result in failure or disappointment.
You might feel nervous about a presentation because you’re not used to speaking in front of an audience, or you might be afraid that your audience will be critical. You might want to apply for a job, but worry about not getting it –– or about getting it but then hating it or not being good at it. All those fears can hold you back from getting started. The good news is that even just recognizing the fear as such often takes the edge off. Also good to remember: it’s ok to be afraid –– it doesn’t mean we can’t act. Sometimes, reframing fear or nervousness as “excitement” can help us channel our energy into the task. Other than that, different tricks help for different people: some do best if they tackle the scariest thing first thing in the morning, maybe even before breakfast. (Mark Twain may have been of those people – or not.) Others prefer to divide and conquer, starting with the easiest part. If your perfectionism is paralyzing you, first set yourself the goal of writing “just a draft” of an email, for example, instead of the scary email itself.

Procrastination Trigger #2: Uncertainty or confusion about the task
From what I’ve seen, this is not only one of the most common, but perhaps the most under-appreciated procrastination trigger: not having a clear plan of what you need to do next. This uncertainty can lead to a vague feeling of being overwhelmed or anxious, even if there is nothing unpleasant about any of the actual tasks or consequences. What’s worse, we are often not aware that the cause of our reluctance is simply that we haven’t figured out the details of what’s ahead yet. Once you notice the problem, start writing a more specific list of what needs to be done. Schedule “figuring out what needs to be done next” as if it were the actual task – because it is.

Procrastination Trigger #3: Lack of purpose or direction
This problem is more fundamental: you may have doubts about whether you’re on the right track at all, or whether your work will lead to success. Maybe the project you’re working on has stopped making sense to you, or your work lacks purpose, or you don’t see where your career is headed. My advice in that case: reconnect with your values – figure out what truly matters to you in the long term. What are the things that will still matter to you in 30 years? What could make your life as meaningful and “good” (whatever that is for you) as possible? Are you on the best possible track to fulfill your most important values? If not, explore alternatives. Or, why are you doing what you’re doing? Maybe your work, as much as it sucks, is still your best option and you have good reasons to keep doing it. If so, you ARE on the right track. Own it. Even so, explore any options and actions you could take that would add meaning and purpose to your work (here’s a book for that).

Procrastination Trigger #4: Lack of urgency or accountability
Too much freedom with a task can be a big problem, in particular if there’s a lack of accountability, or if the deadlines are too far away. Some things that can help in that case: set earlier deadlines for partial achievements and make those deadlines real by scheduling a rewarding activity at the end of each. If you have a supervisor, talk to them about about your goals and promise results at different stages of a project. Otherwise you can announce your commitments to friends or colleagues, or find a partner to work with, a coach, or an “accountability buddy” who’ll check in with you on a regular basis.

Procrastination Trigger #5: Distractions or interruptions
Outside interruptions such as phone calls or people stepping into your office can be legitimate reasons for not sticking to your plans – they may or may not be avoidable, depending on your work. If you can, shield yourself during your most productive work hours by disconnecting and closing doors. If the interruptions are necessary, recognize that, schedule accordingly and adjust your expectations. Distractions can also come from within though. Being distracted by our own thoughts is a frequent reason to lose focus, whether we’re simply daydreaming, or planning dinner, or adding items to a mental shopping list. If your distracting thoughts are practical and useful (planning, thinking about things you need to do later), write them down to get them out of your head. Otherwise, recognize that staying focused requires practice. Stretch your ability to focus by redirecting your attention back to the task, in the moment that you become aware you’re distracted (as opposed to giving into the distraction and switching tasks).

Procrastination Trigger #6: Competing tasks and activities
Sometimes you’ll find yourself immersed in tasks other than the one you were planning to do – for example because the previous tasks take longer than anticipated, or because you’re held up by unexpected problems. For example, you may find that you write emails during the time you wanted to do something else. If you work from home, you may suddenly find yourself doing chores or running errands, rather than doing the work you intended. And then there’s all the fun stuff: pleasurable or entertaining activities, such as snacking or watching movies. Schedule specific times of the day to do those fun things in your breaks. If necessary, set an alarm clock to remind you when to stop your break. Games, TV series, social media or other kinds of on-screen activities can have addictive qualities and can take up tremendous amounts of time. People are often reluctant to admit even to themselves just how much time they spend with these activities. Start logging those hours, if you’re brave enough to face the truth.

So, the next time you find yourself procrastinating: try to figure out the true and specific reason you’re procrastinating right then. Do you find the reason in any of those triggers I described, or is it something else entirely? Once you’ve figured out what’s tripping you up, you can create a precise intervention to target your problem.

If you’d like me to help me putting these or other tactics into practice, let me know. I’d love to help you figure out where to start, and how to develop your own tricks that work best with your personal style and preferences.

[Update – more context and tools in this post: What is procrastination and how can we overcome it?]

by Ursina Teuscher (PhD), Portland OR

A shorter version of this post (by Ursina Teuscher, edited by Vicki Lind and Leslie Yeargers) was published 01/26/19 on aPortlandCareer.com