Signs of Procrastination

Have you ever felt like you are not getting much done? That you have a long list of tasks and to-do items and there’s something blocking your path to getting it done, or something else more important always comes up. This could be procrastination.

Procrastination is the act of delaying or putting off tasks until the last minute or until its too late.

Types of Procrastinators

There are three types of procrastinators. Firstly the passive procrastinator. This person delays starting the task because they have trouble making decisions. We tend to see these individuals scrolling on their phone instead of doing a task, not knowing where to start and having a lot of self-doubt about the task they need to get done. The second type is the active procrastinator. This individual delays the task on purpose because of the belief that tomorrow will be a better time or because they work better under pressure. The final type is the productive procrastinator. This person does not necessarily identify the procrastination as they are still busy, they are still getting things done, just not the task they need to do, for example cleaning the house instead of doing an assignment.

What are the signs of procrastination

• Repeatedly saying “I’ll get it done later”.
• Taking a long time to complete tasks that require little.
• Postponing the “boring things” or the difficult tasks.
• Struggling to get started on a task.
• Waiting until the deadline to get started- telling yourself you need the last minute pressure to have the motivation.
• Putting off making decisions.
• Finding yourself doing every other task except the one you need to do.
• Always having an excuse that the task didn’t get done.
• Wasting time- doing things like doom scrolling or watching YouTube instead of starting a task.
• Delaying, even though you know there will be negative consequences.
• Underestimating how long a task will take.

Examples of Procrastination thoughts

We are all great at coming up with excuses or justifications in our mind, why we shouldn’t do a task here and now. Some examples that are often used when it comes to procrastination include:

• I don’t know what to do.
• I don’t know how to do it.
• I don’t want to do that.
• I didn’t have time.
• It will get done eventually.
• I’m not in the mood.
• I will be able to focus better tomorrow.
• I work better under pressure.
• There’s plenty of time to get that done.
• Now is not the right time.
• There are more important things I need to do.
• I’ll do this task first, then I’ll get to that one.
• I forgot!
• I need time to think about it before I get started