8 Surprising Reasons You Procrastinate
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
I doubt if I’ve ever met someone who never procrastinates.
Even the most driven, passionate people experience it. It may not show up in every area of their life, but it often appears in the ones that matter — or the ones they wish mattered more.
I’ve had my own bouts of procrastination, even though I usually see myself as a pretty impatient person. If I know something needs to be done, I want it done now. But over time, I’ve started noticing a pattern in the kind of tasks I avoid. For me, procrastination tends to show up when the task:
has a creative element (because I tell myself I’m not good at creativity),
is slightly complex, or
requires a big chunk of uninterrupted time.
Last year, I hit a major procrastination wall. I’d committed to focusing on one important task and had decided not to distract myself with smaller ones. The result? Weeks of doing nothing.
That pause made me curious.
I even reflected on coaching conversations I’d had — looking at how procrastination shows up for others. (Yes, that curiosity itself may have been another form of procrastination! 😄)
Since then, I’ve started seeing it differently. Procrastination often isn’t the problem. It’s not even about laziness. More often, it’s a symptom — a veil hiding something deeper.
Here are some of the most common reasons I’ve noticed behind it:
☁️Waiting for the Perfect Mindset or ‘Flow’: You tell yourself you need to be in the right headspace — inspired, energized, or “in flow” — to begin. So you wait. And delay.
🔋Energy and Bandwidth Deficit: You don’t feel like you have the mental, emotional, or physical energy to tackle it right now. Even if the time exists, the capacity doesn’t.
🚨Competing Priorities & Constant Firefighting: Urgent things keep stealing your focus. The important-but-not-urgent task stays buried at the bottom of your list.
😒Sheer Dislike for the Task: Some tasks are just…unpleasant, boring or tedious. Your brain instinctively avoids them in favor of something easier or more enjoyable.
🧠Overwhelm & Cognitive Overload: The task feels too big or complicated. You don’t know where to start — or you’re waiting for a long, uninterrupted time block that never comes. Sometimes, too many choices lead to decision paralysis.
🎯Fear of Imperfection or Pressure to Perform: You want to do it perfectly. Or the stakes feel high and you want to give your best, and the pressure itself becomes paralyzing. So, you avoid.
❓Low Motivation or Disconnect from Purpose: If you’re unclear why this task matters — to you, your goals, or others — it naturally slides down the list. Especially if the reward feels distant or abstract.
🧭Discomfort with the Unknown or New: When the task is unfamiliar, outside your comfort zone, or requires skills you haven’t mastered, that uncertainty can make you hesitate.
Notice a theme?
We’ve unconsciously trained ourselves to delay difficult or uncomfortable things as a way to manage stress. Hopefully, some of these reasons resonated with you. If yes — here are a few approaches that might help:
1️⃣Set the Environment, Create the Mindspace: Don’t wait for flow — create it. Go to a café, join a virtual co-working room, or play your favorite focus playlist. Small rituals can shift your energy and attention. (I host free intentional co-working sessions at The Sacred Hours)
2️⃣Break It Down to Clear Next Steps: Overwhelm thrives in vagueness. Make the task smaller and specific. Not “finish the report,” but “open a doc and list key points.” Clear next steps reduce mental load.
3️⃣Aim for a Shitty First Draft: Lower the bar. Give yourself permission to create a rough version first (inspired by Caroline Leon, my business coach). Done is better than perfect. Or ask, “How would this look at 50% effort?” and see where that takes you.
4️⃣Follow Your Energy Trends: Notice when you feel naturally focused or energized. Align important tasks with those windows. For me, it’s late evenings — after a walk and with a specific playlist.
5️⃣Connect It to Why It Matters (or Doesn’t): Remind yourself why the task matters. To you, your goals, your people. Or ask honestly: Does it actually need to be done? Are you holding on to unnecessary should-dos that could be let go? Could it be prioritization wearing the hat of procrastination?
6️⃣Choose Like You Would from a Food Menu: Look at your to-do list like a menu. Pick what you feel like doing now. Follow the path of least resistance. You can’t eat the whole buffet at once. (Read further on Tim Ferriss’ blog.)
7️⃣Make Peace with Tasks You Dislike: If possible, delegate or eliminate them. If not, batch them and pair them with something enjoyable. A coach does boring chores during discounted-rate client calls. I now save mine for The Sacred Hours.
8️⃣Practice Sitting with Discomfort: Procrastination often masks discomfort (of doing the task, pressure of perfection, trying something new…). Instead of distracting yourself, pause. Feel the restlessness. Acknowledge that you don’t want to do the task — without needing to fix it. Just being with it can reduce its hold.
What works best will depend on you. Some of these may help; others may not. I’d love to know —
Which ones resonated with you the most?
Which strategies have helped you move forward?
And is there something that works for you that I haven’t covered?
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