When procrastination becomes a habit, it can hold us back from success, and from achieving great things in life. So why do we procrastinate?

It could be a fear of failure. Perhaps we are not confident enough about the knowledge or skills we have to pull off a new project. We think we don’t have what it takes to get into that career path we’ve been dreaming of.

It could be due to our perfectionism. We put things off because we don’t want to be disappointed if they don’t turn out perfectly. So, we just delay those ambitious tasks until “better times.” Does that sound like you?

We also delay doing things because we know we can ‘wing it’. We’ve been mastering the art of cramming, and doing stuff at the last minute has become our normal. We claim that we work better and more productively during crunch time when the pressure is high. Continue reading →

A procrastinator is a person who habitually puts things off. While most of us have procrastinated at some point, some chronic procrastinators continually procrastinate over everything. There are also people who cling to procrastination because it feels safe to do so.

Procrastination may not simply be the culprit for not getting things done. There can be underlying compelling reasons why people procrastinate. Procrastination is often driven by negative mind states.

For example, not wanting to do, not wanting to be, or not wanting anything at all. The inability to manage negative emotions enough to complete, or even begin unpleasant tasks drives us to put them off at a later time. Continue reading →