Beating Procrastination:
Causes, Triggers, Cures
Tom Cox
Procrastination is not
Laziness
 Problem Procrastination does NOT
come from:
 Laziness
 Lack of Willpower
 Lack of Ambition
 Problem Procrastination is self-
inflicted and stress-related
When is Procrastination Good?
Procrastination can be good when:
1. Lack a Resource and must Wait
2. Suspect an Assignment is not really
important
3. You need to Think it Through more
4. Your Energy Level is wrong (not
Mood)
Awareness or Mindfulness
 Even before you begin to beat
procrastination, you can start to
increase your awareness
 Step back from yourself – observe
your feelings as you feel them
 Notice your actions as you do
them
 This sets you up for success
Stress Worsens
Procrastination
 Chronic Stress changes the Brain
 NY Times article 18-Aug-2009
 Problem-solving and Goal-seeking
areas of the brain shrivel
 Rote and Habit areas blossom
 Doing old things and expecting
new results
Stress Relief can
Restore the Brain
 With four weeks of vacation, the
brain returns to normal
 Problem-solving and Goal-seeking
areas re-grow
 Rote and Habit areas shrink back
 Other stress-reduction habits help
Stress Behaviors
 Difficulty making
 Thoughts about death or
decisions.
 Angry outbursts.
 Forgetfulness.
 Low energy level.
 Constant worrying.
 Propensity for mistakes.
suicide.
 Trouble getting along
with others.
 Carelessness.
 Withdrawing from
others.
 Hiding from
responsibilities.
Stress Enhancers
Isolation
Uncertainty
Feeling of Lack of Control
Fatigue
Notice Stress Behaviors
If you are showing behavioral signs
of high stress:
 Do not blame or shame yourself!
That enhances stress
 Instead, realize it means:
 You really are under a lot of stress
 Your behavior will improve as you
reduce subjective stress
Attack Stress Enhancers
 If you are Isolated:
 Eat meals with friends
 If you are Uncertain:
 Seek certainty – analyze, ask
 If you Feel a Lack of Control:
 Focus on what you can control
 If you have Fatigue:
 Get good sleep – prioritize it
Procrastination Journal
 Increase your awareness of your
procrastination thoughts and behaviors
by keeping a journal of:
 The date and time of the impulse
 What you were doing
 What you were tempted to do
 What you told yourself
 What you chose to do and for how long
Procrastination Triggers
 Procrastination is often triggered by:
 Resentment
 Confusion or Uncertainty
 Fear of
Failure
 Success
 Criticism

 Skill Deficit
 Unrealistic Time Estimates
Resentment
Your procrastination might be
triggered by Resentment if:
 You have a hard time saying “no”
 You’re a people-pleaser
 You are often bullied into things
 You fear confrontation
 You feel taken advantage of
 You say “I shouldn’t have to…”
Resentment Example
 Dilbert cartoon about Low
Standards:
 Wally tells Asok to use the “power of
low standards” and leave his dirty
dishes on the floor
 Alice walks by and says “once again I
have to clean up after slobs”
Resentment Non-Fixes
 Anti-procrastination advice that may
NOT work with Resentment:
 Break it into smaller chunks

Instead of one large task I resent, now I
have ten small tasks I resent
 Reward yourself

The reward may bring up the same negative
emotion as the task and become nonrewarding
 Clarify Goal or Next Step
 If the problem is not a lack of clarity, time
spent clarifying is wasted
Resentment Fixes
 Defer (mindfully) – pick a higher
priority task to do instead
 Ditch – Just say “no”
 Dilute the impact – Focus on your
Worthy Goal
 Delegate (when appropriate)
 Just Do It – “Put on your Big Boy
Pants” – sometimes we all have to do
things we dislike; grow up
Procrastination Cycle
1. You Feel Anxiety
2. Which is temporarily relieved by
3. An Empty Promise or a Self-
Criticism or a Distraction
4. Which leads to
5. Non-performance and more
Anxiety
Confusion or Uncertainty
Is Your Procrastination Triggered by
Confusion or Uncertainty?
a) Do I have a Clear Vision of my desired
outcome?
b) Do I have a Clear Understanding of my
Next Steps?
c) Do I have a sense of hopelessness?
d) Do I feel Anger because it seems
someone wants me to Read their
Mind?
Confusion Fixes
a)
b)
c)
d)

e)
f)
Create a Vision First
Analyze – what is unclear
Ask – sharing a burden halves it
Find Someone Who Did It
Almost any successful person will
gladly give you 30 minutes to tell you
how they succeeded – just offer to
buy them coffee
Work Backwards from Result
When the Process is unclear,
specify the Outcome
Don’t Remember Things
When experimental subjects had to
memorize seven (7) digits instead of two (2):
Their self-control dropped by half (50%)
They were twice as likely to pick chocolate
cake over fruit salad
Use your System to Remember Things
“The Weakest Ink is Stronger than the
Strongest Memory” – so write it down
Fear
Is Your Procrastination Triggered by
Fear?
a) What emotions come up when I
b)
c)
d)
e)
consider this task?
Have I eliminated Resentment?
Have I eliminated Confusion?
Am I mad at myself, or consider
myself cowardly?
Do I envy people who do this easily?
Faces of Fear
The three major kinds of fear are:
Fear of Failure
1.

Does doing badly hurt more than not
trying? (Perfection or don’t try)
Fear of Success
2.

Will success push us out of our comfort
zone or create new work?
Fear of Criticism
3.

Who might be critical? Why do we care?
Tackle each one differently!
Fear Fixes
a)

b)

Find a passion greater than your fear
Deadlines
The fear of missing the deadline can
overcome the fear of doing the task
Find Someone Who Did It
c)

d)
e)
Create a Vision First
Sometimes the role model gives you
courage
Create an Unshakable Sense of Worth
based on Facts
Re-Interpret Fear as a Reason to Act
Skill Deficit
Procrastination Triggered by a Skill Deficit
a) What emotions come up when I
consider the task I’m putting off?
b) Have I eliminated Resentment,
Confusion, and Fear as causes?
c) Am I self-Critical / see myself as
Stupid?
Skill Deficit Fixes
a)


b)

c)
Break into Sub-Steps, then
check Skill
List Skill needed for each sub-step
Go find/hire each skill you lack
Identify the Real Outcome
Guy who couldn’t Read – went with
Audio Books instead
Re-Interpret your Reluctance –
treat the skill deficit as a challenge
Unrealistic Time Estimates
Is Your Procrastination Triggered
by Unrealistic Time Estimates?
a) Do I even make time estimates?
b) Have I eliminated Resentment?
Confusion? Fear?
c) Am I Chronically Late?
4 Time Management Tricks
 Keep a Time Log
 Pomodoro Technique
 Power To-Do List
 What, Why, Est, Actual
 Toodledo.com
 Plan each Day the Night Before
Three Steps to Beat
Procrastination
1. Become mindful – notice when
you do it
2. Analyze – identify your triggers
3. Treat – use the right fixes for
your triggers