4 Causes of Procrastination Which You Must Take Care Of
Photo Courtesy: Phil and Pam
More often than not people procrastinate because they are scared. More than anxiety, what causes procrastination is the mere thought of having to do some job which instills fear related to inability to accomplish the said task, completing the task in a faulty manner or facing ridicule if the work is not done properly. The 4 major causes of procrastination are listed here. Have a look.
1. Fear
Fear of what the eventual outcome is going to be is what makes people put off more important tasks for a later time, which, of course, never comes. But unless one actually starts the job in question, the cause of fear will not be identified in the first place, let alone dealing with it.
2. Anxiety
If a task is complicated or involves putting more mental effort and devoting long hours of work, the general tendency is to put it off for some time later. People are scared of the amount of energy that would be spent on it and wonder what if things do not go well. Anxiety also stems from the apprehension of making blunders without knowing them. But unless one makes a mistake, how will one correct it?
3. Laziness
Another cause of procrastination is laziness. Plain laziness leads a person to postpone important work unnecessarily. Instead of completing a job that would take two hours, one would prefer to watch TV or go off to sleep.
4. Perfectionism
Some people have the tendency to be perfect in everything they do. And if the job is something important or demanding, this tendency aggravates and the person uses it as an excuse to procrastinate. Excuses like ‘not being ready for the job’, ‘needs more time and currently such time is not available’ and ‘requires more mental preparation’ are used to put off such tasks for a later time period.
The habit of taking numerous breaks before completing an important task is what encourages procrastination. Also, the general tendency of some people to convince themselves that the ‘time is not right’ for something to do is what makes them decide to put off tasks and spend time engaging in futile activities.
