The Motivating Factors of Procrastination

Procrastination is something that everyone is affected by periodically. For some this is simply a characteristic that causes a minor irritation. However, for others, it is an enemy that became so powerful that it assumed total control of one's life. These people got to the point where procrastination completely paralyzes them from taking any action. Even though the desire and incentive are there, any forward progress is immediately destroyed.

Why do we procrastinate? Basically there are two factors that prohibit people from taking action. All activities that are put off will typically fall into one of these two categories. The main reason why people procrastination are laziness and fear. They are behind anything that is delayed without valid reason.

Before going any further, it is important to note that just because laziness is a factor for procrastinating, it does not mean that the person is lazy. Many people are extremely active yet are affected by procrastination. There are instances when one is just plain lazy. The desire to lounge around is greater than the motivation to get things accomplished. This is nothing to fret about if it is the occasional occurrence. It is when this feeling is an overriding tendency that issues arise.

The difference in motivators seem to be in the scope of the activity being put off. If the activity is relatively simple to complete, there is a great chance that laziness is the cause for the delay. Activities such as doing the dishes, mowing the lawn, doing laundry, and getting the oil changed in the car are all tasks that are easy to complete. They are things that most people know how to do. Thus, if the time and money are available yet the action is still being put off, then laziness is the reason.

For instances like this, a case of the Nike Slogan is needed. “Just do it” will enable you to handle these tasks. Unfortunately there is no great secret to getting yourself to take the action and move forward. You are more than capable of completing the activities. The way to combat laziness is to get moving. Action overcomes the inertia that exists in that moment. Have you ever noticed how much easier it is to work out once you actually are at the gym? The hardest part is motivating yourself to get going.

Actions that are put off for the reason of fear are a completely different matter. These items usually are a little larger in scale. They are actions that we believe have a dramatic impact on our lives. Just the act of thinking about them sends us into a rapid state of fear. No matter what we try, we cannot got ourselves to take action. Our mind convinced us that to act will have negative consequences upon us. This leads us to stall until we are out of options.

Unfortunately, there is not a magic formula to overcome our fears. However, there are a multitude of techniques that can be applied which will work in most situations. It all starts with realizing that fear does not exist. Read that again: fear does nor exist. It is a figment of our minds. The mind utilizes this technique to protect itself from uncertainty. Fear is some thing that you cannot hold, nor can you touch it. Yet it has the power to stop a person from taking any action.

In The Ultimate Procrastination Handbook, I set out a number of ways surmount procrastination due to fear. The most effective technique I found is to get yourself a procrastination partner. This is someone who will help you handle those activities which you put off. The simple act of having someone that we are accountable to works wonders. It is much easier to talk ourselves out of something as compared to someone else. People who used this found their productivity increase astronomically. With another, our power to succeed is magnified greatly. There are some who believe that the combined talents are not doubles, but, rather, have an eleven-fold increase.

Monitor which factor is causing you to delay doing something. Once the motivating force is determined, applying the proper action will allow you to overcome 90% of what you put off.