Procrastination.
When someone complains, “I keep procrastinating” on something important, the natural instinct of the listener is to think ‘Oh, maybe he/she is lazy”, “Oh, it’s a poor time management problem.”
Then one might prescribe habit trackers, morning routines, accountability, productivity apps and whatnot!
They do help sometimes. Not always.
After I started coaching and really unpacked what’s going on, I am noticing something more.
Very rarely is it about discipline. More often, there are emotional factors (and related discomforts) that prevent a person from taking the next step.
A few root causes (not exhaustive) –
a) Value conflict – A coachee was delaying building V1 of a new product. On the surface, it looked like overthinking combined with endless user research.
But when we dug deeper, he admitted something uncomfortable. The product was designed to “hook” users and increase engagement at any cost.
Deep down, he felt it was not right and found sophisticated excuses to delay the progress. It wasn’t laziness but a value clash which he hadn’t acknowledged earlier.
b) Perfectionism – Some are conditioned to start things only if they know their output can be perfect.
Partial or sloppy execution makes them uncomfortable or even nervous.
So they unconsciously wait for the moment when they have 100% resources to create a perfect action or product – which rarely happens
c) Fear of failure or rejection – A common one. A coachee kept postponing applying to a dream job because he couldn’t acknowledge the fear of failing the interview process.
So his excuses were “Let me prepare better first”, “Networking is important”, despite having done reasonable work on these fronts.
d) Shame – This is the mother of all reasons above.
Example – Many people say they want to actively post in social media but don’t despite having time.
Thoughts like ‘What if someone finds a flaw?’, ‘What if everyone ignores my post?’, ‘What if people don’t find it insightful?’ can freeze them.
Procrastination is often a protection from discomfort.
What next?
Identifying the real blocker is half the work done. From there, using different tools – honest deep-reflection, embodiment practises, journaling, etc. – can help.
What other reasons have you seen people actually procrastinate? Also, how do they overcome these? Please share in the comments.
P.S. I’m currently practising coaching techniques to help people get clarity about their careers/emotions/challenges. I’m offering a few sessions. DM me if you’re curious to explore.
