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The Three Primary Reasons For Procrastination

By: Matthew Wong Click author's name for more of his/her articles

Have you ever thought about why you procrastinate? Procrastination is, really, a very peculiar behaviour and is a trap that all of us are likely to fall into occasionally. On a conscious stage you might want to carry out something or achieve something and although you comprehend what you have to do, you still cant seem to get yourself to actually execute it. It's virtually like there is some {invisible|unseen|subconsious} force that stops you from taking action and you can't entirely explain what it is - from a sensible point of view at least.

Although it may look as if that there is no sensible explanation for this apparently irrational behaviours, there are still applicable reasons for procrastination. These reasons, nevertheless, are not always that apparent. Human behaviour is not haphazard or unintentional - everything we do is done for a purpose. In fact, all we do is done with constructive purpose. Everything that you do is motivated by your desire to improve your circumstances at some level of your consciousness. It is impracticable for someone to do something that she believes will leave her worse off. For some people this might result in killing themselves, while for others it might result in hiking a mountain, while for others it may bring about the giving up of a unhealthy habit. It all varies according to our viewpoint.

This is a very vital concept to comprehend if you are to recognize the reasons for procrastination. While there are scores of reasons on the surface as to why you may procrastinate, the core reason always boils down to one thing: FEAR. Fear is what shuts you down and forbids you from taking action. By purpose fear is here to help you. When you fear something you will be compelled to escape an encounter with whatever you fear.

Though fear is the underlying factor behind procrastination, we are inclined to see particular regular fears among procrastinators. Here are the three most regular excuses for procrastination and the doubts that we subconsciously connect to them:

Fear #1: The Fear Of Disagreeable Or Painful Experiences

If you accept as true that some actions will lead to a painful or unpleasant experience then you will feel compelled to avoid the action. Your nervous system is intended to circumvent painful experiences. The ironic thing is that we get to decide what we believe, and what will be untrue. Regrettably for most of us, our thinking were installed by default and we learned by association. Through our experiences we learned by our results and we tend to use this incomplete information from (regularly) past experiences to make up imminent meanings. We start imagining potential consequences to the point where we essentially believe them. If you believe that some action will cause a painful or disagreeable experience, you will steer clear of it, regardless of whether your conclusion is correct or not. What you believe is what is real for you.

Fear #2: The Fear Of Failure

When you fear failure you are apt to keep away from participating in the first place. The widespread correlation is that if I don't do it, then I can't fail and no one can judge me. This is very prominent with procrastinators and they habitually take cover behind the perfectionism trap. They will wait for things to be perfect until they take action, so they keep holding off tasks waiting for the {right time|perfect time|right moment|perfect moment} before they take action. Out of the fear of failing and looking inferior, they would often squander enormous amounts of time on a job without making any real development because at a subconscious level they don't want to finish. A finished task will make them vulnerable for disapproval and consequently failure. The effect is that they always find good reasons to delay or even circumvent the tasks all together.

Fear #3: The Fear Of Missing Out

In the frenzy of contemporary living we all want to get a portion of the action. We merely cannot help it. Each day we get bombarded with copious opportunities. It seems like the media's sole goal is to get our notice (which it is). The trial is that we dont want to miss out. No one wishes to be left behind and miss out on what everyone else is getting. The challenge with this is that we tend to take on way too much to the point where we are overwhelmed. When you feel overwhelmed, the ordinary reaction is to shut down. The consequence is usually procrastination. When you overwork yourself with too many things that you have to do you simply cannot deal with all of it and procrastination comes to your aid. Like a breaker switch in an electric current, procrastination will kick in when the charge becomes too heavy.

These three factors are absolutely not the only reasons for procrastination, but it is definitely some of the most regular. An understanding of these fears in itself can help you to triumph over procrastination. Understand that F.E.A.R is only an acronym for False Evidence Appearing Real and most of your fears are only fantasy. You can smash through your fears and take action. It is your supreme strength to aim and steer your life. Don't permit procrastination and indecisiveness to keep you immobilized. Keep moving onward. Keep taking action.