How to Understand Procrastination. Identifying Your Type and Taking Action

Procrastination has a purpose. It's crucial to uncover what's driving it.

Imagine this: You're facing an upcoming exam or project, yet you find yourself unable to start preparing. Instead, you engage in activities you usually dislike, such as tidying your room or calling relatives, just to avoid studying. It might seem like you're simply dodging work, but in reality, there's likely a deeper reason for your procrastination. Interestingly, there are six identified types of procrastinators, and recognizing which one you are can significantly help you overcome it.

What are the different types of procrastination?

These six procrastination types are designed to help you understand the underlying motives for avoiding your tasks. The reasons for not tackling your impending deadlines can be diverse, often more complex than a simple lack of desire to work.

Here's a brief overview of the six procrastinator types:

• The perfectionist. Fear of not meeting high standards leads to unfinished or unstarted work.
• The dreamer. Good at planning and conceptualizing, but struggles with executing practical aspects.
• The worrier. Hesitates to make decisions, resists change, and fears the unknown.
• The crisis-maker. Thrives on the adrenaline rush of last-minute efforts, believing it results in their best work.
• The defier. Resists externally imposed deadlines.
• The overdoer. Feels overwhelmed by tasks due to an inability to refuse requests or set boundaries.

Strategies to Combat Procrastination

Clearly, there's a significant difference between avoiding study for a test due to fear of a low grade and avoiding it due to a problem with authority. The initial step towards improvement is identifying which of these reasons resonates with you, particularly in the current context. The subsequent step is to implement specific measures to overcome your counterproductive tendencies.

If you're a perfectionist, remind yourself that the stress comes from your personal standards, not the work itself. You can tackle the work by setting achievable, step-by-step goals before starting. If you struggle with this, the strategy that may help you is considering the absolute worst outcome if you don't perform well on a task. Even if you score a zero on a test, what impact would it have on your overall grade? Realizing that you're almost certainly going to score much higher than a zero — and that even if you don't, you'd still be okay — helps you feel better and motivates you to start working.

Identifying your procrastination type is the first step towards tackling it. The next step involves taking specific measures to counter your unproductive tendencies:

For Perfectionists, it's important to remember that the stress comes from your own standards, not the work itself. Start by setting realistic, step-by-step goals. Personally, I find it useful to think about the worst-case scenario of not performing well on a task. Even if I score a zero on a test, I consider how it would affect my overall situation and future. Knowing that I'm likely to score much higher than zero, or that I'll be okay even if I don't, helps me begin working.

For Dreamers, making your goals concrete is key. Define clear, measurable objectives, such as excelling in a specific practice quiz, and tackle them one at a time, focusing solely on the task at hand.

For Worriers, it's crucial to realize that avoiding a decision is still a decision, and it's often the least beneficial one. Remind yourself that negative outcomes are not certain if you complete your work, but the chances increase if you don't.

For Crisis-Makers, recognize the evidence showing that cramming is not effective. Try completing your work on time and see if the satisfaction and reduced stress give you a similar adrenaline rush.

For Defiers, it's time to choose your battles wisely. Negotiate when possible to feel a sense of control, such as asking for an extension on a project. This can make it easier to adhere to non-negotiable deadlines, like an upcoming exam.

For Overdoers, start by understanding why you find it hard to say "no" and practice setting your boundaries. Meanwhile, list all your tasks and prioritize them using a system like the Eisenhower Matrix or Kanban. Focus on the most critical and urgent tasks first, knowing that your workload will decrease as you complete tasks and learn to reject additional requests.