Why we procrastinate and how to break the cycle

We've all done it when a deadline for a task or project looms. Sometimes, you just can’t bring yourself to get started. Before long, stress creeps in, and almost anything feels more appealing than the task at hand.

Research shows procrastination is quite common. In fact, roughly 1 in 5 adults struggle with chronic procrastination. And while procrastination is often mistaken for poor time management, experts say it's often driven by emotions, creating a cycle that can be hard to break.

Why we put things off

So, why do we procrastinate? Lori Alford, a licensed social worker with Sharp Grossmont Hospital for Behavioral Health, says there are many reasons. Often, it comes down to learned habits or difficulty managing emotions related to a task.

“Some of the most common reasons include unhelpful beliefs, avoidance of discomfort and learned behavior patterns,” she says. “This may include putting something off because it seems boring, difficult or overwhelming, or because you believe you need to feel motivated before you can begin.”

Alford explains that procrastination can become a learned pattern. “When something feels uncomfortable or too difficult, we may turn to distractions or whatever feels more immediate or interesting at the time,” she says.

Over time, those responses reinforce the pattern. Stress and poor sleep can also leave us with less energy, making it even harder to tackle what we need to get done.

When procrastination becomes a problem

Alford says there’s an important distinction between everyday procrastination and a more persistent pattern. “Everyone puts things off from time to time, but if your procrastination begins to interfere with work, relationships, school or overall well-being, it may be something bigger,” she says.

For some individuals, there’s another piece to the puzzle. Procrastination can be associated with mental health conditions, such as anxiety or depression, as well as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Procrastination itself can also create more stress. This can leave people feeling overwhelmed or guilty, reinforcing the negative emotions that made it hard to get started in the first place.

“When someone is depressed, they may experience low energy and inertia,” she says. “ADHD and executive functioning challenges can also be associated with procrastination behaviors.”

Anxiety plays a role, too. Alford says perfectionistic or all-or-nothing thinking can make it more difficult to start a task. A person may think, “I must do it perfectly or why bother?” or worry that doing less than an ideal job says something negative about them.

Tips to stop procrastinating

The good news, Alford says, is that people can learn strategies to help break the procrastination cycle. She offers these tips:

• Don’t wait for motivation. One of the biggest traps is believing you must feel motivated before you begin. Identify and challenge unhelpful beliefs and remind yourself that you can do things even when you don’t feel like it. “You don’t have to wait until you feel motivated,” Alford says. “Often, motivation follows action.”

• Plan ahead and start small. Schedule the task and choose a start time when you’re more likely to be successful. To make it less overwhelming, Alford suggests focusing only on the first step and setting a timer for five to 15 minutes. Reward yourself after you've made progress.

• Make it more engaging and use visualization. Play pleasant music or use colored highlighters if writing. Turn a task into a game by giving yourself points and a reward after you reach a certain goal. Visualization can also help. Because mentally rehearsing an action engages some of the same brain regions involved in actually performing it, Alford also recommends visualizing yourself successfully doing the task before you begin.

• Try the “think it, say it, do it” rule. Think about the task you're going to do, say it aloud, then begin immediately, before distractions take over. You want to create a brief pathway from your intention to your action.

• Remember your why. Consider the pros and cons of doing the task versus putting it off. Write them down or use an app. Keep your reasons somewhere visible.

For people in recovery, breaking the procrastination cycle can be especially important because it can interfere with both mood stabilization and sobriety. At Sharp Grossmont Hospital for Behavioral Health, the Dual Recovery Intensive Outpatient Program addresses procrastination to help participants build healthier routines, improve accountability and make consistent progress in recovery.

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