Procrastination: More than just laziness

I’ve been meaning to write this post about procrastination for a while now, but I kept putting it off…

Procrastination is often seen as laziness or poor time management. But the truth is, it’s rarely that simple. It’s often about how we manage our emotions – and changing that isn’t easy. A lot of advice about how to overcome procrastination focuses on the practical things you can do but there are deeper beliefs at play that make procrastination a tricky beast to tame.

Take Sarah, for example. She’s ambitious and has big goals. But like many of us, she struggles with procrastination. For her, starting a big project triggers anxiety and the fear of not doing it perfectly. To avoid these feelings, her brain finds quick distractions – scrolling through social media, organising her desk -anything to avoid the discomfort.

We’ve all been there. The cycle repeats itself because it feels like a relief in the moment, even though it only adds to the stress later. But overcoming procrastination isn’t just about breaking tasks into smaller pieces and calling it a day. That’s part of the process, but there’s more to it.

One day, Sarah decides to try a different approach. She does break her project down into smaller tasks, but she also has to accept something important: the discomfort isn’t going to magically disappear. She has to sit with it, recognise it, and push forward anyway, sometimes with small wins, sometimes with setbacks.

Procrastination is deeply tied to how we handle emotions like fear, self-doubt, and overwhelm. It’s a long-term challenge that requires more than a simple trick or technique. Some days, breaking tasks down helps. Other days, it’s about giving yourself permission to take imperfect steps forward and being kind to yourself when progress feels slow.

The truth is, procrastination is complicated and sometimes the more you care about doing a great job, the harder it can be to start because the stakes can seem too high. But understanding the emotions behind it is a good first step and accepting that even if you make mistakes, it’s OK.

Most importantly, it’s not about conquering it in a day, it’s about slowly, steadily learning how to manage it over time and being compassionate with yourself along the way.