The Psychology of Procrastination:

The REAL reason you put things off (and what to do about it)

By Pauline Wallin, Ph.D.

http://drwallin.com

“Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.”

~William James

THE PROBLEM

Do you expend more time and energy on NOT doing something, than it would take to just
do it?

You know what I’m talking about: You think about compiling your ideas into an e-book.
You promise yourself that you’ll mail to your subscribers . . . tomorrow. You make list
upon list of all the things you’re going to do in the near future.

But when the time rolls around, instead of getting them done, you do things like:

• check your email

• play a few games of FreeCell
• visit the fridge to see if anything good has
materialized in thre since the last time you
checked 20 minutes ago
• surf the web looking for the next great
product to promote
• do a load of laundry
• reprogram your remote
• etc., etc., etc. . . .

And then . . . “Oh, look at the time! Too late to get started now. FOR SURE I’ll get to
this tomorrow.”

Tomorrow comes. Lather, rinse, repeat.

What a wasteful way to approach the goals that we want to reach. Collectively, we waste
millions and millions of hours procrastinating.
 Procrastination . . . .Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. . . .Page 2 of 7

Procrastination truly is a thief of time, energy and self-esteem. But we not only allow
this theft, we ENCOURAGE it! And when we finally do get around to the important
tasks, we’re exhausted, guilt-ridden and stressed out.

I can’t count the number of times I’ve promised myself, “This will never happen again,”
only to find myself procrastinating over and over – until I realized what the REAL
problem was.

THE REAL CAUSE OF PROCRASTINATION

So you think procrastination is about better time management? Like you, I bought books
and filing systems, and reminder gadgets. They all gave rational advice such as:

“Don’t wait till the last minute, because you won’t have time to do a good job.”
“Set your priorities and do your most important task first.”
“Don’t make excuses.”
“Set a deadline ahead of the ‘real’ deadline.”
“Make a public commitment to getting it done.”
“Use this electronic timer to keep yourself on task.”

You may have done a few of things as well. And you know that they do help to get you
started and keep you going.

But sooner or later (and usually sooner) you once again find yourself putting off what
you know you need to do and what you truly want to do.

Why does this happen? Because the suggestions above are logical solutions, while
procrastination is an emotional issue.
 Procrastination . . . .Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. . . .Page 3 of 7

Procrastination is not about time management. It’s not really about scheduling and
priorities.

Procrastination is a behavior pattern rooted in deep emotions that you’re probably

not aware of. Despite your best intentions, you unwittingly sabotage yourself through
mind tricks of resistance – over and over again.

The two primary factors in procrastination are:

1. Anxiety

2. Rebelliousness (your “inner brat”)

First, let’s talk about anxiety:

You know the tense feeling that grips you when you start thinking about
that important project? You might feel it in your stomach, or in your
neck, or in your jaw . . . everyone’s different. But all these symptoms
have one thing in common: They’re physical expressions of anxiety.

Anxiety is a type of fear. It’s not the same as dread or terror. It’s a
more subtle, less focused form of fear. When anxious, you may not
even be fully aware of what you’re anxious about.

But if you are really honest with yourself about why you’re putting off your project for
yet another day, you might realize that you’re afraid of failing, of not being perfect, or
even of succeeding (because that raises the bar more than you’re prepared for.)

Most of the time, however, your mind doesn’t give you a chance to reflect on why you
feel the way you do – it just wants to get rid of that tension as quickly as possible. And
the quickest way is to promise yourself you’ll do it later.

A promise doesn’t get your project done, but it does help protect you from feeling guilty.
When you promise yourself you’ll do it tomorrow, or on the weekend, or for sure on
Monday, you are truly sincere. By promising to do it later, you can still retain self-
respect and feel that you are being conscientious.
 Procrastination . . . .Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. . . .Page 4 of 7

In other words, your mind tricks you into feeling better while procrastinating. The
relief that you get from promising yourself to do it later, is a huge mental reward.

Of course, the relief doesn’t last long. When the time comes to buckle down and work –
or even when you’re just thinking about it – anxiety rises up again.

And what are you most likely to do to get rid of that anxiety? Whatever you did
previously that brought you relief – i.e., avoid the task and promise yourself you’ll do it
later. Simply make that promise, and you feel better instantly!

But your work is still unfinished, so you’ll have to go through the cycle again and again.

Thinking about
the task

Anxiety
Procrastination

Promise to do
it later
Relief

It’s evident that unless you break this anxiety-based cycle, you’ll continue to
procrastinate for the short-term spurts of relief it brings. Relief is huge psychological
reward for the brain.

But as the deadline draws nearer, your promises no longer bring relief. By that point, the
only way to break through your anxiety – especially if other people are counting on you
to deliver – is to work furiously to get your project done. Whew! So what if it’s not as
good as you had hoped? At least it’s done.
 Procrastination . . . .Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. . . .Page 5 of 7

Next, let’s talk about rebelliousness and your inner brat:

Not all procrastination stems from anxiety. Sometimes you just don’t feel like exerting
yourself. This is where your inner brat comes into play.

Everyone has an inner brat. It’s the part of us that’s still a two-year-old. The inner brat is
impulsive – it wants what it wants when it wants it. It’s self-centered – it hates being told
what to do and what not to do. The inner brat is a little voice in our head that is
responsible for much of our self-defeating behavior, including procrastination.

Getting down to work requires effort. And your inner brat doesn’t feel like expending
effort. But it won’t rebel openly – that would make you feel too immature. Instead, your
inner brat gives you plausible “reasons” why you can’t get started. For example:

“It’s too late to get started today. I’ll have more time tomorrow.”
“I just need to get this desk organized so that I can have a clear head
to work on my project.”
“It’s too noisy now. I can’t concentrate. Maybe I’ll do ti after the kids
go to sleep”
“I’m waiting to hear back from Bob about his widget, which I may
need for my project.”

All of these “reasons” sound logical, but in fact they’re only excuses. They don’t really
explain anything – they simply justify what you don’t want to do in the first place. Your
inner brat convinces you that putting off your project is the best logical thing to do. It’s
appealing to buy into that explanation, because it’s so much easier than sitting down to
work.
 Procrastination . . . .Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. . . .Page 6 of 7

However, if you repeatedly allow your inner brat to control your decisions, not only will
you end up procrastinating more and more; but you will also be constantly dissatisfied
with your life, and you’ll feel powerless to do anything about it.

To learn more about how to manage the inner brat that makes your life
miserable, see my book, Taming Your Inner Brat: A Guide for
Transforming Self-defeating Behavior. It’s available at Amazon and at my
website, innerbrat.com

THE SOLUTION TO PROCRASTINATION

If you want to conquer your procrastination once and for all, it’s not enough to organize
your workspace and schedule your time. You must also pay attention to your body and
your mind.

• NOTICE what’s going on in your body when you think about getting started on
your project – Are you tense? In what part of your body do you feel the tension?
To release the tension, close your eyes and take few deep cleansing breaths.

• LISTEN to what you’re saying to yourself about your project. Are you making
promises? Are you making excuses? Don’t let your mind play tricks on you.
Acknowledge that you’re avoiding getting started.

• TOLERATE the discomfort. You really don’t need to get rid of it right away. A
little anxiety won’t harm you. You’ve faced worse discomfort in the past, and you
can certainly tolerate this level now.

• COMMIT TO 15 MINUTES. By now, you’ve probably figured out why getting

started is the hardest part. That’s when your anxiety or rebellious resistance (or
both) are at their peak. 15 minutes is all it usually takes to break through that
resistance. Once you actually get working on your project, you’ll notice your
anxiety start to recede. Just hang in there for 15 minutes. Then decide whether
you’re up for another 15 minutes. My clients have found that this is the single
most effective way to break through the anxiety and all the negative self-talk.
 Procrastination . . . .Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. . . .Page 7 of 7

• USE TIME-MANAGEMENT AND ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGIES. But

consider them not only as tools to guide your behavior, but also to manage your
anxiety and your inner brat. Remember – the problem with procrastination is not
so much what you do, but rather how you feel and think. When you face up to
your negative feelings and rationalizations, you are much better equipped to get
busy and finish your project. You’ll be more than relieved – you’ll be enthused
and energized!

If you’d like to maximize your focus, I can help you through coaching. Just a few phone
sessions can make a huge difference in what you can accomplish. Contact me:

Pauline Wallin, Ph.D. 201 S. 32nd St., Camp Hill, PA 717-761-1814

drwallin@drwallin.com
http://www.drwallin.com