Why Do We Procrastinate?

We all procrastinate from time to time, but few people ask themselves “Why do we procrastinate?” Procrastination is the habit of putting things off to the last minute. There’s an old saying, “When we don’t want to do something, any excuse is as good as another.” Though we may at times become distracted when doing things, to be dependent upon distractions and excuses only reinforce our habit of procrastination. Yet, no one is born a procrastinator, it’s a habit we’ve develop and it is a habit we can change with awareness and willingness.

Understanding why we procrastinate is an important step in overcoming the habit of procrastination. We need to be aware of our thoughts and how we feel when we know we’re procrastinating. Then we can ask ourselves, “What’s stopping me from taking action?” Once we know why we procrastinate, the fixes become much easier. And when we learn to stop putting things off, we find that we have more time and energy to do the things we really love.