Procrastination: Why We Do It - It Works

When we don’t do something we need to do and go out with our friends instead, we are immediately rewarded with pleasure (the pleasure of going out with our friends) instead of discomfort (the hassle of doing an unpleasant task). We may also have a history of pulling something together at the last minute and getting away with it (writing a paper for school, putting together a project for work, paying bills). This reinforces our belief that procrastination works, or that we are “getting away with it”.

To overcome this tendency really examine whether it actually “worked” or whether you just slid by on the seat of your pants. Is the paper you turned in something you are truly proud of or barely adequate? How does it make you feel? If it is adequate but you are not proud of it you are depriving yourself of that really good feeling you get when you do something well. This creates negative feelings and lowers your self esteem because you are not doing work that is truly worthy of you.

You can also look at your reasons for doing it at the last minute. You may resent needing to do the task. You may feel it’s being forced on you, it’s unreasonable or it’s burdensome. You may believe the task is beneath you or your abilities. You may believe it is unnecessary or foolish that the task be required. If you don’t care about doing it well, why are you doing it?