Recently, I shared this photo on Instagram.

Less than 30 minutes later, my comments and DMs were blowing up with people saying things like “Just @ me next time” and “I didn’t come here to be attacked like this”.

So, of course, the researcher in me began to ask the all-important question: why? Why do we procrastinate, sometimes to the point of self-sabotage?

What is procrastination?

Research has defined procrastination as “a form of self-regulation failure characterized by the irrational delay of tasks despite potentially negative consequences.”

Put simply, procrastination is putting things off until the last minute even though you know that it’s going to affect you or other people negatively.

Procrastination has been linked to a variety of mental health and developmental conditions including ADHD, OCD, anxiety, and depression.

It has also been linked to several behavioural factors such as perfectionism, people-pleasing, defiance and problems with self-regulation.

Yet, anyone can procrastinate.

You do not need to have ADHD or anxiety, you do not need to be a perfectionist or a people-pleaser to procrastinate.

Research estimates that 1 in every 5 adults report being affected by chronic procrastination - and that’s likely an underestimation.

It appears that procrastination is a universal language that we all speak from time to time.

Why you can’t seem to stop procrastinating

I’ve found that the root cause of procrastination tends to be the same: avoidance.

Our brains are wired to seek pleasure and avoid pain. 

So if we’re faced with a task that is in any way painful or uncomfortable, we will try to avoid it at all costs. And if we can’t avoid it, we put it off until the absolute last second possible.

We procrastinate because we want to avoid one of three things. We procrastinate to avoid:

1. Doing something that might be difficult or require a large amount of mental, physical or emotional effort.
2. Doing things that aren’t immediately pleasurable, even if they may become pleasurable or provide great benefits in the long term.
3. Doing something that requires us to stop doing something else that we’re already doing.

Why do the Human Design Types procrastinate?

The particular flavour of your avoidance varies based on your human design Type.

Here's what I've gathered from feedback from my clients and my research:

Projectors, you tend to procrastinate to avoid being seen, being undervalued or not being recognised (or worse, being recognised for something you're not).

Manifestors, you procrastinate primarily to avoid rejection, control and mediocrity - you don't want to start something only to have it end up amounting to nothing.

Reflectors, you procrastinate to avoid disappointment or feeling dismissed or overlooked. You might also procrastinate to avoid the pressure to be consistent.

Generators, you procrastinate to avoid burnout and frustration.

While Manifesting Generators, on top of avoiding burnout, you also procrastinate because you don't want to be boxed into just one thing.

Do you see the trend here?

Regardless of your human design Type, you procrastinate to avoid your conditioning.

And I get it.

The truth is that your conditioning is your comfort zone.

And stepping off the procrastination treadmill requires us to leave our comfort zones.

Getting your sh*t together is terrifying

Coaches make leaving your comfort zone sound like it's so easy when it isn't.

Leaving your comfort zone f*cking hard – it's comfortable there!

This is the root of procrastination.

And it's true whether you’re whether you have anxiety, depression, ADHD or some other condition. Or whether you’re a mom, a caregiver, a business owner, or a professional boss babe. 

Sometimes when you think of what will happen when you stop procrastinating and actually get your sh*t together, it feels paralysing.

Committing to your dreams means betting on yourself, going all in on your desires and being accountable to yourself and the promises you make.

It means you actually have to show up for yourself and do the thing you keep saying you want to do.

Stepping out of procrastination means there's no excuses. There's nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

And let's be honest, that's the scariest part of all.

Questions to ask when you’re stuck on the procrastination treadmill

• What is it about this task that I dislike the most? What do I most dread doing?
• What am I afraid will happen if I do this task?
• Is there anything I can do to make this task more pleasurable?
• Is there someone I can ask for help to get this task done?
• Is this something that I actually need to do right now? Is this something that I can delegate?
• What is one small action that I can take to get started on this task?

And my personal favourite:

• What is at stake if I don’t complete this task or do this thing?

The answer to this question could be “nothing”. In which case, procrastinate away my friend! 

But if you’re honest yourself, you’ll likely realise what you’re giving up by continuing to procrastinate your life away.

And more often than not, that’s enough to help you get your sh*t together.

Do you struggle with procrastination?

Leave a comment and share your thoughts or experiences.

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