 I'm pretty sure we've all procrastinated at some point, probably because we think we were not in the right frame of mind to attend to that task. We wanted to enjoy some other interesting activity at that time, or we were just lazy about it. Procrastination is the avoidance of doing a task that needs to be accomplished. It is a habitual or intentional delay of starting or finishing a task despite its negative consequence. It's like this. We deliberately postpone an unpleasant task often against one's better judgment. To enjoy another or do nothing at all, here's the problem with that. When we pile up things till the last minute, the result we get is a low-quality work performance and reduced well-being. A 2002 study by Erieli Anwettenbroch discovered that students who routinely procrastinated consistently got lower grades, unlike those who did theirs right in time. Colin Mele said, If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it. According to David Ballard, head of the American Psychological Associations Center for Organizational Excellence, procrastination is not just avoiding or delaying a task. It also has to include an aspect that's counterproductive, irrational or unnecessary. So why do we procrastinate? In this video, I'll share with you 9 causes of procrastination and how to stop it. If you're new here, consider subscribing so that you won't miss other exciting videos like this. Alexander Rosenthal, a procrastination researcher and clinical psychologist at Caroline Institute in Sweden, explains that our need to procrastinate falls under one of four factors, which includes time, value, impulsivity or expectancy. Rosenthal says that people procrastinate because of a lack of value associated with the task, because they expect that they're not going to achieve the value they're trying to achieve, because the value is too far from you in terms of time, or because you're very impulsive as a person. According to a 1997 survey by Ferrari Johnson and McCone, some of the reasons we procrastinate are 1. We overestimate how much time they have left to perform tasks 2. We overestimate how motivated they will be in the future 3. We underestimate how long certain activities will take to complete 4. We mistakenly assume that they need to be in the right frame of mind to work on the project 5. We are worried about failing 6. We want everything to be perfect 7. We lack self-control 8. We are lazy 9. We lack the required skill to complete the task How can we stop procrastinating? There is no one trick to stop procrastination because we all have different reasons for procrastinating. According to Ballard, the first step is stepping back and figuring out what's going on. Identify your own habits. Is there one kind of thing you always put off to last? What is it that you tend to put off? And what are your third patterns around that? Once you have figured out the reason for procrastinating, it's time to find a way to stop it. 1. Unpleasant task When a task is considered unpleasant, boring or uninteresting, we often get tempted to procrastinate. For instance, exercising, doing our laundry and assignments as well. So overcome this type of procrastination and you and White suggest that you shift your focus from the ultimate goal to a series of easy-to-complete intermediate tasks. Also, you can try the what-if mode. For instance, what if I wake up at 5 am and I can get some exercises done? 2. Unimportant Sometimes, we place little importance on specific projects until they are so close to the deadline. In the end, they are pressurized and anxiety may take over, leading to another form of procrastination. To stop this type of procrastination, Ballad suggests finding ways to reward yourself along the way. You get those activities done, you get a break, and you can shift your mindset for a few minutes. For instance, you can split the project into smaller units and fill up the distance between each unit with simpler activities like checking your social media platforms and run some errands and chores. Rosenthal also suggests that it is wise to clarify why this task or commitment is important to you. Ask yourself, why am I doing this? Doing this will help you place a priority on each task and help you focus better. 3. Timing Timing is another issue we sometimes underestimate when considering certain projects. Some people are more productive at certain times of the day. To deal with this type of procrastination, Ballad suggests that if you know you work better in the morning on certain kind of tasks, schedule it for that time. Don't try to do it at the time when you are tired and it's harder for you to do. Also, when we procrastinate, we postpone tasks without anticipating that when it comes to time to do them, the required action will be delayed yet again. For instance, a drug addict who decides to quit can go on moons after moons saying one last time. 4. Self-confidence Sometimes, when we are faced with challenging tasks, we begin to doubt our self-confidence. Hence, we procrastinate in hopes that we will be in a better frame of mind the next time we attempt it. To overcome this type of procrastination, get smaller goals that can help you attain the bigger goal. Goal attainment may raise feelings of self-confidence, which can result in you setting even more challenging goals. 5. Anxiety A good number of people get anxious about the outcome of a project and in most cases, avoidance seems to be the way out. Studies show that procrastination is associated with high levels of stress. To relieve stress, procrastinators shift their focus away from the future towards more immediate rewards to avoid high-priority yet challenging tasks. To overcome this type of procrastination, Rosenthal says, if you don't believe in yourself enough to actually conduct a particular task, you can try to do it in smaller and more manageable parts to increase your self-efficacy. Also, finding ways to reduce stress can strengthen your capacity to handle procrastination. Thank you very much for watching our videos. If you like this video, watch more videos on our channel and subscribe. We love you.