How to Stop Procrastinating: a simple Guide to Mastering Difficult Tasks and Breaking the Procrastination Habit

8 REASONS WHY PEOPLE
PROCRASTINATE
One reason overcoming procrastination can be a challenge is everyone
has a different reason for doing it. What’s more, the same person may
have different reasons for putting off the various tasks in their life.
For example, maybe you feel too tired to call back your mother, telling
yourself, “I can call her later this week.” Or maybe you put off starting a
new hobby because you’re afraid of making a bunch of mistakes. Or you
might procrastinate on a major project because you’re secretly worried
that it’ll be a complete failure.
Simply put, beating procrastination is tough because we all have
personal, but different, reasons for why we struggle with it. That said, if
you want to break this bad habit, then you need to understand the
common reasons why it happens and address this issue.
In this section, I’ll review eight reasons why people procrastinate.
My suggestion?
Carefully read each one and ask yourself if it sounds like an excuse that
you say to yourself whenever you want to put off a task.
Reason #1: You Are a Perfectionist
It’s easy to procrastinate when you’re worried about making a mistake
that will expose a weakness. The fear of making mistakes is real, and it
can cause people to put off some of their important obligations for
another day.
This type of mindset is addressed in Carol Dweck’s
Mindset: The New
Psychology of Success
. In this book, Dweck relates successes in school,
sports, work, the arts, and other areas of human endeavor to how one
thinks about their talents and abilities.

---

Dweck explains that people have either a fixed mindset or a growth
mindset.
Those with a fixed mindset believe that their abilities are set in stone, so
they focus only on their current intelligence or talents, believing they
can’t be developed. They believe that they were born with what they have
and they can’t improve on their abilities. People with a fixed mindset also
believe that effort is not needed if someone has talent. They believe talent
just comes naturally.
So, why can a fixed mindset be dangerous? Because it hinders your ability
to grow, learn, and make positive changes.
Alternatively, a growth mindset allows a person to believe their abilities
can prosper and be developed through hard work. They believe that
people’s brains and talents are a mere starting point. They are born with
their individual strengths, but there is no limit as to what can be
accomplished. The growth mindset creates a desire to learn and an ability
to overcome problems in order to be successful.
Dweck explains that mindset reveals how great teachers, parents, and
managers can advance in their careers and achieve great
accomplishments. With the correct mindset, people can motivate, lead,
and teach in a way that can positively change their lives and the lives of
others.
According to
Hillary Rettig
, the author of
The 7 Secrets of the Prolific:
The Definitive Guide to Overcoming Procrastination, Perfectionism and
Writer’s Block
, people who procrastinate due to perfectionism tend to
have a fixed mindset. This means that they avoid doing certain tasks
because they fear the risk of making a mistake and looking anything less
than perfect. They want their work to be perfect and cling to the idea that
they will inevitably fail if the task is not in line with their given talents, so
it’s best to set it aside for another time.
While some may think that being a perfectionist is a positive trait, it’s a
quality that can have a long-term, detrimental repercussion on your
success. It’s a dangerous mix of antiproductive habits and attitudes that
discourage progression. Although often misunderstood as having high
standards, perfectionism limits the definition of success to an unrealistic

---

standard.
Often, perfectionists will procrastinate because they fear that they will
never achieve the high standard they set for themselves. They think:
“Why should I even make the effort?”