These are 3 root causes of procrastination and how to address them

Procrastination may look the same on the outside: Avoiding the most important thing until the last possible minute—or past the last possible minute—while you get countless other things done, from obtaining inbox zero to organizing your sock drawer. And then finally, when you absolutely must get the object of dread done, it’s typically completed in a frenzied state until the wee hours of the night, which leaves you feeling burnt out and exhausted the next day.

But just because procrastination appears to have a standard façade, doesn’t mean that all procrastination has the same construction. In fact, as a time management coach, I’ve found that the underlying reasons for procrastination can vary wildly from a task being too hard to it being too easy, or an activity eliciting massive stress to it not causing concern at all.

The key to overcoming your procrastination is identifying the root such as: anxiety, rebellion, or boredom and then addressing that issue appropriately.

Cause: Anxiety (When you’re too scared to start)

Sometimes you care so much about doing a project well that the idea of even opening a document to start the work is terrifying. Or you feel really uncertain about how to approach a task that you’ve never done before so you don’t even begin. Or you’ve tried to do this task in the past and it didn’t go well, so you’re scared to fail again.

One of the key things to remember in these situations is that whatever anxiety you’re feeling will only be exacerbated by procrastinating. And even though avoidance may feel like you’re escaping the discomfort of anxiety, the opposite is true: When you avoid a project that makes you feel anxious, you only increase your anxiety and the chances of whatever you fear coming true.

So, instead of procrastinating, practice starting and starting again with consistent, persistent action in moving a project forward. Even spending the first 10 to 15 minutes of your day working on a fear-inducing item can help you build momentum. And take action to address any legitimate concerns. For example, if you’ve never done a task before, talk to a colleague with experience about how they approached it, look for online articles or videos for a project plan, or, if allowed, ask your AI tool of choice for tips.

Finally, if you haven’t met expectations in the past, think about what went wrong, such as waiting until the night before to create a draft. Then think through what you could do differently this time to prevent these issues.

Proactive action can’t eliminate all uncertainty. But it can decrease quite a bit of it and give you the best opportunity to succeed.

Cause: Rebellion (When you don’t want to comply)

There are times when a task isn’t hard, and you’re not nervous about it. You simply don’t want to do what you’re asked to do, so you put it off. Perhaps you feel pressured. Or you think the activity is stupid. Or you’re just annoyed at the requester in general and not feeling like helping them out.

In some cases, you may be able to procrastinate on tasks that you’re not doing out of rebellion forever. They’re not actually required, and nothing really bad will happen if you don’t do them.

But other times, that’s not a sustainable option, especially if the requester is your boss or your spouse. So, what do you do in those instances when everything in you doesn’t want to do what someone has asked you to do?

In her book The Four Tendencies, author Gretchen Rubin recommends that you think about how doing something is aligned with your identity so that you can overcome any rebel tendencies. For example, you might tell yourself, “I’m a responsible person, so I’m not going to just blow off this request.” Or, “I’m someone who cares about my family, so I’m committing to this thing that’s good for my kids even though I don’t feel like doing it.”

Tying completing an action to your identity can help you flip a task from something you have to do to something you want to do.

Cause: Boredom (When you just don’t care)

Strong emotions can keep you from doing work. But lack of emotion can also lead to delay. Perhaps you’re doing something tedious that seems unimportant in the grand scheme of things. Or you feel like no one will really notice or care if you don’t get the task done. Or you’ve just done something a million times and don’t want to do it a million and one times.

In these cases, you need to find a way to care—even a little bit—or simply make a task less odious.

In terms of caring, you could tell yourself that you don’t want to get fired. And if you don’t do this job-required task, you’re on track for that to happen. Or you could remember that even though what you’re doing seems small, it does impact others in a substantial way such as your organization not being able to make payroll because you didn’t submit billing properly.

In terms of making the task less annoying, you can try a few different techniques. One that tends to be effective is pairing the task you’re avoiding with something you find pleasurable. For example, you may listen to music or a podcast or sip your favorite coffee while completing it. The positive feelings you have toward what you enjoy can help carry you through any negative feelings—or lack of feelings—toward a boring task.

Another strategy is to do the boring tasks just a little bit at a time. For example, maybe you can spend just five minutes a day getting them done or check off just one or two of them at a time. Incremental progress adds up over time.

Procrastination doesn’t have to leave you feeling trapped. You can move forward and get done what you need to accomplish with minimal stress by identifying the root issue and addressing it accordingly.