For decades, psychological research has been able to explain procrastination as a functioning problem, not a consequence of laziness.
Procrastination isn’t about being lazy. Being curious about the underlying issues rather than judging the behavior can be very helpful. For instance, procrastination can be a symptom of feeling my attempts will not be good enough or acceptable. They may be a result of not knowing how to take the first steps or not having the innate capacity to divide a large project into smaller, manageable pieces. Perhaps a person seems to be procrastinating when they are actually struggling with mental health issues or a difficult home environment.
People don’t want to fail or disappoint. There are always barriers, whether we see them or not.
Affirmation: I will take a deeper look at procrastination.
Coaching questions: Why do you procrastinate? How do you judge others who procrastinate? What’s a step you’ll take to discover the underlying causes of your procrastination?