There are many reasons why people put off pressing tasks — but identifying the root cause of your procrastination could be the key to overcoming it, according to the author of a new book.
Dr. Itamar Shatz, a social scientist at Cambridge University, has broken down procrastination into nine archetypes — and he believes all people have at least one of these characteristics or some combination of a few.
He lists them as: Worriers, Pessimists, Perfectionists, Dreamers, Zigzaggers, Rebels, Thrill Seekers, Hedonists and Burnouts in his book Solving Procrastination: The Science of Why We Put Things Off and How to (Finally!) Stop, which is out August 25.
“Procrastination isn’t just a matter of motivation or bad time management,” Shatz said.
“These are really unhelpful misconceptions. Procrastination revolves around the tug-of-war between helpful elements of our drive to act and harmful elements of our drive to delay.”
Worriers
Some people become so concerned that something will go wrong, they become paralyzed and are unable to take action.
These types of procrastinators put off doing things they know they should be doing — or even things they have to do by a deadline — to avoid potential problems that may pop up.
“If you’re a worrier, you should shine a light on your fears, unpack tasks, reject perfectionism and build your self-efficacy,” Shatz said.
Pessimists
These types of procrastinators often underestimate themselves, Shatz says.
Pessimistic procrastinators fear they will fail, which makes them believe there’s no point in even trying. People who fall under this category put off their goals or tasks over their fears of failing.
Shatz says pessimistic procrastinators need to work on building their self-efficacy – take a closer look at their fears and develop a good support system to help them through.
Perfectionists
Shatz urges perfectionist procrastinators to try to steer clear of an all-or-nothing mindset.
Procrastinators who get fixated on perfection, or getting everything “right,” should remind themselves that “imperfect progress is still progress, and is much better than getting stuck waiting for perfection,” Shatz said.
Perfectionists should also set aside other people’s unrealistic expectations when settling on goals, and avoid comparing themselves to others.
Social media may also be the culprit for some people who fall into the perfectionist procrastinator category. Shatz argues that carefully curated highlight reels on social media are often misleading, but make it easy for people to compare themselves to the seemingly perfect lives they see online.
Dreamers
Dreamers “spend their time fantasizing about the future, at the expense of doing what they need to in the present,” Shatz said.
People who fall under this category need to learn how to recognize when this habit starts to hurt them, and find ways to determine what steps they need to take to achieve their goals.
“You can also address reasons why you get stuck in fantasies in the first place, for example by rejecting perfectionism,” Shatz said.
Zigzaggers
They zig — and they zag — from one task to another. Zigzagger procrastinators are constantly shifting their attention from one moment to the next, making it difficult for them to stay on task.
Shatz recommends they add structure to their plans by setting specific goals — then listing out each separate step needed to achieve them.
To succeed, these types of procrastinators should create an environment for themselves that reduces temptations and distractions. They should also ride their waves of productivity, or find an “accountability buddy” to lean on to keep them on task.
Rebels
These procrastinators act out because they feel they don’t have control over what happens in their life, Shatz argues.
People who fall under the rebel procrastinator category procrastinate to assert their autonomy and “get back” at authority figures whom they resent.
Shatz advises rebel procrastinators to find their own reasons to take action and focus on their own standards — rather than the expectations of others.
These types of procrastinators should prioritize taking care of themselves and even consider switching up their environment if they start to feel the authority figures in their lives have become too omnipresent, Shatz said.
Thrill Seekers
Thrill seekers find pleasure in putting tasks off, and revel in the feeling of an impending deadline before they scramble to get things done last-minute.
However, Shatz argues they should consider how this behavior may cost them in the long run and “find ways to make it appealing to take action sooner.”
“You can also address other underlying reasons why you might be waiting until deadlines, like fear,” Shatz said.
Some ways for thrill seekers to adapt are by giving themselves extra deadlines and scheduling their work according to their natural rhythms.
Hedonists
Hedonists care too much about feeling satisfied in the moment — and too little about accomplishing the things they need to do.
“If you’re a Hedonist, you should find your sources of motivation (including external ones), and eliminate temptations from your environment,” Shatz said.
These types of procrastinators should make sure there aren’t any other underlying issues at play, like low self-efficacy.
Burnouts
Some people procrastinate because they are simply too tired to do what they need to.
This usually happens because they’ve been working too hard, or doing work that’s stressful, pointless or draining in some other way, leaving them burnt out, Shatz said.
“If you’re a burnout, you have to prioritize taking care of yourself, to make sure you get the rest you need, alongside basics like enough sleep,” he said.
These types of procrastinators should work on self-compassion, Shatz says.
They can also try to find ways to make their work feel less draining and more rewarding, Shatz says, giving the example that they can reject perfectionism or seek support from their loved ones.
