Procrastination

Everyone puts things off until the last minute sometimes, but procrastinators chronically avoid difficult tasks and deliberately look for distractions. Procrastination in large part reflects our perennial struggle with self-control as well as our inability to accurately predict how we'll feel tomorrow, or the next day. "I don't feel like it" takes precedence over goals; however, it then begets a downward spiral of negative emotions that deter future effort. Perfectionists are often procrastinators; it is psychologically more acceptable to never tackle a task than to face the possibility of falling short on performance.

Procrastinators typically contend that they perform better under pressure, but more often than not that's their way of justifying putting things off. Procrastination also involves some degree of self-deception; we are at some level aware of the truth of our actions.

Unfortunately, the contemporary environment abets procrastination by supplying an endless array of distractions literally at one's fingertips. The bright side? It's possible to overcome procrastination—with effort. Changing behavior consumes a lot of psychic energy, and engaging in highly structured cognitive behavioral therapy is one approach. Still, successfully changing behavior doesn't necessarily mean one feels transformed internally. There will always be times when tasks have to be done whether one feels motivated or not.