Procrastination Styles That Get In The Way Of Real Business Success

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Procrastination Styles That Get In The Way Of Real Business Success

Written by Laurie H. Miller

Procrastination is the thorn in our sides, the burr under the saddle and the pea under the mattress. It can be a persistent bad habit. Some people make procrastination a drama that is a daily battle and others find it getting in the way of real business success. You might call yourself lazy, but is it really laziness? I don't think so. I believe it is a deeper issue and has many components to it.

Is Procrastination Affecting Your Work? It might not be your fault!

You have a ton of things to do to get your desk out from under the mountain of paperwork that covers it. Yet you put things off. You find yourself making social phone calls, visiting Starbucks several times a day or surfing the internet. Then the stress builds, you start the negative self talk. "I should be accomplishing more. What am I going to do if I don't get it done?" Then comes the last minute panic and you end up working a 24 hour stretch to get the report to your client in time or you miss the deadline... again. The aftermath includes mentally beating yourself up and promising your client that it won't happen again!

So what drives us to procrastinate if it isn't laziness? Procrastination is driven by perceived internal and external motivators. Perceived internal motivators are thoughts, feelings, and beliefs we create or perceive within our own minds. These include feeling inadequate (in intelligence, know-how, attention span), experiencing apprehension and fear, having a mind that gets distracted easily, a need for gratification, a feeling of powerlessness, and experiencing a lack of control.

Procrastination is also driven by external motivators which are things that are outside of us and not always in our control. They include having inadequate resources (education, tools, technology, time), financial issues, legal problems, other people at work who influence our behavior or obligations we have to others.

Believe it or not there are also procrastination styles! We have the Perfectionist Procrastinator who is reluctant to start or finish a task because they don't want to produce anything less than perfect. They tend to be self critical and all or nothing at all thinkers. "I should" or "I have to" are big in their vocabulary.

Dreamer

We have the Dreamer Procrastinator who doesn't like details which make implementation of tasks difficult. They are passive, fanciful and vague but often creative and have "I wish" on the tip of their tongue.

Worrier

We have the Worrier Procrastinator who has a huge need for security so they fear risk and change causing them to avoid finishing projects. They are fearful, indecisive, cautious and are concerned with "what if?".

Deifier

We have the Deifier Procrastinator who is the rebel that bucks the rules. They set their own path that no one can predict or control. They are passive-aggressive, resistant, oppositional and non-conformists. Their most powerful thought is "Why should I?"

Crisis Maker

Then we have the Crisis Maker Procrastinator who is addicted to the adrenaline rush of living on the edge. They create drama and tend to be over emotional and need attention. You might hear them exclaim "Unbelievable!"

Over Doer

Finally we have the Over Doer Procrastinator who is unable or unwilling to make choices and priorities so they say yes to everything. They feel compelled to keep super busy, are self reliant do-it-alls and can't say no. As a consequence nothing gets done.

It is a cop out to call someone lazy or to consider yourself lazy and accept procrastination in your life. You won't like the end result which is anxiety, stress, financial instability and unhappiness. As you can see, the issues are not always conscious ones. The procrastination driving motivators and issues lurk within our inner subconscious minds and need to be rooted out and resolved. The best tool to beat procrastination is hypnotherapy, a process of 'turning inward', learning about your personal blocks and sabotage, and finding that you are completely capable of overcoming them!

Understanding Your Behavior

Next time you find yourself procrastinating think about possible internal or external motivations. Decide what procrastination style(s) you exhibit. Understanding your behavior is the first step to resolving it. You are capable of learning and adopting new ways of thinking which translates into less procrastination with new ways of organizing your life. The resulting relief allows you to feel free to create more success at work and at home. So STOP calling yourself lazy!

Click here and learn How Positive Thinking Can Lead to Success.