Procrastination as Protection from Negative Emotions

Traditionally, procrastination is seen as a kind of idleness where useful activities are postponed and time is spent on unproductive tasks. The goal in fighting procrastination is to force yourself to do something useful that you absolutely don’t want to do right now. There are different ways to make yourself do it. For example, you can use fear or rewards. These are basically the two main classic methods for dealing with procrastination.

People are usually scared with deadlines, penalties, and various deprivations. Rewards might include treats, favorite activities, or permission to relax after finishing the work.

Procrastination arises as a response to two competing needs. Both are our own, and both are meant to benefit us. One need is usually aimed at getting greater pleasure later, in the future. The other provides a small pleasure, but right now.

This conflict can be resolved quite simply. For example, you can allow yourself some time to relax now: “I’ll goof off for an hour, and then I’ll get to work.” But this doesn’t always work.

The thing is, spending time in messengers, watching videos, or reading blogs may not actually be about getting information (as it might seem at first glance), but rather a way to protect yourself from unpleasant emotions. Putting off important and necessary tasks is really about postponing disappointment in yourself and in your high expectations for a possible miracle.

For example, by putting off learning a foreign language, you can delay the disappointment in your ability to master things quickly and easily. This might make you feel angry. By postponing starting your own business, you can delay the disappointment in yourself as an effective entrepreneur if the business doesn’t immediately bring the expected profit. This might make you feel hurt. By putting off an important conversation, you can delay the disappointment in yourself as an effective negotiator if the other person disagrees with you. This might make you feel ashamed.

There’s also anxiety, disgust, sadness, anger, longing, and fear—these are emotions you want to avoid as you move toward your dream. The illusion that you can prepare so well for the journey that you’ll never encounter these “negative feelings” holds you back. In this way, procrastination protects you from the destructive power of negative experiences, allowing you to stay in a magical world where everything is fine, but nothing actually happens…

In the end, you have two options in life. You can keep protecting yourself from negative emotions by putting things off—“When I’m really ready for this, I’ll be able to do it easily.” In this case, life can turn into endless preparation for living. Or, you can take the risk of facing your negative emotions and change your self-image from an illusory one to a real one. Then, relying on your real abilities and compensating for your real shortcomings with outside support, you can start making your dreams come true instead of putting them off forever.

P.S. Sometimes, truly working through these blocking emotions requires the support of a psychologist or a support group.