1. How is procrastination defined in psychology?

Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily

postponing tasks. decisions or actions.
Lack of motivation / Self control (impulse)

2. When we procrastinate at work, it is not that we

don't do anything else at that time... We end up
doing mundane work and non-work related
tasks.. which means it's not actually laziness
right? So why do we do that at work?
Procrastination doesn’t equal laziness or
lethargy.
Lack of energy,
Being deprived of stimulation
Monotony/ Boredom
Overwhelmed/ Too much on the plate
Imposter syndrome – Feeling like they are not
good enough, Talented enough, comparing
oneself to others, Feeling like a fraud

Active procrastination ; Passive procrastination

- Paralyzed

- Structured Procastination. When over done,

we miss out on tasks that is important and
need our attention.
- Get carried away that we are productive and
getting some tasks done at the end of the
 day but might get trapped if we are not
keeping a check on it

3. What emotions are connected to

procrastination?
When there is a significant amount of time before the
deadline- Small hesitant, Disappointment, Upset
Rollercoaster of emotions happen when you are near a
deadline –
Fear - Worried, Pre occupied
Guilt
Disgust
Anger : Avoiding the implementation of the intention -
Frustrates the individual

4. Do we procrastinate because of feeling stressed

or does procrastination lead to stress?
Procastination leads to stress yes!

Procrastinating could be a way people cope a stressful

situation. Stress with someone who is already
predisposed/prone to procrastinate is in higher risk of
getting into the vicious cycle
 5. When we catch ourselves procrastinating a
task, what are some self-reflective questions
that we can ask ourselves to change direction
and progress?
Try and understand what is the type of behaviour you
are engaging in
there are 6 different types of Procastination
The Perfectionist
The Worrier
The Dreamer
The Crisis Maker – Drive or a pressure and feels
like they need it to function better, in efficient way
The Defier – Insecurity, Lack of awareness, Lack of
interest.
The Over doer - impossible standard for
themselves
Everything would be relatable, try to identify the
predominant ones.
a) Observe with yourself where you are at –
Thoughts, feelings.
b) Device an action – prioritizing your task and
where you are at
c) Keep it realistic with a constant check on
yourself.
6. How long would it take for us to overcome the
procrastination habit? (Being realistic, is it
possible to bring about a consistent change of
habit?)
Objective – One person to another;
depending up on their energy, motivation ,
Making baby steps, Committing
Constant pressure on changing, Being
called out lazy, to become different.
Healthy way to look at it is finding and
doing Behaviours you could adapt to match the
pace you want to be in

7. Are there any quick everyday practices that we

can adopt as baby steps towards becoming
someone who acts upon tasks without
procrastinating?

a. Setting realistic goals and Specific goals

b. Creating an action plan for your tasks
i. Being accountable for your self
ii. Breaking down huge tasks into small
manageable ones
iii. Set deadlines, for the broken down tasks
iv. Making the task enjoyable, Adding
excitement to it/ Trying to enjoy as you
do the task
v. Weeding out the distractions
vi. Commit to a tiny step
vii. Ask for help
 c. Productive/ Structured procrastination –
Doing beneficial things as you procrastinate
from a important/Huge task
d. Pacing it out. Work in ratios 20:5:20:5 – 15 -
20:5:20:5 Pomodoro – Work only on selected
tasks

8. What kind of a reward system would work for

someone who is trying to overcome
procrastination?

Reward system is different for different individual.

Pomodoro – Reward in it self

Indulging in tasks that makes you feel good

Either doing something you love or something mundane

as you procrastinate without having Constant thoughts
run in the back of your mind which will inhibit you from
being present in the moment.

Why do people procrastinate - Generally & at work ?

a) Procrastination doesn’t equal laziness or lethargy.

b) Lack of motivation / Self control - Burnout,

Exhaustion, or fear ;

c) Deprive stimulation and causing procrastination

d) Monotony, Boredom – Work

e) Overwhelming, handling beyond capacity or limit,

Lack of energy

f) Imposter syndrome – Feeling like they are not good

enough, Talented enough, Comparing oneself to
others, Feeling like a fraud

g) Stressful environment where they constantly have

to thrive rather than being there in the present
How to overcome procrastination - Work and
general

a)

What leads to procrastination - and how it

affects/impacts people. (trauma, Insecurities, fear of
failure) Causes

a) Lack of concentration

Passive procrastination ( tensed, Paralyzed by indecision;

result in not completing their job) – Active
procrastination – Work under pressure (created by them),
make delibrate decisions to procrastinate task yet
somehow completes tasks on time

Tips to overcome procrastination -

Making a to do list - Becoming aware of tasks
Pace it out - Making two lists: a daily list and a
weekly list, which are connected and specific.

Reward - Enjoy the guilt/anxiety free

break/leisure you like or you have

HR - Incorporate in your organisation statistically not

individually
Procrastination stats in india

Psychology of procrastination and emotions - what

happens

According to Dr Linda Sapadin 6 types of procastinators

1. The Perfectionist- Because of their fear of failure
such type of procrastinators are unable to start the
task at hand. They wait for all the situations to be
perfect to start the task but that is impossible
practically.
2. The Dreamer- They have the whole picture of
success in their head but don’t want to take action
towards achieving that. Their thinking style is fuzzy.
They want others to take the small steps/complete
the small tasks for them and hence they end up
procrastinating.
3. The Worrier- They are low on self-confidence and
don’t believe they can finish the task at hand. The
question “What If” is asked by them a lot and due to
their anxiety about their fear of failure they cannot
start the task at hand.
4. The Crisis Maker- They work best under pressure.
They need the adrenaline rush that last-minute
action provides. The quality of work produced in
such situations is questionable. Tim Urban in his
TED Talk has explained this concept very well citing
the example of Instant Gratification Monkey and
Panic Monster in the mind of a master
procrastinator. One of the best videos on
procrastination.
 5. The Defier- They are haunted by the question “Why
should I do it?” They tell their supervisors that I will
do the task but inside their minds, they have the
belief that “I shouldn’t have to do it.”And eventually,
they don’t.
6. The Overdoer- As the name suggests they over-
commit themselves with many responsibilities. They
don’t prioritise their tasks and eventually end up
procrastinating. They have set up impossible
standards for themselves.

When it comes to cognition certain types of cognitive biases

could also lead to procrastination
Social learning theory : Bandwagon effect – Copy the
behaviour if you see someone following it

Emotion : Avoiding the implementation of the intention -

Frustrates the individual

Chu and Choi (2005) distinguish between two sorts of

procrastination behaviours. Passive procrastinators are
paralyzed by their indecision and as a result fail to
complete tasks on time, so this is certainly an
unfavourable behaviour. However, active procrastinators
prefer to work under pressure and make deliberate
decisions to procrastinate tasks, nevertheless, they
usually complete their tasks on time (Gafni & Ger,
2010).