Accepting Procrastination

It’s 10pm on Sunday night. Your paper is due at 11:59, and you haven’t started yet. You wonder, “why do I always leave everything until the last minute?” and you start down the familiar path of calling yourself “lazy” and “undisciplined.”

Maybe you’ve tried everything. The timers, the calendars, the apps, the reminders – some people want, need, and benefit from these tools. But you can’t seem to change this pattern, and you’re feeling hopeless and inadequate.

What if it doesn’t have to be this way? What if more than one way of managing time, organizing tasks, and channeling focus could be accepted by our society and institutions? What if rather than fighting procrastination, we could accept it?

If you’re a procrastinator, there is nothing wrong with you. Read that again. There is nothing wrong with you.

No one is designed to work with consistent focus for eight hours every day, operating at peak or even average productivity the entire time. This expectation is based in a myth that someone out there is doing this, and you should be comparing yourselves to them. All people, including those with neurotypical ways of thinking and feeling, benefit from different rhythms for work that can vary from person to person and from situation to situation. Some people are just wired to perform better under pressure, and it has nothing to do with your work ethic or self-discipline. And don’t forget that being “productive” with work often means investing time in things that support your ability to work at all (getting enough rest, food, social support, etc.).

Procrastinators, by definition, get things done. So maybe procrastination isn’t the problem, it’s how we think about it and shame ourselves and others within our culture, which seems to value productivity over almost anything. Leaning into procrastination intentionally is called active procrastination, and it is associated with positive academic outcomes! So next time, instead of getting down on yourself and wondering how you can “overcome” procrastination, see if any of these thoughts are helpful:

1. I am using the time allotted to me to complete this task.
2. It’s okay if I need time pressure to complete this task.
3. It’s okay to follow the natural rhythm of my motivation and focus.
4. Waiting until the last minute works for me.
5. I receive no bonus points for turning this in early.
6. My value as a person does not depend on how quickly or linearly I can complete this task.
7. I do not need to be productive all the time.
8. I can do this in my time.
9. I can accept my style of working and do not need to feel shame about it.
10. My productivity does not define me.

Remember, if procrastinating is causing you distress – it may be less about the procrastination itself and more about how you judge yourself for it. We hope it helps to try on a different narrative…even if you wait to try until tomorrow.

If you’d like to explore more about how procrastination functions in your life, book a single session consultation, attend a drop-in space, or schedule an initial teleconsultation.