Why Do I Procrastinate? The Psychology Behind Putting Things Off

You sit down to start the report, the visa form or the assignment, and twenty minutes later you are reorganising your phone, answering WhatsApp or watching one more video. Then the guilt arrives. If you keep asking yourself why do I procrastinate, the honest answer from psychology is surprising: it is usually not laziness and not poor time management. It is a way of managing a feeling.

In this guide I explain what research says about why people put things off, why the guilt afterwards makes it worse, and practical steps that are supported by studies. It sits alongside my guide on building self-discipline when motivation is gone.

Short answer: Most procrastination is an attempt to escape an unpleasant feeling attached to a task, such as boredom, confusion, fear of failure or fear of judgement. Delay brings short-term relief and long-term cost. It eases when you make the task smaller and clearer, plan the exact moment you will start, and treat yourself with less harshness after a slip.

• Feelings come first: procrastination has been described as putting short-term mood repair ahead of the needs of your future self (Sirois and Pychyl, 2013).
• The task matters: a large review linked procrastination with tasks that feel unpleasant and with impulsiveness (Steel, 2007).
• Self-forgiveness helps: students who forgave themselves for procrastinating before one exam procrastinated less before the next (Wohl, Pychyl and Bennett, 2010).

What procrastination actually is

Psychologists usually define procrastination as voluntarily delaying something you intend to do, even though you expect the delay to leave you worse off (Steel, 2007). That last part is important. Procrastination is when you know the delay will cost you, and you delay anyway.

In his meta-analysis, Piers Steel brought together hundreds of studies and found that people put off tasks more when the task feels aversive, when the reward is far away, and when they tend to act on impulse (Steel, 2007). In plain words: boring, unclear tasks with distant rewards lose to easy, pleasant things that are available right now.

Why do I procrastinate? The emotional reason

The most useful shift I can offer is this: procrastination is mainly an emotion problem, not a time problem. Sirois and Pychyl argue that when a task stirs up an uncomfortable feeling, avoiding it gives immediate relief, and that relief rewards the habit (Sirois and Pychyl, 2013). The cost is handed to your future self, who has less time and more stress.

Common feelings hiding behind delay include:

• Fear of failure or judgement: if I never really try, I can never really fail.
• Confusion: the first step is unclear, so the mind looks for something easier.
• Boredom or resentment: the task feels pointless, or someone else imposed it.
• Perfectionism: if it cannot be excellent, starting feels unbearable.
• Overwhelm: the task is so big that you cannot see where it begins.

In many desi homes there is an extra layer. When a degree, a job application or a business plan carries the whole family’s hopes, the fear of disappointing people can make simply opening the file feel heavy. If that sounds familiar, my article on how to stop overthinking may also help, because overthinking and procrastination often feed each other.

Why the guilt makes it worse

Many people try to shame themselves into action: “What is wrong with me? I am useless.” It feels like taking responsibility, but research suggests it backfires. In the study by Wohl and colleagues, students who forgave themselves for procrastinating on their first exam procrastinated less when studying for the next one (Wohl, Pychyl and Bennett, 2010). Self-forgiveness here does not mean excusing yourself. It means acknowledging the slip, letting go of the self-attack, and returning to the task.

Harsh self-talk adds one more unpleasant feeling to the task, and so one more reason to avoid it.

The real cost of putting things off

Delay can feel harmless in the moment. Tice and Baumeister followed university students over a term and found that procrastinators reported less stress early on but more stress and illness later, and they received lower grades (Tice and Baumeister, 1997). A larger study of university students in Sweden found that higher procrastination was associated with somewhat worse symptoms of depression, anxiety and stress months later (Johansson et al., 2023). These are associations, not proof that procrastination causes these problems, but they show why it deserves attention.

Practical ways to procrastinate less

1. Name the feeling. Before you start, ask: “What exactly am I trying not to feel?” Bored, scared, confused? Naming it makes it smaller and points to the fix. Confusion needs a clearer first step; fear needs a lower bar.

2. Shrink the first step. “Write the proposal” is a mountain. “Open the document and write three rough headings” is a step. Make the first action so small that it feels almost silly.

3. Use an if-then plan. Decide the exact moment: “If it is 9 pm and I have finished dinner, then I will open my laptop at the desk and work for 15 minutes.” A meta-analysis found that these implementation intentions had a medium-to-large effect on reaching goals (Gollwitzer and Sheeran, 2006).

4. Lower the bar for the first draft. Give yourself permission to do it badly first. A rough version can be improved; a perfect version that does not exist cannot.

5. Reduce easy escapes. Put the phone in another room or log out of the apps you drift to. The aim is to make the pleasant option slightly harder to reach.

6. Forgive the slip, then restart. When you notice you have drifted, say to yourself, “I delayed again. That is human. What is the next small step?” Then take it.

When procrastination may be something more

Sometimes long-standing difficulty starting and finishing tasks is linked to other things, such as low mood, anxiety or ADHD. If delay comes with persistent sadness, loss of interest or exhaustion, the NHS guide to depression in adults is a good starting point. If you have struggled with focus, restlessness and disorganisation since you were young, read the NHS overview of ADHD and consider talking to a qualified professional. My article on emotional exhaustion vs laziness may also help you tell the difference.

For more, explore the Become Better section of this site.

Frequently asked questions

Is procrastination the same as laziness?
No. Laziness is an unwillingness to make an effort. Procrastinators often care a great deal and feel guilty, but they avoid the uncomfortable feeling a task brings up.

Why do I procrastinate even on things I want to do?
Tasks you care about carry more fear of failure and judgement. The more something matters, the more pressure it can carry.

Can procrastination be cured completely?
Most people put things off sometimes. The aim is to notice the pattern earlier and to restart faster, not to become a perfect machine.

Should I see a psychologist about procrastination?
If it is harming your studies, work, relationships or mood, and self-help steps have not been enough, speaking to a qualified mental health professional is a sensible step.

References

1. Steel P. The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin. 2007;133(1):65-94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65
2. Sirois F, Pychyl T. Procrastination and the priority of short-term mood regulation: Consequences for future self. Social and Personality Psychology Compass. 2013;7(2):115-127. https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12011
3. Wohl MJA, Pychyl TA, Bennett SH. I forgive myself, now I can study: How self-forgiveness for procrastinating can reduce future procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences. 2010;48(7):803-808. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.01.029
4. Tice DM, Baumeister RF. Longitudinal study of procrastination, performance, stress, and health: The costs and benefits of dawdling. Psychological Science. 1997;8(6):454-458. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00460.x
5. Johansson F, Rozental A, Edlund K, et al. Associations between procrastination and subsequent health outcomes among university students in Sweden. JAMA Network Open. 2023;6(1):e2249346. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.49346
6. Gollwitzer PM, Sheeran P. Implementation intentions and goal achievement: A meta-analysis of effects and processes. Advances in Experimental Social Psychology. 2006;38:69-119. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0065-2601(06)38002-1
7. NHS. Depression in adults: overview. https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/depression-in-adults/overview/
8. NHS. ADHD in adults. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/adhd-adults/

Last checked 17 October 2026. This article is for education only and is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. Written by Dr. Malik Sherjeel Awan (PsyD).

Join Learn With Sherjeel on WhatsApp: free mental health tips and updates →

Dr. Malik Sherjeel Awan

Dr. Malik Sherjeel Awan is a clinical psychologist based in Makkah. PsyD (Clinical Psychology), University of Karachi.
He writes practical, evidence-based psychology for everyday life.

About me · Take the free Self-Check · Editorial policy

Buy Dr. Malik Sherjeel Awan's books (opens in a new tab)