Reasons Kids Procrastinate
In my last post, I shared a bit about how procrastination looks for me. In today’s post, I want to dig into the “whys” I procrastinate. I’m 100% clear that the reasons I procrastinate are likely not the same as yours. My hope is that after reading you’ll look at your “whys” and hopefully make some changes where you can.
When I ask kids what keeps them from being more successful academically, 90% of the time they tell me it’s because they procrastinate. When I ask why, the typical response is that they want to do something else than to do boring/difficult work. This makes sense: talking/texting with friends, hanging out playing video games, etc. are much more appealing.
Reasons Adults Procrastinate: it’s Complicated
But when it comes to we adults, it’s much more complicated. Sure, last night I could have done other jobs, but I stopped at a local establishment and watched the end of the World Series. Really, did you want to miss that game? But overall, I don’t procrastinate because I’d rather do fun stuff: I have more work to do for my practice. I have more work to do around the house. (As we speak, I’m procrastinating on cleaning a sink full of dishes, because I’m writing this). I have jobs to do outside the home, etc. It’s stuff we adults and parents have to do. (I realize this all sounds horrible; I have tons of fun with my family. It’s just kind of different. I’m not procrastinating to keep from doing stuff with them.)
A conversation with my buddy Mike a few months ago also got me thinking about procrastination, primarily at my job. I procrastinate because when I’m caught up with everything I realize just how little I actually do and how much more time I’d have to be productive and, hopefully, more successful. Part of this productivity would be to delve into other, more difficult and anxiety provoking aspects of my work (e.g. writing a book). Rather than giving myself an opportunity to do this, I stay perpetually behind and stuck in a chaotic and anxious place. Feeling chaotic and anxious are not happy places to be.
Fortunately, writing this leaves me reflecting a bit on my procrastination and frees me up to finish this, get up and clean the dishes, and then do work stuff that always leaves me feeling “buried”. Or maybe, I’ll just go and do something fun like reading a book in a cafe.
At the risk of being redundant, I want to reiterate that my intent in writing my blogs is to inspire you to reflect on your life and the choices you make. With this in-mind, I hope you take an honest look at why you procrastinate and use the insight as a means to push yourself forward.
As usual, this parent, spouse, and procrastinating therapist goes through life, doing the best I can.
Until next time…