There are multiple reasons given for why we procrastinate. Multiple theories. For example, a few weeks ago, on my LinkedIn, I talked about the different types of procrastination, and each subtype has its own reasons for procrastinating. If you have ADHD, part of the reason you procrastinate could be because your brain doesn’t have sufficient amounts of the neurochemicals needed to help you start. It could also be due to a failure in your executive functions.
However, I saw something a few days ago that I believe offers a compelling reason for why we procrastinate, regardless of diagnosis or subtype.
We procrastinate if we’re more aligned with or thinking about the cost of the task than we are about its benefits.
One consistent thing I see with my coaching clients is no one is ever procrastinating on everything, barring conditions like depression or disability. No one is 100% doing nothing. Do you know that everything we do requires motivation? Yes, everything from drinking water to making your bed to scrolling on social media.
The bladder analogy for procrastination
How many people do you know who were too lazy to scroll on their phones? I know there are times when we say, for example, “stay in bed” even though we badly need to go to the bathroom, but even then, there is more motivation to stay in bed than to leave the confines of your warm blankets.
We have always known that our brains perform a cost-benefit analysis, and the action we take is the one that wins that analysis. If I am in a place where the bathroom is extremely dirty, I will most likely wait to go somewhere else unless it’s too much, in which case I might be forced to use it. If I don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the washroom, I might go to the bathroom now so I don’t have to later.
I call this the bladder analogy, and it shows that the reasons we take action or refrain from it are driven by a conscious or unconscious cost-benefit analysis we carry out.
What is your why?
Back to the theorem of the day. A lot of the reasons we don’t do something aren’t because we’re lazy or unmotivated per se; they’re often because we’re focused on the wrong thing.
Let me give you an example.
Person A knows they’re overweight. They know they should be exercising. However, they have started and quit so many times. Often, there is a “reasonable” excuse, but if they’re honest with themselves, they don’t want to. It’s too much work. It’s too hard.
Person B weighs the same as Person A. They, however, go to the doctor, and they are told that they are prediabetic, and they hate needles. Now, all of a sudden, they go to the gym consistently. Or maybe they have someone they want to live for. A daughter. A partner to impress. A job they enjoy. Anything. As soon as their focus shifts to what they would gain from doing the thing, the fact that they don’t feel like it isn’t a reason to stop. Their desires are stronger than the resistance.
We hear this a lot. What is your why? And sometimes, we think that this is for the big goals. But maybe it’s for everything. Or rather, maybe we should extend it to everything.
Your call to arms
So I have a suggestion for you. Try to add a why or a “what’s the point?” to every item on your to-do list. Why do you want to do the dishes? Why do you want to write that report even though it’s not due for another 2 weeks? Why start on that assignment? Why go to the gym? You don’t have to write it down, but it may be worth shifting your focus from how much the task will cost and instead asking yourself what you would gain.
This is your challenge. Will you accept it?
