Most people don’t procrastinate because they don’t care. They procrastinate because there is discomfort, anxiety, pressure, or fear. Avoiding the task offers short-term relief, in spite of more stress later.

In therapy, procrastination is less about time management and more about emotion regulation. The question isn’t, why can’t I just do it? but, what does this task bring up for me? Tasks carry hidden meanings, proof of worth, fear of being trapped, or pressure to be perfect.

Waiting to feel motivated rarely works. Motivation often comes after starting an endeavor. But forcing yourself usually backfires too. What helps more is reducing the emotional weight of the task. If we can aim at “good enough,” and separate your worth from the outcome. Another example is to make a realistic commitment.

Procrastination eases when a threat decreases. When a task no longer feels like a judgment then we decrease some of the variables that inhibit us.

Struggling with procrastination doesn’t mean you’re lazy. It means something in you is trying to avoid discomfor. When that’s understood, starting new things becomes more straightforward.