Procrastination happens to even the most responsible of us. We delay putting the final touches on that boring spreadsheet, or completing that mind-numbing presentation deck, until the last possible minute—and for what? A lot of stress and frazzled typing? As a recent study pointed out, that’s not a very nice thing to do to yourself.
While a little bit of putting things off is part of human nature, if you’re letting all of your responsibilities fall by the wayside, it’s time to get your procrastination in check. Understanding the reasons behind your procrastination can help you do that. A recent infographics on Inc.com suggests there are three types of procrastinators, and breaks them down into their roots and reasoning.
The Thrill Seeker
Are you the kind of procrastinator who finds something thrilling about pulling an all-night at the last minute so you can finish a project? If so, you’re what Dr. Joseph Ferrari of DePaul University would call a thrill seeker. Thrill-seeking procrastinators love the rush of working up against a tight deadline. They work well under pressure and don’t let the stress of a due date get to them.
Ferrari suggests that these kinds of procrastinators constantly adjust their deadlines to get a similar rush to the one they get from working against the clock, but do so in a way that ensures the final product is done a couple days before the due date rather than on the morning of.
The Avoider
Some people find work projects to be scary. What if you complete the report and your boss hates it? Or what if the big presentation you’re preparing turns out to be a huge flop in front of your client? Ferrari calls procrastinators with this kind of fear “avoiders.” Their fear of failure causes them to put things off until the last minute, even though common sense suggests that preparation and diligence are the keys to success.
If this sounds like you, Ferrari suggests getting a better handle on your ideas of “failure” and “success.” He says you should focus on doing the best you can, while not getting too hung up on whether people will love or loathe the end product.
The Indecisive One
Have you ever spent more than an hour trying to figure out how to format a cover page? Or had so much trouble settling on an opening for a report that you didn’t get around to writing the rest of it? If so, indecision is the source of your procrastination. According to Ferrari, these types of procrastinators aren’t worried so much about failure as they are about being perfect.
To beat this kind of procrastination, make decisions. Completing any task requires a set of small decisions that lead to its completion. Take these decisions one at a time and remind yourself that not everything you do has to—or is going to be—perfect. Trust your gut and, again, do the best you can.
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