Procrastination is an attempt to resolve underlying issues we are not necessarily aware of—like anxiety, depression, fear, anger, perfectionism, ruminating and selfdoubt. You may be waiting for these underlying issues to subside before taking on the task that you inevitably have to tackle. However, this waiting period would be better spent addressing the underlying causes of these issues as opposed to avoiding them with procrastination.

Procrastination can be a form of escapism that provides temporary relief from negative thoughts and feelings related to the task that you are avoiding. Some individuals actually retreat into a fantasy world, envisioning an ideal version of themselves completing the task perfectly and having a positive outcome.

Procrastination also gives you a false sense of time and as time goes on, your task is not complete, and the underlying issues continue to fester leaving you feeling emotionally exhausted.

On the flip side, once you have completed the task, you may reflect on the steps that you took to complete the task while thinking, “I could have done a better job”or “I will do better the next time.”

However, the chances of you conquering procrastination the next time around are slim because you have not identified or managed the underlying issues which contribute to your pattern of procrastination in the first place or eliminated those underlying issues all together.

So the best thing way to conquer procrastination is to take care of your priorities on the front end to avoid being exhausted and overwhelmed on the back end. However, this may be a challenge if you are unaware of the underlying issues that contribute to putting things off that you would like to or need to accomplish.

You will have to face what you are avoiding, delaying, or running from sooner or later. So, why not take care of it so that you can enjoy life without having a cloud over your head that you hope will go away. The reality is, it won’t go away until you take action and take the necessary steps to alleviate the situation. This will also enhance your ability to gain momentum, feel empowered, and energized. The sooner you take care of necessary tasks, the sooner the weight will be lifted, and the better you will feel giving you a new perspective moving forward. If you continue to struggle with managing and avoiding procrastinating behavior and the underlying issues that contribute to it, a practitioner or consultant at Scholar Specialized Treatment Services, LLC can assist you in avoiding the pitfalls of procrastination.