Introducing The Five Forms Of Procrastination

Some sayings are not really correct. There are also many spells that are completely wrong. Others, however, still hold much truth. You will not easily find someone who has never heard the following saying. “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today.” So don’t delay reading this article. Get to know the five forms of procrastination today!

Depending on where you search, you may discover different classifications of procrastination. We will focus on the characterization proposed by psychologist Neil Fiore. He is the author of books like  Awaken Your Strongest Self. He is also the founder of the company Fiore Productivity.

Forms of procrastination

Knowing what types of procrastination there are is important. After all, they do not all lead to the same consequences. It doesn’t matter what procrastination may look like. This phenomenon that we all think is so bad can actually be very positive. How are we supposed to understand that?

Well, it’s positive when you’re brooding on an idea during a waiting period. That period takes place between the moment you get the idea and the moment you take action. So we will now start by discussing the five forms of procrastination. Finished?

The perfectionist

According to Neil Fiore, the person who procrastinates, in this case, is a perfectionist. Those people are afraid that others will judge or humiliate them. They are so thorough in everything that they waste too much time on details. Many of their projects are then eventually put aside.

Instead of avoiding mistakes, they also make too many mistakes. That makes them even more afraid of being judged. We actually see them doing exactly what they were trying to avoid: being ashamed when something is wrong.

“You may procrastinate, but time does not.”

-Benjamin Franklin-

the cheater

This is one of the types of procrastination we see in people who are hard to please. They are afraid that people will find them incompetent. So they take on too much work to prove they are responsible.

They want other people to associate them with that quality. This attitude can lead them to develop learned helplessness. That is a feeling closely related to depression.

The Terrible Procrastinator

Terrible procrastinators keep putting off what to do or doing their duties because they find them unpleasant or boring. This tendency is linked to the lack of motivation that often occurs in jobs that are very repetitive. It can also occur in assignments for which you do not receive any feedback about the quality of your work.

The Overwhelmed Person

In this case, people have so much to do and so many tasks in their heads that they don’t know where to start. It is very common for them to end up in a mental block. This prevents them from ever starting their work.

With this form of procrastination, being overwhelmed by the amount of work can be a personal decision. However, it can also come from someone in a higher position, such as a boss. Whatever the jump, this is one of the forms of procrastination that is not good. It only builds huge obstacles that stand in your way.

the lucky one

Can you be lucky and be a procrastinator? According to Neil Fiore, the answer is yes. These kinds of people think they only work well under pressure. So they put off everything until it’s almost too late and until they barely have enough time to do it.

Strangely enough, when they get good results, they repeat this behavior anyway. By this we mean that they will always put things off until they have their backs against the wall. They then take advantage of the adrenaline they get as a result of being stuck. Only then do they start. Of course, it often happens that they don’t finish something on time.

How can you stop procrastinating, if you want to?

As you have seen, this kind of behavior can have dire consequences. In many cases, procrastinators end up living under high stress levels all the time. The effect is that their emotional balance is at risk.

Inadvertently and indirectly, they also damage their environment. According to Fiore, it can lead to an imbalance that can affect every part of their lives and not just their professional life.

That is also why specialists in this subject recommend to manage your time well. That way, the fear will never take over. Along the same lines, here are some of their recommendations:

• Outline the specific tasks you need to do. If it has many parts, try to delegate or simplify the task.
• It is also important that you spend time on organization and planning. Think about what resources you will need. How and where will you get those resources if you don’t already have one.
• You also have to be careful with your motivation. Make commitments you can keep. What does this mean? If you’re not clear about your motivation to do something, it might be better to stop.

• Do it step by step. It’s also a good idea to break the work into stages or smaller pieces.
• Finally, you also have to set a deadline. This will prevent you from falling into a bottomless pit of procrastination. If you’ve gotten to a point and haven’t gotten as far as you’d like, it’ll be just a warning to re-evaluate the situation.

“I never put off until tomorrow what I can possibly do – the day after.”

-Oscar Wilde-

What now?

You now know which forms of procrastination exist. That means you can avoid them. If you recognize any of the shapes, we hope Fiore’s professional recommendations will help you overcome it.

However, we don’t want to end this article without returning to the point we made earlier. Not all procrastination is bad. It is also not always bad for productivity.

There are even times when people think you’re procrastinating when you’re really just considering your options. Or you may be trying to broaden your premise. Watch this video about procrastination!