You’ve probably tried various methods to beat procrastination, yet somehow, certain tasks or goals seem to remain stuck on your to-do list.
Maybe it’s the old “someday I’m going to…” line you keep telling yourself, but somehow, someday never quite turns into today.
Whether it’s something minor like organizing your closet or something major like launching your own business, you might find yourself asking, “Why can’t I just get this done?”
Maybe you’ve already experimented with the typical strategies to avoid delay:
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- Starting Small: Imagine needing to tackle that fitness routine you’ve been putting off. The advice goes that if you simply lace up your sneakers and do a five-minute workout, the momentum will build, and you’ll be more likely to continue. Just getting started often makes all the difference.
- Crafting an Environment of Action: Some people set up their surroundings to make procrastination harder. Maybe you’ve tried this too—keeping only healthy foods in the house to ensure better eating habits, or perhaps setting up a dedicated workspace to boost productivity.
- Utilizing Apps and Tools: There’s no shortage of tools designed to keep you on track. I personally use a robust digital calendar and Google Sheets to manage two businesses that I am building, along with my current digital marketing freelance clients and personal obligations. These tools help me stay organized, maintain focus, and avoid procrastination by keeping everything in one place.
But here’s the thing: While these tactics can be helpful, they often don’t address the real reason we keep postponing important tasks.
Because, often times, what we think is the cause of the problem is just a symptom, not the root.
If you’re like most people, procrastination feels like a never-ending cycle. There’s a deeper issue at play.
Procrastination and Your Comfort Zone
I know someone who always dreamed of becoming a yoga instructor. She practiced every day, took multiple training courses, and even started planning her own classes.
Yet, she never made the leap to teaching full-time.
She tried the usual procrastination hacks: setting small goals, creating a perfect home studio, and even scheduling mock classes with friends. But when it came to actually launching her business, she always found reasons to delay.
One day, she admitted what was really holding her back: “I’m terrified that no one will sign up for my classes, and I’ll be seen as a failure.”
Her fear wasn’t just about teaching. It was about how she would be perceived if she didn’t succeed. The potential of failure felt like a threat to her self-identity as a capable, successful person.
Her procrastination wasn’t just about avoiding the work; it was a symptom of a deeper fear—a fear of how change might challenge her self-perception.
Stepping Outside Your Old Identity
This reminds me of a quote from Marcus Aurelius:
“I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others.”
Here’s the truth about the real root of consistent procrastination: Improvement in life means change. And humans are naturally afraid of change because it threatens their old selves.
We often fear change because it challenges the identity we’ve built over time—the version of ourselves we’ve become comfortable with, even if it’s not the version we truly want to be. This resistance to change isn’t just about avoiding negative outcomes; it’s about the discomfort that comes from anything that shakes up your current identity. The more a task threatens your self-perception, the more you’ll avoid it.
Interestingly, this applies to positive changes just as much as negative ones.
For instance, landing a dream job can be as unsettling as losing a stable one. Suddenly, you’re no longer the person who’s striving—you’re the one who’s made it. The pressure to maintain that success, to live up to a new standard, can be just as intimidating as the fear of failure. Or consider someone who wins the lottery. The sudden influx of wealth might seem like a blessing, but it can also disrupt how they see themselves and how others see them. They might feel overwhelmed by the expectations that come with their new status, leading them to hesitate in making decisions.
This is why people often fear success as much as they fear failure—it challenges their current identity and everything they’re familiar with.
This fear of change can manifest in surprising ways, even in how we hold on to old friendships. Sometimes, we stay connected with people who no longer align with our future selves because letting go feels like a betrayal of our past identity. These relationships can keep us anchored to an old version of ourselves, preventing us from fully stepping into who we want to become.
Procrastination isn’t just about being lazy or disorganized; it’s about protecting the ego, the part of us that clings to what is familiar and safe. To overcome it, we must be willing to step outside the identity we’ve outgrown and embrace the discomfort that comes with growth.
Don’t Get Too Hung Up on the Results
Positive affirmations can work for some, but they’re not a cure-all. Have you ever noticed that the more you fixate on how things should turn out, the harder they seem to become?
When we obsess over the final result—whether it’s achieving perfection in a new project or meeting some high expectation—the process suddenly feels much more difficult. The pressure can paralyze us, making the task seem insurmountable.
Instead, it helps to shift your focus from the outcome to the action itself. When you’re less attached to how things should end up, the journey feels lighter, and the work flows more naturally.
Procrastination is Fear in Disguise
The tasks we avoid most often are the ones filled with emotional weight.
We might shy away from learning a new skill, moving to a new city, or finally taking action on our passion project because it challenges the way we see ourselves.
We cling to our current identity, even if it’s not serving us, because it feels safe.
If I believe I’m not organized, I’ll avoid tasks that could prove otherwise because they might disrupt the way I see myself. If I view myself as someone who’s always been bad with money, I’ll resist taking control of my finances because it feels like too big of a shift.
Before we can change our habits, we need to change how we see ourselves.
This is why I don’t advocate for empty positive affirmations.
Instead, think about what you want to become and then align your actions with that vision.
It’s not about forcing yourself to achieve something grand; it’s about gradually letting go of the identity that’s holding you back.
Stop Clinging to the Old You
The first step to overcoming procrastination is to stop protecting the old version of yourself.
Only then can you start moving toward the life you truly want to create.
And remember, the journey is more important than the outcome. When we focus on the process, the steps become lighter, the fear of failure loses its grip, and you find yourself taking action with greater ease and confidence.
As the Bible says, “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverbs 23:7. By changing how you think, you change who you are—and who you can become.