Imagine this....
It’s 4 PM. You open your Google Calendar, see that you’ve blocked two hours for your passion project—your business plan, book, blog, or course. You open a Google Doc, but before you start, you remember to check flight prices to South Africa. While you're at it, you answer a few emails and schedule a hair appointment. You feel cold, so you make tea. Then a snack. Two hours later, the time is gone, and you’ve barely written anything.
Sounds familiar? That's procrastination in action.
Rather than judging yourself, let’s explore why you procrastinate and how to set yourself up for success—without guilt or self-criticism when you need a break.
What Is Procrastination?
I know you know it all too well, lol. 🙈 But just so that we're on the same page.
Procrastination is the act of delaying or avoiding something you should/want to be doing or pushing it off until the last minute. It often leads to stress, anxiety, and frustration, but believe it or not, not all procrastination is bad.
There are actually two types:
Passive procrastinators struggle with self-regulation and time management, leading to last-minute rushes and stress.
Active procrastinators intentionally delay tasks because they work well under pressure and still achieve results.
A study from 2005 found that active procrastinators perform just as well—or even better—than non-procrastinators because they use their time productively and cope with stress more effectively.
But to truly overcome procrastination, you need to look beneath the surface.
Procrastination isn’t just about laziness or poor time management—it’s a behavioral pattern that's deeply connected to your emotions and mindset. That's why it often can't be transformed just by introducing a new habit or trying to change your behaviour.
But before we get to that....
When Can You Safely Say That You're NOT Procrastinating?
If either one of these questions resonates:
❌ Do I really want this? Your motivation should be at least an 8 out of 10. If it’s lower, ask yourself if this goal is truly important to you or if it’s something that's not aligned with what you want.
❌ Is this a priority for me? See if other projects or interests are more important at this time.
❌ Am I holding on to a dream/goal/dream that has changed in the meantime? If it's not, give yourself permission to put it on pause for now or stop.
❌ Is this the right time? If you’re juggling ten projects, your energy may be stretched too thin.
3 Hidden Reasons You DO Procrastinate
1️⃣ Fear Of Failure / Fear of What Others Will Think Of You If You Fail
Fear of judgment and failure can keep you stuck.
Ask yourself: What would I regret more—never trying or trying and failing?
Every single successful person has failed. That's because failure and mistakes are PART of success. You can't be successful with them.
I love Ed Sheeran's quote: “You learn nothing from success. You learn everything from your failures.”
2️⃣ Perfectionism
Perfectionism is one of the biggest obstacles to productivity and getting stuff done. The belief that what you work on has to be perfect before you share it can paralyze you.
But who defines perfection? What you consider perfect may not be perfect for someone else. High standards are admirable, but they can drain your energy and hold you back.
I have perfectionistic tendencies too and I've recently been inspired by this quote from Lorne Michaels, creator and producer of Saturday Night Live. He said: “We don’t go on because we’re ready. We go on because it’s 11:30.”
Trust that what you put out there is enough and that you’ll improve as you go.
3️⃣ Energy levels
Sometimes, procrastination isn’t about fear—it’s about exhaustion. We live in a culture that glorifies productivity, but your body and mind need rest.
Women's energy constantly fluctuates because of our monthly hormonal cycles. Your hormones (and your energy!) go up and down within a day and through various stages of our 28 day cycle.
Men, on the other hand, follow a 24-hour cycle. They wake up rested and full of energy and then throughout the day their energy levels drop.
Regardless of your cycle, pushing through exhaustion can lead to burnout. Instead, work with your natural rhythm. Productivity expert Cal Newport suggests focusing deeply on one task at a time. Deep work, done in focused blocks, is more effective than multitasking.
How to Find Motivation (Based on Your Enneagram Type)
Your motivation is shaped by personal values, cultural values and your unconscious motivation (this is where Enneagram is really helpful). Each Enneagram personality type is motivated by something different and will need a specific support system to overcome procrastination and move into action:
Type 1: Lower your impossibly high standards and start before you’re “ready.”
Type 2: Prioritize your own goals instead of always helping others.
Type 3: Lean into structured goal-setting.
Type 4: Create accountability to move from feeling / thinking to action.
Type 5: Set small, knowledge-based milestones to maintain engagement.
Type 6: Work on overcoming self-doubt and anxiety.
Type 7: Focus on finishing one thing at a time instead of chasing multiple projects.
Type 8: Challenge yourself with structured deadlines.
Type 9: Build routines and external accountability.
For more on how to motivate yourself to move into action with EASE, listen to the entire podcast episode on procrastination, where I go into more details.
Productivity Tips for Procrastinators
Since procrastination is often connected with deeper unconscious patterns, I recommend working through them with transformational coaching or therapy so you can transform them at the root and not take it with you into the future.
But since I know you'll want to get started with something FAST, Here are a few simple coaching tips that will help you move into action, one small step at a time.
Start with an easy task to warm up.
Use mantras like: “What can I do in an hour?” or “It’s good enough for today.”
Break tasks into 15-minute chunks. If something feels too overwhelming, reduce it to a small step.
Challenge your time estimates. If you think something will take two weeks, ask yourself: How many actual hours? Often, it’s much less than you assume.
Forgive yourself for procrastinating. A 2010 study found that students who forgave themselves for procrastinating before their first exam were less likely to delay studying for their next one. Self-judgment isn’t productive—self-compassion is.
I've created a powerful tool for you that will help you overcome procrastination - my FREE Patterning Journal.
The Power of Accountability
Studies show that accountability has two key components:
Relational accountability: Being accountable to someone—a mentor, coach, or friend—helps keep you on track.
Responsibility accountability: Having clear expectations and deadlines makes follow-through easier.
Think about what’s helped you succeed in the past. Was it structure? External deadlines? A supportive community? Lean into those strategies.
Final Thoughts on Procrastination
Like a mentioned before, procrastination isn’t just a habit—it’s an unconscious pattern linked to fear, perfectionism, energy, and mindset. The key to overcoming procrastination is understanding why you’re delaying something and addressing the root cause.
And remember:
Your work doesn’t have to be perfect to be valuable.
You don’t have to push through exhaustion—honor your natural energy cycles.
Accountability and structure can help you stay on track.
For more insights, listen to the full episode of my podcast here or grab my FREE Patterning Journal to dive deeper into your personal patterns.
From my heart to yours
Tajda 🌷🫶
📚 Sources
Novotny A., Procrastination or 'intentional delay'?, gradPSYCH Magazine, 2010, p.14, American Psychological Association.
Chu AH, Choi JN. Rethinking procrastination: positive effects of "active" procrastination behavior on attitudes and performance. J Soc Psychol. 2005 Jun;145(3):245-64. doi: 10.3200/SOCP.145.3.245-264. PMID: 15959999.
Jaffee E., Why Wait? The Science Behind Procrastination, Observer, 2013, Association for Pyschological Science.
ABOUT THE PODCAST HOST
Hi, I'm Tajda Glazer!
I'm a lawyer turned Professional Life & Career Coach and I help you go from feeling lost, anxious, burned out and stuck on the hamster wheel, to turning your dream life & career into reality by making changes with ease and grace - from the inside out. ✨