Have you been putting things off lately? Do you thrive working on last-minute situations? There are serious hidden dangers that come with procrastination which most of us tend to ignore.
In this week’s episode, I’ve invited Leyah Valgardson, Construction Leading Edge Director of Customer Success. Leyah and I sit down to talk about the six different types of procrastinators, according to psychologists.
We also discuss the hidden cold-hard truth and dangers of procrastination, the strategies to overcome procrastination based on each type, and how procrastination affects the quality of your life.
Let’s get started!
The Hard Truth About Procrastination
Why do we procrastinate?
Well, irrespective of what people would say, most would consider procrastination as NOT being lazy.
In fact, when we procrastinate, we’re often dialed in and work for long stretches just before our deadlines. It’s pretty hard to say that procrastination is being lazy, right?
That’s how most procrastinators would reason out all the time.
And for you to get a good grasp on how a procrastinator’s mind is wired, here are some other cold-hard truth about procrastination that usually justifies why they do what they do.
- Resolving to do something in the future, which you could do now, is an ACCEPTABLE substitute for doing it. This thinking lets you delude that you are not compromising yourself by not doing it.
- Chronic procrastinators would instead let people think they lack effort than lack ability. Because as long as they put it off, people won’t know if they can do it or not.
- And the last one is procrastinators focused on how to make themselves feel better at the expense of drawing insight from what made them feel bad. We all tend to do this; we comfort ourselves right now with the false belief that we’ll be more emotionally equipped to handle a task in the future.
6 Types of Procrastinators
Procrastination is a trap that many of us fall into. Some of us may not admit it, but falling into that trap robs us of a fortune and other valuable aspects of our lives.
If you’re dead serious about overcoming procrastination this year, I highly recommend you start determining what type of procrastinator you are.
Here are the six types of procrastinators that psychologists have identified.
1. The Worrier. Procrastinators of this type don’t start their task because they don’t believe they’ll be able to do it. Just the thought of failure already brings them anxiety and fear.
2. The Perfectionist. Like the worrier, perfectionists don’t start their tasks because they fear failure. An excellent example of this is people who are waiting to start their business until everything is perfect and organized.
3. The Overdoer. This type of procrastinator is also motivated by anxiety and fear. Like most construction business owners, overdoers are committed to wearing many hats. They fail to prioritize critical tasks, thereby failing to finish them on time.
4. The Crisis Maker. The crisis makers are only motivated to do a task when they’re under stress or pressure, which comes in last-minute action.
5. The Dreamer. This type of procrastinator believes he/she shouldn’t have to work hard to fulfill their dreams and that everything will eventually fall into their lap.
6. The Defier. The typical quote for this type of procrastinator is: I shouldn’t have to do it. And behind a defier’s feelings of frustration and rebellious behavior is anger.
Hidden Dangers of Procrastination
Now let’s talk about the hidden dangers that come with procrastination. So here goes the burning question – what happens if we continue to procrastinate?
We wouldn’t be talking about procrastination without mentioning the Law of Diminishing Intent (L.O.D.I.).
According to John Maxwell, who popularized the said law, L.O.D.I. means that the longer we delay doing something, the less likely it is that we’ll do it.
Moreover, Maxwell claimed that if we don’t make some move towards doing something within 48 hours, we’re unlikely to do it at all.
The same thing also happens with customers. Familiar with the saying, “Time kills deals.”? The longer the customer thinks about purchasing that designer bag, the less likely she will buy it.
But that’s not it. Another massive hidden danger when we procrastinate things is being stuck in a life full of regrets. Who wants to live a life like that?
And so Jim Rohn, one of my favorite speakers, said that we must all suffer from one of two pains – the pain of discipline or the pain of regret. You choose! By the looks of it, procrastination sure does carry a lot of regrets.
To better understand the six different types of procrastinators and how to overcome them, listen to or watch this episode HERE for an in-depth discussion.
Additional Resources:
– Join the Move the Needle 28-Day Challenge HERE
– Register for The ADVANCE Live Meetup | March 30-31, 2023 | Austin, TX HERE
– Schedule a Breakthrough Session with our team HERE
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The Construction Leading Edge Podcast helps construction business owners maximize their revenue, eliminate chaos, systematize their work, and win back their time.
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