11 Phrases Chronic Procrastinators Use To Justify Avoiding Their Tasks
Procrastination isn't a time management issue, it's an emotional regulation one.
erhanyelekci | Shutterstock While procrastination is generally deemed a self-inflicted practice of inaction and delay, there's a great deal of research, according to a Frontiers in Psychology study, that suggest it may actually be a less intentional and proactive choice. Rather than an individual choice of "to do or not to do," procrastination can stem from a variety of personality facets, environmental traits, and task characteristics that make it difficult for an individual to simply spark motivation or craft a sense of self-discipline to complete a task.
Of course, in some situations procrastination may be inevitable and intentional, but in any case, there are certain phrases chronic procrastinators use to justify avoiding their tasks. Whether it's a misguided grasp at control, a coping mechanism for low self-esteem or anxiety, or simply lacking motivation and energy to complete a task, a chronic procrastinator will rely on these phrases to not only appease the people around them, but to relieve any guilt and pressure that's causing turmoil for them.
Here are 11 phrases chronic procrastinators use to justify avoiding their tasks
1. 'I work better under pressure'
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Contrary to popular belief, procrastination isn't always a simple task or time management issue, although the tendency to delay and avoid tasks can sometimes be exacerbated by people with these poor management skills, it's an emotional regulation problem.
According to psychology professor Dr. Tim Pychyl, people who say they "work better under pressure" are actually saying "this is much easier than I expected, I'm not sure why I pushed it off this long."
People who procrastinate are living too heavily in the present moment — affected by discomfort, emotions, and fears that encourage them to delay tasks and avoid productivity. They will do and say anything, like many of the phrases chronic procrastinators use to justify avoiding their tasks, to self-soothe in the moment.
Even small actions and steps toward planning can be helpful for these chronic procrastinators, they will feel more empowered to do some work rather than letting their unhealthy emotional coping routine take over.
2. 'I still have plenty of time'
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By using a phrase like this, chronic procrastinators can justify pushing off a task that allows them to avoid the emotional distress or discomfort they may feel doing it in the present moment.
Typically a sign of someone who's uncertain about how to complete a task or anxious about needing to address their discomfort around doing it, pushing it off and using a phrase like "I still have plenty of time" can help to alleviate their anxiety and soothe their low self-confidence.
Especially considering people with low self-esteem are more likely to be chronic procrastinators, it's not surprising that they're always coping with the emotional turmoil of low self-worth by grasping at control over their daily tasks and responsibilities, no matter how misguided it may seem.
3. 'I don't really need to do it right now'
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Many of the phrases chronic procrastinators use to justify avoiding their tasks have some grain of truth to them — they have a lot on their plate, the task is simple and won't take a lot of time, or there's no need to do it in the current moment. But when they spiral into a cycle of anxiety, avoidance, and stress, these excuses can be detrimental for self-worth and well-being.
Finding a routine with healthy task management, time allotment, and coping skills can make all the difference in fending off procrastination. Even if you don't "have to" do it right now, do you have a set time when it will get done? Do you have the energy to do it now? What's the benefit of continuing to push it off, especially knowing that pressure isn't the key to putting out your best work?
4. 'I'll start after…'
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Confidence comes after you start something, not before, yet many chronic procrastinators still rely on phrases like this to justify putting off their work. Although it's not always a conscious choice, motivated by stress, anxiety, or low self-esteem, there's a fundamental level of choice that can influence your ability to complete a task, or at least start it.
According to Dominic J. Voge, the Associate Director of Princeton University's McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning, carving out a few minutes to plan or start a task can help to motivate people to start their work or combat anxious thoughts that feed into a cycle of procrastination.
Try setting a timer and do some kind of work on the task for five minutes. You're not only more likely to feel less anxious and uncertain about returning to the task in the future, you'll probably end up doing more than five minutes of work once you're actually focused on it.
5. 'It's not really that important'
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Procrastination can cause all kinds of excuses and justifications to linger in a person's mind, urging them to avoid fears of judgment, criticism, or perfectionism by avoiding a task. Even if something truly isn't "that important" to complete, pushing it off only makes it more anxiety inducing and difficult to start.
If you're stuck in a rut of lacking productivity or stress, these are the tasks that you should get out of the way first. Start with the things that don't seem overwhelming or important. You'll not only get into a routine where you can feel more confident and empowered tackling larger tasks, you build the energy levels needed to complete them.
6. 'I have too much on my plate right now'
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According to a study from Hacettepe University Journal of Education, the stress, exhaustion, and emotional turmoil often associated with burnout can encourage people to procrastinate.
When your body is stuck in "fight-or-flight" coping with overwhelming levels of stress and lacking rest, you don't have the energy to complete tasks, but you're also more likely to rely on excuses to continue pushing off the help, support, and relaxation you do need to address your burnout.
To address your procrastination tendencies, you first have to address your burnout.
7. 'I'm not in the mood'
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Oftentimes, chronic procrastinators who put off tasks and delay discomfort in their routines — whether it's a project at work or a conversation with their partner — use the phrase "I'm not in the mood" to justify delaying their responsibilities. But the truth is that you don't need self-displine or motivation to get tasks done, you just need a little bit of energy.
If you can unlearn the misguided truth that you need motivation or to be "in the mood" to complete tasks, that can derail any kind of productivity in your personal and professional life. Not everyone is 100% invested in the responsibilities they have to do on a daily basis, but that doesn't mean they have to derail their routine for the sake of accommodating that discomfort.
Like experts from James Cook University suggest, everything seems impossible until you "just do it." If you can take action, rather than exert energy making excuses and telling yourself a myriad of things to justify delaying your responsibilities, you'll not only be more productive, you'll build a sense of trust with yourself that you can get things done and overcome the burden of frustration, burnout, and anxiety.
8. 'I don't know how to do it'
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According to a study from the Journal of Social Psychology, employees who feel a lot of pressure to be productive without help from colleagues and co-workers tend to relay more unfavorable health and well-being outcomes like feeling exhausted or burnt out. When you don't know how to do something, it's not a weakness to ask for help or advice; in fact, it can actually encourage your peers to view you as more competent, intelligent, and competent.
Like the study's researchers agree, asking for help and being open to helping others in the workplace — any in your personal life — can help to fend off feelings of overwhelm, burnout, and fatigue. Be the person that can seek out the answer when they don't know something, or at least find someone with the ability to solve the problem, answer the question, or provide the advice that helps you to finally address your responsibilities and tasks.
9. 'It needs to be perfect'
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According to experts from Psychology Today, procrastinators also tend to be perfectionists — held to unrealistically high standards, either from themselves, society, or the people around them, they'd prefer to put off a task entirely than to fail doing it any less than "perfectly."
However, research, including a study from Brain and Cognition, shows that when we work under pressure or procrastinate until the last moment, we're not actually putting out our best work, we're only completing tasks and doing the bare minimum. To spark the most creativity and critical thinking, we not only need supportive self-talk and emotional regulation skills, we need to plan, be well rested, and less stressed about the task of simply completing something.
When you let stress dictate your work and productivity, you're not only sabotaging the ability to truly put out your best work, you're ensuring you fall into a routine that cycles around misguided expectations, chronic stress, anxiety, and disappointment.
10. 'It'll get done eventually'
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Like Dr. Pychyl explains, people who get into the habit of procrastinating often build routines that empower them to rely on their misguided coping mechanisms and behaviors over-and-over again.
It's about "rewards processing" — a person who procrastinates may wait until the last minute, experience the relief or "reward" of getting the task done and forget the stress, lacking sleep, or emotional turmoil that came before, urging them to continue delaying and procrastinating in the future.
They use phrases like "It'll get done eventually" to justify waiting until the last minute or reassuring the people around them that they're aware of their responsibilities at the expense of their emotional well-being, stress levels, and physical well-being in the present moment.
11. 'I can't think about that right now'
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Many times, chronic procrastinators are grappling with emotional turmoil — they're anxious, depressed, worried or, most importantly, according to psychology experts, ruminating. Repetitive negative thoughts about the past or your anxiety keeps you stagnant in the present moment, unable to plan or complete even the simplest daily tasks.
It all comes back to self-esteem and emotional regulation. If you can adopt self-compassionate habits, healthy coping mechanisms for emotional distress, and a better mindset around completing tasks — even if you're not in the mood to do so — you can combat the unnecessary stress and anxiety of always procrastinating.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
