5 Different Types Of Procrastination

Some expressions that we have in Norwegian are not exactly correct. In fact, many are completely wrong, while others still have a lot of truth in them. It is rare to find someone who has not heard what they say, “do not procrastinate tomorrow, what you can do today”. Do not delay learning about five types of procrastination either!

Depending on where you look, you may come across different classifications of procrastination. We will focus on those that the psychologist Neil Fiore came up with. He is the author of books such as Awaken Your Strongest Self and the founder of the company Fiore Productivity.

Different types of procrastination

Knowing the types of procrastination is important because they do not all lead to the same things. In fact, no matter how procrastination it may seem, this thing we all see as so bad can actually be very positive. How? Well, it’s positive when you brood on an idea in the wait between coming up with it and shopping. So we have to get started with the 5 types…. clear?

The perfectionist

In this case, according to Neil Fiore, a person is a perfectionist because they are afraid that people will judge or humiliate them. They are so thorough with everything that they waste too much time on the details. And then many of their projects end up on the shelf.

Instead of avoiding mistakes, they do too many things, making them even more afraid of judgment. They end up doing exactly what they tried to avoid: being humiliated if something goes wrong.

The fraudster

This is one of the types of procrastination that we see in people who are difficult to satisfy. Afraid that people will label them as incompetent, they take on too much work to prove that they are responsible. They want people to associate them with that quality. However, this attitude can lead them to learned helplessness, a feeling that is closely linked to depression.

The terrified

Fearful procrastinators constantly postpone their chores or obligations because they see them as unpleasant or boring. This tendency is related to a lack of motivation that is common in very repetitive jobs or where you do not get any feedback about the quality of your work.

It overwhelmed

In this case, they have so much to do and so many tasks in their head that they do not know where to start. It is very common for them to end up in a mental blockage that prevents them from starting their work.

With this type of procrastination, being overwhelmed by the amount of work may be a personal decision, or it may come from someone in a higher position, such as a boss. Wherever it comes from, it is not good; it just puts big barriers up in front of you.

The lucky one

Can you be lucky and a procrastinator? According to Neil Fiore, the answer is yes. These people think they are working well only under pressure. So they postpone everything until the last minute, and they barely have time to do it.

Oddly enough, when they get good results, they usually repeat the behavior. That is, they will always postpone the things they have to do until they are pushed into a corner. Then they take advantage of the adrenaline they get from being caught and they start. Of course, there are many cases where they do not get it done on time.

If you want, can you stop procrastinating?

As you have seen, this kind of behavior can have dire consequences. In many cases, procrastinators will live with constant peak levels of stress. What it does is endanger their  emotional balance and inadvertently and indirectly harm their environment. According to Fiore , it can lead to imbalances that will affect all aspects of life, not just their professional lives.

That is why people who specialize in this subject, recommend good time management. That way, anxiety will never take over. Here are some of their recommendations:

• Review the specific task you need to do. If it has many parts, try delegating or simplifying it.
• It is also important to spend time organizing and planning. Think about what resources you need and how and when to get them if you do not already have them.
• You must also be careful about your motivation and make commitments that you will be able to fulfill. This means that if you are not clear about your motivation to do something, it may be better to stop.
• Going step by step, splitting the work into steps or smaller parts, is also a good idea.
• Finally, to keep you from falling into a bottomless pit of procrastination, set deadlines. If you have reached a certain point and are not as far as you would like, it will be like a wake-up call to reconsider the situation.

What now?

Now that you know the types of procrastination that exist, you can avoid them. If you identify with any of them, we hope that Fiore’s professional recommendations will help you overcome it.

However, we do not want to end this article without going back to the point we made earlier: Not all types of procrastination are bad, and productivity is not always bad . Plus, there are times when people may think you are procrastinating when you are actually just considering your options or trying to broaden your point of view. Take a look at this video on the subject!