9 Different types of procrastinators

# Perfectionist procrastinator

• The perfectionist procrastinator usually procrastinates because they are too critical of themselves when making mistakes.

• This will cause them to put off their tasks when they feel like they are not ready to do it.

• This can cause them to spend so much time planning and refining tasks and not starting or completing them.

• Factors that may contribute to procrastination are lack of satisfaction from successful performance, excessive worry over making mistakes and worrying too much about the opinions of others.

• Different ways you can use to overcome being a perfectionist procrastinator are:

  • Separating yourself from your results by accepting that the outcome of a task does not define you as a person.

  • Accept that failure is normal and avoid seeing it as a catastrophic event.

  • Stop thinking that there is a perfect way to start a task and work on just starting the task.

  • Work on treating yourself with kindness and taking care of yourself, especially when it comes to failure.

  • You should try to adjust your expectations and not expect too much from yourself.

# Avoidant procrastinator

• The avoidant procrastinator will always postpone tasks to avoid the unpleasant emotions associated with them.

• They will then try to avoid this task by doing other tasks to make them feel better for the time being instead of starting or completing the task.

• Avoidance tasks may include taking long breaks not quickly returning to work and choosing to talk with friends or colleagues instead of doing your work.

• Different ways you can use to overcome being an avoidant procrastinator are:

  • Schedule all your tasks out so that a specific time is set out for a specific task and that you don’t avoid tasks because you do not know when to start.

  • Check your expectations to see if it is as bad as you thought and thus the reason why you are avoiding starting the task.

  • Make sure that all of your tasks are a must to carry out, remove the tasks that are not necessary.

# Decisional procrastinator

• The decisional procrastinator usually struggles with making decisions and delays tasks that require them to make decisions.

• They will delay tasks that will require them to make decisions because they fear making the wrong decision or worry about the potential consequences of the decision that they have made.

• Different ways you can use to overcome being a decisional procrastinator are:

  • Figure out what your goal is after the decision is made.

  • If you are overwhelmed, try to eliminate the worst options first so that you can have fewer options to work with.

  • Set a deadline by which you want a decision to be made and stick to it.

  • If you are unsure about a decision you should work on getting your facts straight.

  • You should work on not being too hard on yourself when making decisions.

# Distracted procrastinator

• The distracted procrastinator is usually easily distracted by unrelated tasks such as email and social media.

• They cannot maintain focus on the task at hand and often find themselves procrastinating by doing unrelated activities.

• Different ways you can use to overcome being a distracted procrastinator are:

  • Remove everything from your immediate area that may cause you to lose focus on your task at hand.

  • Make a schedule and plan your time.

  • Create an environment that will avoid distractions.

  • Reward yourself when you finish a task so that you are motivated to complete the next task.

# Overwhelmed procrastinator

• The overwhelmed procrastinator may be unable to complete a task because they feel like the work is too much or too difficult or complex.

• They may then avoid starting this task because they do not know where or how to start completing this task.

• Different ways you can use to overcome being an overwhelmed procrastinator are:

  • Differentiate between tasks.

  • Break bigger tasks into smaller pieces so they can be easier to handle.

  • Schedule your tasks and subtasks.

  • Cut out distractions so that you can focus.

# Rebel procrastinator

• The rebel procrastinator will resist authority which will cause them to delay tasks as a form of rebellion against deadlines set by others.

• Different ways you can use to overcome being a rebel procrastinator are:

  • Authority usually includes your manager or supervisor, so you can try to see why they are making you do what they are asking from you.

  • Make sure that you are doing what is expected from you and what you are being paid for.

  • Make sure to find the reason why you are being a rebel procrastinator and deal with it so it cannot stand in the way of you being productive anymore.

# Thrill-seeking procrastinator

• The thrill-seeking procrastinator usually likes the adrenaline rush that comes with having to complete a task under pressure.

• They will delay tasks intentionally until the last minute because they believe that they perform best under pressure when facing tight deadlines or consequences for not completing tasks.

• Different ways you can use to overcome being a thrill-seeking procrastinator are:

  • Schedule your tasks.

  • Set timely deadlines.

  • Look back to see if you were able to finish tasks well under pressure.

  • List out the advantages and disadvantages of performing or completing tasks under pressure.

# Optimistic procrastinator

• The optimistic procrastinator will always estimate the time or effort that they will need to complete tasks.

• For this reason they overestimate the ability to complete a task quickly and will then delay starting or completing a task.

• Different ways you can use to overcome being an optimistic procrastinator are:

  • Outline an estimated time that a task can take based on similar tasks you did in the past.

  • If you have not done this task before you should do some research on how long a task can take.

# Routine procrastinator

• The routine procrastinator will procrastinate on some tasks because it disrupts their usual routines.

• They do this because they want to avoid tasks that require them to step out of their routines or habits.

• Different ways you can use to overcome being an optimistic procrastinator are:

  • It may be a good time to notice that doing something that is not routine might turn out to be a good thing.

  • If going out of routine is very hard for you can try to schedule in your tasks in between routine tasks that you don’t feel comfortable with moving.