Why procrastination isn’t as simple as we think

All of us feel lazy from time to time. Maybe you can’t make yourself start an important project, or finish what you’ve already started. Here, I would like to take time to explore what “being lazy” actually means in modern times.

Here’s our plan for today (feel free to skip parts to get what you are looking for):

• Social and Historical Ground
• Why is obsessive productivity not helpful?
• Why do we delay important tasks?
• Procrastination as Self-Regulation
• When Procrastination Points to Anxiety
• Anxiety and Perfectionism
• Procrastination and ADHD
• You don’t HAVE TO be productive
• So what to do?

Social and Historical Ground

We have evidence of the idea of “laziness” since around the mid-1500s. Social psychologist and author of Laziness Does Not Exist, Devon Price, notes that evidence of the idea of “laziness” first appears in English around the mid-1500s. Even then, the word lazy has already carried a judgmental tone and was used to describe people who supposedly didn’t like working or didn’t want to make much effort. From the start, the word carried a presumption that “lazy” people are morally suspect and deserving of punishment.

For this harsh idea of “laziness,” we can blame, in large part, the Puritans. Sociologist Max Weber highlights that in the protestant ethic and the spirit of capitalism, hard work is viewed as a source of righteousness. Inability (or lack of will) to stay focused on a task or lack of work intensity was treated almost like a spiritual stain. Over time, this mindset took root and spread across Europe and beyond. As a result, we have what we have: a system that condemns “lazy” people and rewards obsessive productivity.

Why is obsessive productivity not helpful?

A quick Google search turns up dozens, even hundreds, of articles, books, and blog posts about laziness and procrastination. Many of them push the same message: laziness is a vice, and you need to learn how to fight it. Those resources might teach you some useful techniques for organizing your life or foster motivation in a way that allows you to reach the life of your dreams. And I am not against it.

However, I believe (and see in many of my clients) that those books offer an overly simplistic, dismissive way to explain behavior. In a lot of them, before you notice, the focus shifts from having the life that you are dreaming about, to being productive”. In short, “being productive” becomes a purpose, not a tool. Let me explain why this might not be helpful for you.

• You lose orientation. Since being productive is the purpose itself, we tend to forget what we need to be productive for. Hence, tons of efforts and time spent at work don’t result in you being happy. Next, you are feeling frustrated. You are looking for new goals that give you a sense of satisfaction. And to reach them, you need to work even more. This process circles itself.
• Is it not about you? Let’s go to the next one.
• Your body and mind are not separated as it was once believed. When you hear a creaking in your car, you probably won’t want to make it run faster to disappear. The same way is for humans. It’s often far more useful to treat this feeling of being unmotivated or stuck as a sign that something is not going right. Ignoring those signs can lead to overheating: loss of sleep, joy, sense of meaning, and quite often psychosomatic conditions. Your body and mind get intoxicated with stress, which hardly ever helps with life satisfaction or, the big word, happiness.

A study published in 2022 found that even when people get sick, they still feel guilty for taking time off, and for not recovering “fast enough.” For some, rest is treated as something you have to earn. People try to “use time wisely” and avoid doing nothing, not only at work, but at home as well.

I don’t say that pushing yourself is necessarily harmful, and the material values mean nothing. If they do for you, they do. However, if you push and push, and it doesn’t get lighter…most probably it never will. So what is this all for?

Stopping there and looking at this feeling of being lazy as an important source of information for self-help can help you to get rid of that resistance that is pulling you down.

Why do we delay important tasks?

Even though procrastination results in more stress in the long term, people may delay action with the idea that they will feel better in the short term. Psychologists point out that what gets labeled as laziness or procrastination can often be explained by things like:

• distraction and boredom (often caused by the overstimulation of the dopamine system)
• perfectionism
• paralyzing fear of failure or criticism
• low self-confidence or doubt in one’s ability to handle the task
• depression (sometimes severe enough to make getting out of bed in the morning feel impossible)
• even physical issues, such as thyroid problems

Often, people avoid work simply because it doesn’t feel compelling or interesting enough. Another possible reason is a lack of trust that the outcome will be worth the effort. Or understanding how you, as a person, will actually benefit from the outcome.

Sometimes these explanations reflect real barriers, and sometimes they reflect avoidance habits. Common reasons include:

• Not knowing what needs to be done
• Not knowing how to do something
• Not wanting to do something
• Not caring if it gets done or not
• Not caring when something gets done
• Not feeling in the mood to do it
• Being in the habit of waiting until the last minute
• Believing that you work better under pressure
• Thinking that you can finish it at the last minute
• Lacking the initiative to get started
• Forgetting
• Blaming sickness or poor health
• Waiting for the right moment
• Needing time to think about the task
• Delaying one task in favor of working on another

These reasons may sound practical on the surface, but they often reflect deeper issues such as confusion, low motivation, fear, perfectionism, poor self-regulation, or executive functioning difficulties. What I’m saying is that whatever reasons lie behind your lack of motivation, they should be carefully explored, and they can’t be reduced to a simple notion of “I’m lazy, I need a push/discipline”. Unfortunately, the same pill won’t help for all the situations, and before applying advice to yourself, you need to ask yourself if that is helpful or harmful for the underlying problem you have.

Procrastination as Self-Regulation

One way to understand procrastination is as a problem of self-regulation. When people choose short-term rewards over long-term benefits, they may struggle with self-regulation. In other words, the immediate comfort of avoiding a task may feel more rewarding than the future benefit of completing it.

This is linked to the balance of the brain’s reward and motivation systems, including dopamine-related processes. A person may fully understand that a task is important, yet still choose something easier, more pleasant, or more stimulating in the moment. In this sense, procrastination is often not a lack of intention, but a difficulty in turning intention into action.

When Procrastination Points to Anxiety

Procrastination is also often a form of avoidance, and avoidance is closely tied to anxiety. When a task carries the possibility of discomfort, embarrassment, uncertainty, criticism, or failure, delaying it can become a way to escape those feelings temporarily.

For example, a person may postpone checking the results of a test because they fear bad news. They may avoid taking the test altogether because the thought of failing is too distressing. They may put off sending an application, opening a message, or starting an important assignment because the task feels emotionally threatening.

In these situations, procrastination serves a psychological function. It reduces anxiety in the short term. If a person does not open the email, they do not have to feel disappointed yet. If they do not start the project, they do not have to confront the possibility that it will not be good enough. The relief is temporary, but it is real — that reinforces the pattern.

This relief usually comes at a cost. The task remains unfinished, the uncertainty remains unresolved, and the anxiety often grows. Over time, procrastination can become part of a cycle: fear leads to avoidance, avoidance brings short-term relief, and that relief makes future avoidance more likely.

Anxiety and Perfectionism

Perfectionism often plays a major role in anxiety-related procrastination. When someone believes a task must be done extremely well, it may become harder to start at all. Instead of helping performance, high standards can create paralysis.

A person may delay writing because the best ideas have not come yet. They may postpone finishing an assignment because they believe anything less than an excellent result would be unacceptable. They may revise endlessly, hesitate to submit, or avoid the task entirely because imperfect work feels intolerable.

In this form of procrastination, the issue is not a lack of standards, but standards that have become so rigid that action feels unsafe.

Procrastination and ADHD

Procrastination is also commonly associated with ADHD, especially when inattentive symptoms are present. In this case, procrastination is often less about fear or unwillingness and more about executive functioning difficulties.

Executive functions help people start tasks, organize steps, sustain attention, estimate time, switch between activities, and keep goals active in mind. When these functions are impaired, a person may genuinely want to do something and still find themselves unable to begin. They may forget, get distracted, misjudge how long something will take, or struggle to hold the task structure in mind.

This is why procrastination in ADHD can be deeply frustrating. The person may know exactly what needs to be done. They may even feel urgency or guilt about it. But the movement from intention to action is disrupted.

This can also explain why some people with ADHD seem to function better when deadlines become very close. Urgency may create enough stimulation or pressure to activate attention. Still, this does not mean the pattern is healthy or sustainable. It often comes with stress, inconsistency, and exhaustion.

You don’t HAVE TO be productive

“Laziness” isn’t a feeling, and it isn’t even a personality trait.

Often, by feeling lazy, we don’t mean that we literally lack energy. What we are actually implying is moral judgment.

I have always found it funny that society values constant busyness almost as highly as productivity itself. Have you ever experienced feeling good about being exhausted? A packed calendar and a lack of free time are treated as signs that I matter. We often treat low productivity as low personal worth, and that belief is one of the reasons we react so harshly to anything labeled “laziness.” We live with a constant urge to squeeze maximum efficiency out of every minute.

Anything that interferes with productivity is expected to be pushed aside or ignored. To keep the myth alive that “successful” people are completely devoted to their work, some even pretend they work longer than they actually do. After all, if every hour of the day is scheduled, can life really be trivial or meaningless?

Up to recent years, the social media environment was convincing us that we need to do more: work more, go to the gym more, take better care of ourselves. The message is that we can always do more than we’re doing now. Productivity and constantly pushing its limits is something everyone should strive for. There’s always a “more”. No matter what you achieve. A standard that keeps moving and never quite becomes clear or reachable. And “more” doesn’t necessarily mean better.

Maybe that’s why the social trends lately shifted to slowing down. You spend your energy and resources relentlessly on the idea of what “proper” productivity/life/man/mother etc., should look like. And when you struggle to maintain a certain level of performance, your self-esteem often takes a hit. Productivity feels good! It does. Taking on more and more tasks in the name of productivity can boost output for a short while, but in the long run, it tends to backfire and reduce it. And ultimately, shame about “not doing enough” can raise stress and anxiety levels.

And definitely worsen the situation.

As a psychologist, I must add here that in most of the cases, decreasing self-blame can significantly improve your mental health, including productivity. Don’t add an additional burden. You are worthy as you are.

Doing nothing shouldn’t be treated as a moral failure. Idleness is necessary for the brain, much like vitamin D is necessary for the body.

So what to do?

I can’t claim that I myself have mastered those ideas. However, here are the things that I find helpful for myself and my clients.

1. Be mindful. If you notice you’ve internalized a distorted idea of “laziness,” try tracking how you actually spend your time. Instead of shaming yourself for not doing something, pause and ask: Do I only think I’m supposed to do this? or is it truly important?

It can also help to define your goals and notice which ones you consistently don’t meet. Then reflect on what you feel when you fall short of those goals. Which goals genuinely matter to you — and which things are you pouring time and energy into that don’t actually matter? You might decide to shift your focus toward what’s more important. Let the rest and go.

2. Do a values exercise to help clarify what truly matters to you. You can start with a list of areas such as: achievement, family, close relationships, friends, career, comfort, and caring for others. Then rank them and choose only three. The point is to make your priorities unmistakably clear.

3. Drop “laziness” altogether as a word and as a concept. Instead of judging people for not doing something, it’s more helpful to understand what’s actually stopping them. Ask questions like:

   • Do I genuinely want to complete this task?
   • What emotions have built up and are keeping me stuck?
   • What can I do to help it?

Listen to your needs and don’t forget that a person’s worth doesn’t depend on how much they do or what they produce.

Hope and Help Are Within Reach

I truly believe, as a psychologist and as someone who’s walked alongside many clients on their journey, that no one is truly powerless. Change is possible — and you don’t have to go it alone.

If you’re in Japan and want to explore support options, or if you’re just ready to talk about what’s going on, I warmly invite you to consider a free consultation with a psychologist. Here are a few resources:

therapyjp.com - Professional, English-speaking psychologists in Japan

tell.jp - Free and confidential English-language support in Japan

ADHD Japan - Your knowledge base for ADHD info in Japan

ADHD Adults Japan - Support group (facebook)