[Book Sip] Causes of Procrastination... Perfectionism, Depression, Anxiety, ADHD, Low Self-Esteem, and Mask Syndrome

Some sentences encapsulate the entire content of a book, while others instantly resonate with the reader’s heart, creating a connection with the book. Here, we introduce such meaningful sentences excerpted from books. - Editor’s note

There are people who procrastinate. They delay tasks until the last possible moment, and when they can no longer postpone, they rush to complete the work, thinking “If I don’t do it now, it’s death.” Although it’s obvious that procrastinating now will cause greater stress later, lower the quality of work, and disturb mental peace, these people still procrastinate. They have the ability and try to do the work, but even knowing they shouldn’t, they don’t. According to the author, procrastination is not a problem of laziness, self-control, or time management, but an emotional issue. Procrastination arises from psychological factors such as perfectionism, depression, anxiety, ADHD, low self-esteem, and impostor syndrome, so overcoming this troublesome habit requires using psychology. The book introduces various forms of procrastination and methods to overcome it based on psychological and neuroscience research.

Perfectionists are usually highly capable. However, because they set absurdly high standards, their ability to meet those standards is diminished. In their case, procrastination leads to self-criticism such as “I should have started earlier” or “I always mess things up.” Moreover, perfectionists often unintentionally project the pressure they put on themselves onto those around them. They believe that others should also be criticized if they fail to meet the standards they have set. _Page 84, from “Perfectionism: Not Satisfied Even When Successfully Completing Work”

Indecisiveness is a unique form of avoidance, where the object of avoidance is making decisions. Of course, sometimes decisions are strategically delayed to be cautious. During that time, one might gather more information to make a more satisfying choice or negotiate better discounts from a salesperson trying to sell actively. However, if a decision is not made even after all information is obtained, it is simply decisional procrastination. Indecisiveness is deeply rooted in avoidance tendencies. By delaying decisions, one can avoid responsibility and the consequences of the decision. Additionally, it helps avoid regret or fear that might arise from making a ‘wrong’ choice. _Page 193, from “What is Avoidance?”

One reason why it is difficult to maintain consistent effort is that our brain does not remember well the original reason for wanting to complete a task. The brain, which prioritizes energy conservation, persuades us to stop tasks that require energy expenditure. This is why motivation or productivity surges explosively when reminded of a task’s importance but soon fades, leaving us lethargic for a long time. To maintain steady effort, we must continuously supply energy to the brain (through activities such as eating healthy food, exercising, and taking breaks) and remind ourselves that investing energy in this task is important. _Page 210, from “Started, But How to Persevere”

Psychology for Lazy Perfectionists | Written by Hayden Finch | Translated by Eunjeong Lee | Secret House | 252 pages | 17,000 KRW