How to Move Through Procrastination

Discover what makes you put things off—and how to be more productive.

Aug 19, 2025

If you’ve struggled with procrastination, start by being kinder to yourself. Everyone puts off tasks sometimes, and it’s not a moral failing. It can even be good to delay doing something, like when you need more time to make a decision. So breathe and let go of self-criticism.

Identify the Fear

Next, consider why you’re procrastinating. You’re probably telling yourself one of two things:

"I might not do a good job." Nobody likes to fail, and not doing something means not failing at it. Fear of doing badly is often tied to not knowing exactly how to complete the task, like writing a term paper or doing your taxes (as opposed to simpler tasks like cleaning the kitchen).
"It's going to be a pain." You might imagine the time it will take, the difficulty of figuring out exactly what you need to do, or maybe you just prefer to keep doing whatever else you're doing. In some way, you believe you’ll be less happy doing the thing you're avoiding.

The common denominator in both of these fears is the discomfort that arises when you imagine doing the task. Read on to learn how to manage those automatic reactions.

Break the Cycle

No matter the cause of your avoidance, it tends to reinforce itself. If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of cleaning your dirty kitchen, you might choose to keep watching YouTube or scrolling on your phone. Putting off the dreaded task gives you a sense of relief from avoiding something you see as unpleasant.

The upshot is that your brain encodes: Delay = Relief.

As a result, you’re more likely to avoid the task the next time you think about doing it. Psychologists call this phenomenon negative reinforcement: "negative" because the reward comes from not having an aversive experience, and "reinforcement" because it makes the behavior (in this case, delaying) more likely in the future.

The more you procrastinate, the more you strengthen that cycle of Delay → Relief—and the less you experience the opposite process of Task Completion → Satisfaction.

By tackling your tasks more immediately, you’ll stop reinforcing avoidance and strengthen the pathway from Task Completion → Satisfaction. Therefore, in the future, you’ll be more likely to complete your tasks.

But it’s not easy to break the cycle. These eight strategies can help. Experiment to find the ones that are most effective for you.

Find What Works for You

Practice acceptance. It's hard to change your habits, and accepting that it's hard work can go a long way toward increasing your willingness to do it. Remind yourself why you wanted to procrastinate less, and that you’re willing to be uncomfortable in the short term to feel better in the long term.
Create manageable pieces. A mammoth task can feel daunting—there’s so much work involved and you may not be sure how to tackle it. Step one: Make your plan for how to do it. It’s way easier to take the first step when it's small and clearly defined.
Make room. Aim to create the conditions in which you work best—for example, having a suitable physical space (like a comfortable desk) and the proper mental space free of unnecessary distractions (like email notifications).
Decide to start. You might delay starting a task because you don’t know exactly how you’ll do it, like not starting on an email because you’re not sure what to say. Make figuring out how to do the task part of the work. You’ll find a way to complete it once you decide to jump in.
Set alarms and reminders. When you're avoiding a task, it's easy to forget to do it. Boost your chances of remembering by setting aside a specific time for it and putting it in your calendar with an alarm. If you can’t do it when the alarm goes off, be sure to set another alarm so you'll come back to it!
Challenge unhelpful thoughts. Watch out for the little lies the brain tells, such as, "I'll do that in five minutes" or, “I’ll feel like doing that later.” Remind yourself that if you take care of it now, you’ll have the satisfaction of being done.
Build in accountability. Telling at least one person about your plan to complete a task by a certain date can raise your odds of doing it. You can also be more accountable to yourself by writing down your plans and checking things off as you complete them.
Reward yourself. Small rewards can increase your motivation to meet a goal. Choose something that gives you an added incentive, such as a snack, entertainment, or your favorite activity.

The next time you finish a task, notice the relief that comes from no longer having it hanging over your head—plus the sense of satisfaction from having done it. Reinforce your awareness of the upsides of completing a task, which will help you continue to take care of what you need to do.

For more support with getting things done, check out an excellent new book: The ACT Workbook for the Anxious Procrastinator by my friend and fellow psychologist Dr. Patricia Zurita Ono. She’ll teach you how to go easy on yourself while doing more of what matters to you. Use the link above to support this newsletter through Amazon’s affiliate program (with no additional cost to you). Enjoy!