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Understand it · Lesson 3 of 11

Spot Your Delay Pattern and Pick the Right Fix

Learn the four main causes of putting things off and how to find yours with one question and a one-week log.

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THE WRITTEN LESSONFollow along at your pace

Before you pick a fix, it helps to know what you are fixing. This lesson shows you how to spot your own delay pattern, because the right fix depends on why you are putting a task off.

One cause, one fix

Procrastination has more than one cause, so a fix aimed at the wrong one wastes effort. An app blocker does nothing for someone who dreads how a report will be judged. And kind self-talk does little against a phone that lights up all afternoon.

Four pictures under the heading More than one cause: a phone with a lock labeled App blocker, a worried face next to a report labeled Dreads being judged, a speech bubble with a heart labeled Kind self-talk, and a buzzing phone labeled Buzzing all afternoon. Two Wrong fix labels pair the mismatched ones. A bar says Match the fix to the cause.(opens the full-size picture)
A blocker does not help with dread, and kind words do not stop a buzzing phone.

Four main causes

There are four main causes:

  • Temptation: a phone or inbox keeps pulling at you.
  • Dread: the task itself feels unpleasant.
  • Self-doubt: you fear doing it badly.
  • A far-off payoff: the reward feels unreal, because it is so far away.
Four cards under the heading Four main causes: Temptation with a buzzing phone, Dread with a worried face, Self-doubt with a person and a question mark, and A far-off payoff with a person looking at a flag on a hill. A bar says Different cause, different fix.(opens the full-size picture)
Four causes. Each one needs a different kind of help.

Ask one question

So ask yourself one question: “When I turn away from this task, what am I turning away from?” The effort, the feeling, the fear of doing it badly, or a payoff that feels unreal? Your answer usually points to one of the four causes. You may find that more than one fits, and that is fine. Start with the one that feels strongest.

A question card reading When I turn away from this task, what am I turning away from? Below it, four cards: a dumbbell labeled The effort, a sad face labeled The feeling, a person with a question mark labeled The fear, and a flag on a hill labeled The far payoff.(opens the full-size picture)
One question tells you the cause.

The easy-task trap

Watch for one common pattern. Picture a morning with a review you owe someone, and a full inbox. Each reply takes a couple of minutes and feels done. By late morning the inbox is half empty, the review is still blank, and you are more tired. Under a heavy load, people drift toward the easier tasks.

An inbox with four messages, each ticked off, labeled Each reply feels done. Beside it, a page headed Review with a label Still blank, a sleepy face and the caption The review you owe. A bar says Easy tasks feel like progress.(opens the full-size picture)
Easy tasks feel like progress while the real task stays blank.

Distractions often start with you

In one workplace study, about half of all interruptions were self-started: people switched away on their own, with no ping at all. So if you blame your phone, check first whether you reached for it yourself.

A person at a laptop labeled One workplace study, About half. On the right, a top row of a bell, an envelope and a buzzing phone labeled Pinged by something, and a bottom row of a phone, a laptop and swap arrows labeled Self-started, Switched away on their own, No ping at all.(opens the full-size picture)
About half of the interruptions had no ping at all.

Keep a one-week log

To find your pattern, keep a simple log for one week. Each time the task slips, note where you were, who was around, what was within reach, and how you felt. You may find that it does not fail at the desk, but on the sofa, the moment you sit down.

A table titled My one-week log with columns Where, Who, Within reach and Feeling. One row reads At the desk, Team nearby, Laptop, Focused. A second row, On the sofa, Alone, Phone, Tired, is highlighted. Below are seven day boxes labeled One week, and a person asleep on a sofa labeled Where it slips.(opens the full-size picture)
A log shows where the task slips, not only that it does.

Notice your excuses

As you log, notice your excuses.

  • “I work better under pressure.” For grades, delay is sometimes harmless and never helpful.
  • “I will start when I feel motivated.” Motivation often follows action.
  • “I am just not disciplined enough.” Your setting may be making delay easy, and settings can be changed.
Three cards under the heading Notice your excuses. I work better under pressure is crossed out and answered by Never helpful for grades. I'll start when I feel motivated is answered by Motivation follows action. I'm just not disciplined enough is answered by Change the setting.(opens the full-size picture)
Each excuse has a more useful answer.

Not every delay is procrastination

Putting off a decision can sometimes fit what you intend, like waiting for information you need. Procrastination means intending to act, and stalling against that intention. So before you blame yourself, ask: did I actually mean to do this now?

Two cards under the heading Not every delay is procrastination. The left shows an hourglass and a page marked Info, labeled Waiting on purpose. The right shows a to-do clipboard and a worried face, labeled Stalling against my plan. A bar asks Did I mean to do this now?(opens the full-size picture)
Waiting on purpose is not procrastination.

YOUR TURN

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Read the full lesson script

In this lesson, you'll learn to spot your own delay pattern, because the right fix depends on why you're putting a task off.

Procrastination has more than one cause, so a fix aimed at the wrong one wastes effort. An app blocker does nothing for someone who dreads how a report will be judged. And kind self-talk does little against a phone that lights up all afternoon.

There are four main causes. Temptation, when a phone or inbox keeps pulling at you. Dread, when the task itself feels unpleasant. Self-doubt, when you fear doing it badly. And a payoff that feels unreal, because it's so far away.

So ask yourself one question. When I turn away from this task, what am I turning away from? The effort, the feeling, the fear of doing it badly, or a payoff that feels unreal?

Watch for one common pattern. Picture a morning with a review you owe someone, and a full inbox. Each reply takes a couple of minutes and feels done. By late morning the inbox is half empty, the review is still blank, and you're more tired. Under a heavy load, people drift toward the easier tasks.

Distractions often start with you, too. In one workplace study, about half of all interruptions were self-started: people switched away on their own, with no ping at all.

To find your pattern, keep a simple log for one week. Each time the task slips, note where you were, who was around, what was within reach, and how you felt. You may find it doesn't fail at the desk, but on the sofa, the moment you sit down.

As you log, notice your excuses. I work better under pressure? For grades, delay is sometimes harmless and never helpful. I'll start when I feel motivated? Motivation often follows action. I'm just not disciplined enough? Your setting may be making delay easy, and settings can be changed.

Not every delay is procrastination, though. Putting off a decision can sometimes fit what you intend, like waiting for information you need. Procrastination means intending to act, and stalling against that intention. So before you blame yourself, ask: did I actually mean to do this now?

So remember: four causes, one question, and a one-week log. Before the next lesson, pick one task you're avoiding, and write which cause fits best. Next, you'll learn to make the first step tiny.