What Is Your Excuse for Putting Things Off?

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Why do we put things off?

You know, the bill that was due last week.

The friend you have been meaning to call back for a month.

Or even the hobby that you said you were going to start last year.

Why do we make excuses and put things off… that we know we should do?

Reasons for Procrastination

We usually have a reason when we put things off.

Or, at least a reason that we tell ourselves.

Sometimes consciously. Sometimes subconsciously.

We all have reasons that we put things off.

Whether we admit it or not… is a matter of how honest we are with ourselves.

Sometimes these reasons are white lies we say in our heads. (I’ll do it later today…)

Other times, we are outright deceiving ourselves. (It’s not that important…)

Here are some of the reasons that we put things off:

We Aren’t Ready – We tell ourselves we aren’t ready to go. That we aren’t ready to start. And thus, we don’t. Instead, we sit waiting for an outside stimulus to spur us to act. (Like a second late notice…)
We Are Disorganized – It’s tough to get things done if you don’t know what you need to do and where things are. Disorganization can be a shield we use to prevent ourselves from doing. Many people operate on the premise, “Out of sight… I don’t have to do it.”
We Are Scared – Sometimes we put things off due to fear. Fear of failure. Fear of the unknown. Often, our fears are baseless, yet we psyche ourselves out of trying or doing.
We Don’t Believe – Confidence plays a big role in action. Whether you believe you can do something impacts your ability to do it. When we doubt ourselves, we usually fail to act.
We Are Waiting On… Something – Have you ever put something off because you were waiting for a better time to do it? However, the perfect time never comes. Sometimes you just have to take the leap.
We Don’t Have a Deadline – Without a deadline, you don’t have an urgency to complete tasks. And our mind expands the work to fill the time allotted.