Procrastination as a compass: turning small avoidances into big opportunities

We’ve all been there: endlessly organizing our workspace, hyper fixating on editing that one email, getting really into cuticle care…literally anything except tackling the most important work on our to-do lists.

Whether they’re job seeking or looking to level up their performance, many clients cite procrastination as a major roadblock to their success. Sometimes, this tense tango with avoidance is what inspires them to seek support in the first place, when the penchant to push things off becomes too powerful. 

While it’s natural to feel frustration, guilt, and self loathing about these moments, they can often be important indicators of something else: deeper fears or motivations lying beneath the surface. In that way, procrastination isn’t just a hurdle – it’s an insight. A signal that it’s necessary to explore recurring drivers and barriers, and work with them to build productive momentum consistently.

We all avoid, and even so, we all feel alone in that experience. Understanding this shared struggle can turn avoidance into an unexpected superpower: one rooted in self-awareness and action, instead of shame and stagnation.

The psychology of procrastination at work

Procrastination isn’t laziness; it’s a complex psychological behavior deeply rooted in emotional and cognitive processes.

All inaction is rooted in one of the following: 

• Inability to do something, whether perceived or real, due to lack of knowledge or resources

• Lack of desire to do something

• A combination of the two

Put simply: when we put off completing a task, it’s because we either don’t want to or can’t do it. Understanding the reason at play is a big step in overcoming it. 

Lack of desire is often connected to fear of failure; if the stakes feel too high or there’s a chance we might disappoint someone (or ourselves), avoiding the task becomes a kind of emotional self-protection. It also may result in perfectionism. If we insist that it has to be just right (a fool’s errand!), why bother starting at all? 

Inability, on the other hand, might come into play when we’re unclear on what’s actually expected of us. When goals feel vague or overwhelming, freezing is an understandable response. Inability can also show up if we don’t have the resources – be they informational, financial, or human – to get the job done. 

When we start to see procrastination as a signpost instead of a personal flaw, we can move through avoidance and build habits that actually work for us—not against us.

Taking direction from procrastination

If procrastination is a signal, the first step is translating its message. That starts by getting curious about your particular patterns.

Ask yourself:

• When does procrastination show up?

• What types of tasks do you commonly avoid?

• What are you doing instead?

• How do you feel in the midst of procrastinating?

This kind of reflection can help you identify both your triggers and coping mechanisms and take note of them when they come up in the future. You might discover that certain tasks generate stress because they feel ambiguous. Or you may find that you tend to fear work that involves asking for feedback or visibility.

Identifying patterns on your own can be hard work, but a partner—a trusted manager, coworker, or coach—can help.

Turning avoidance into action

Recently, a leadership coaching client, whom we’ll call Jessie, came to me with a challenge: habitual procrastination. She didn’t quite understand why her automatic response to certain tasks was to avoid them given the stress this avoidance caused. As time wore on, her stress would compound, until it was so consuming that she had absolutely no choice but to face the task head on. More often than not, the task itself was easier than expected, and rarely justified the anxiety. She felt that her intentions and her actions were misaligned.

Relatable?

I wanted to help her break this counterproductive pattern, but first, we had to learn more about it. I had her keep a “procrastination journal” to track instances of avoidance in a table like the one below: 

Task: What did you set out to do?	Action: What actions did you take instead?	Emotional or physical response: How did this misalignment impact you?

After Jessie completed the table, the next step was to look for patterns. Together, we discussed:

• What was the root cause of the avoidance in each instance? 

• At what point did she realize that she was procrastinating? 

• At what point did she stop avoiding and address the issue? 

With this data in hand, we then constructed a plan for interrupting avoidance. It became clear that the majority of her avoidance was due to one of two needs: lack of energy to get the task done, or lack of clear priorities. So we brainstormed how to fill those needs and get her on track:

• We developed a list of quick actions she could take when she lacked the energy required to do a task; a brief yoga practice, a nap, a snack, etc.

• We also developed a rubric so that she could compare each task against one another to prioritize them quickly and effectively

  
  

This practice helped Jessie recognize when procrastination was influencing her decision making, investigate its root cause, and respond thoughtfully. 

Tips for dealing with procrastination at work

Once you’ve started noticing your patterns, it becomes much easier to make small shifts that add up to real change. Here are a few strategies that can help you move through procrastination with more ease:

• Identify your procrastination patterns: pause when you feel the pull to avoid. When does this habit show up? What are you usually doing instead? Simply observing your behavior without judgment is a powerful first step.

• Look for the root cause: is the task unclear? Does it feel overwhelming? Are you afraid of how it will be received? Naming the why helps you choose a more targeted solution.

• Try new habits in response to your root causes: small tweaks can make a big difference, and it’s up to you to figure out what procrastination interruptions will  work best for you. Too tired? Try a quick energy reset. Not enough time to get into the right mindset? Try calendar time-blocking.

• Set clear, achievable goals: vague tasks like “work on presentation” are harder to start than something specific like “create 3 slides on Q1 results.” Clarity fuels momentum.

• Emphasize progress over perfection: done is better than perfect—and most things can be refined once you get started.

• Enlist an accountability buddy: having someone to check in with (even through a Slack message or voice note) can provide enough structure to keep you moving.

• Work with a coach: if procrastination is a recurring issue, a coach can help you uncover what’s really going on and build strategies that work with your energy, mindset, and workflow.

  
  

The goal isn’t to eliminate procrastination entirely—it’s to understand what it’s trying to tell you, and respond with a little more clarity and self-compassion.

Listening to procrastination

Procrastination is almost never about laziness. More often, it’s a symptom pointing to something deeper that deserves your attention. 

When you learn to listen to procrastination—not shame it—it becomes a tool. A signal that it’s time to ask questions. And ultimately, a doorway to working in a more aligned, effective way.