Why do we procastinate

Most people say they delay their work because they are lazy. This is not quite true. A man may sit at his desk for hours and do nothing, yet feel tired all the same. It is not idleness, but avoidance.

The work itself is often not difficult. What is difficult is beginning. To begin is to admit that the task exists, that it will demand time, and that it may not be done well. Many people would rather delay this admission. They postpone the work, not because it is hard, but because it is unpleasant to face.

There is also the question of honesty. When a man delays his work, he often invents reasons for doing so. He tells himself he works better under pressure, or that he is waiting for the right moment. These explanations are rarely true. They serve only to make the delay seem reasonable.

Procrastination, then, is a kind of quiet self-deception. A man knows what he ought to do, and does not do it. He may even feel uneasy about it, but he continues all the same. In this way, the habit strengthens itself.

The remedy is simple, though not easy. One must begin. Not with the intention of finishing, or of doing the work well, but simply of doing it at all. Once the work has started, it often loses some of its weight.

There is no trick to this. It is only a matter of facing the task without illusion.