by Andy Shackcloth

Created on: May 18, 2009   Last Updated: September 23, 2009

Serial procrastinators seem unable to control their actions but knowing the single reason why they can not control their lives, will free them from this pervasive and destructive reflex.

So what happens when we sit down and instead of working, we do something else? E-mail is checked, the journal gets flicked through, paper-clips require un-linking, plants need dead leaves removing... the list is endless.

What happened?

The good old procrastination reflex has got us again. This is not a learned habit, it is a reflex, a mental process that is programmed into all of us.

So just what is going on in our head?

Surprisingly, it's because it feels more comfortable and safer to procrastinate than to do what we should be doing.

Yes, you will be upset at yourself later but all the personal recriminations in the world, about time being wasted and opportunity lost, will amount to nothing compared to the pleasure of not doing it at the time.

Quite simply, if we have a choice of doing something that avoids risk and uncertainty, then we will take the option that keeps us safe. Once we have made that 'keep safe' decision, our brains reward us with a momentary 'good' feeling. It is a basic survival response that has been etched into the primitive part of our brain. It is this chemical reward that makes procrastination a serial offence.

I know this is incredibly hard to accept, but bear with me as I try to illuminate why and how our own brains mislead us. To overcome procrastination we have to accept that fear is the root cause before we can successfully overcome it.

What is there to fear about doing a task?

When we set to do task we are setting ourselves up for a bad time. Will it be good enough? Will I get it right? Have I made the right decision to do this now? How will I be judged on my results? Do I know all I need to know? Danger lies behind every decision.

What if we are successful? Success means change, we would have to become more than we are now, we would have to deal with clever people who might see through us and we would be expected to be able to do it all again. The fear of change is a massive problem to overcome, in industry whole businesses are employed trying to circumvent it. The trouble is that in most cases, people simply do not realise that the fear of change is controlling their actions.

So what happens as we start? We take a deep breath... and have two decisions, either start with all its dangers or do that little something that suddenly seems more important,

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