What Procrastination Is Trying to Teach You
Why befriending your procrastination is better than judging it
One of the most common issues folks bring up in therapy is procrastination. Most often, clients are hardest on themselves when they find themselves procrastinating the creative tasks they really want to do. They approach procrastination with a lot of self-blame, and the narratives that we get into around procrastination tend to be narratives that involve guilt, shame, and self-criticism.
Culturally, I think we often see procrastination as laziness, but as a therapist, it’s clear to me that laziness is rarely, if ever, at the root of procrastination. In therapy, we learn to approach things from a difference lens. It’s more helpful to think about what the purpose or function of engaging in procrastination is. Put more simply: What is the act of procrastinating protecting you from?
When it comes to our creative lives, there is a lot of pressure. To get it right. To be brilliant and original. To express ourselves fully, authentically, and perfectly. To say interesting things, and to move people. To be seen by them (and adored by them) through our creative work. To create outstanding and meaningful art. To risk showing ourselves, vulnerably and with intimacy, to strangers, and risk being judged.
