Why Procrastination Holds Us Back– Second Article in the Series

Processes in our lives rarely begin and end in a single moment. Whether it’s submitting a project, completing a task, or building relationships with family- these are all long-term endeavors. Their results aren’t immediate, but unfold gradually over time.

Ideally, a person begins a process and steadily progresses each day. But for someone who struggles with procrastination, the start of that process often gets delayed, because they tell themselves, “Tomorrow, I’ll really start.”

Consider for example someone with a month to complete a project. With daily effort, it’s entirely manageable. But if they postpone on day one, they won’t see any immediate consequence, and so they rationalize: “It's no big deal, I’ll make it up tomorrow.” This illusion fuels ongoing procrastination.

In fact, the reasons they delayed today won’t disappear tomorrow, and while they may believe tomorrow will be calmer, every day brings its own distractions and responsibilities. With this approach, they might reach the deadline a month later having barely started.

In the Talmud (Shabbat 88a), G-d tells the Jewish people at Mount Sinai: “If you accept the Torah, good. If not, there will be your burial.” Why “there” and not “here”? Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz explains: People bury their dreams, ideas, and aspirations “there”- in some vague future. That decision- "I’ll start tomorrow"- is where everything is buried.

Lack of Focus

In some situations, procrastination stems from a lack of focus. A person may know what needs to get done, but gets distracted perhaps by a seemingly urgent phone call. One call isn’t an issue, but 50 such calls create a real gap in productivity.

Each time, they tell themselves, “This one’s important,” or “I can’t miss this call.” Deep down, they may even hold onto the fantasy that one day there will be a call that changes their life, and so they treat every call like it might be the one.

If they understood that real change happens through steady, consistent effort- not from some magical interruption- they’d let go of the illusion and focus on the task at hand.

Fear of Making Decisions

People delay tasks because they feel they need more information before they can proceed perfectly. They tell themselves, “Once I have all the facts, I’ll act.”

Indeed, sometimes it is wise to wait. But in many cases, the search for more data is just a mask for fear. We pretend we’re being thorough, when in truth we’re just scared to commit.

We must learn to recognize the point where we’ve gathered enough information, and act. No amount of research will give us total certainty about the outcome. Sometimes we must move forward without the full picture.

Someone considering a new career path may research the profession, the training, the salary, and job demand. But after a point, they have to stop researching and start doing because if they continue asking questions forever, they’ll never begin.

Perfectionism and Fear of Difficulty

Some procrastinate because they seek perfection. If they feel they can’t do a task perfectly right now, they postpone it for a “better” time when conditions will be just right.

For the most part, if we can’t do it perfectly today, we won’t be able to do so tomorrow either. We end up pushing it off indefinitely, and instead of achieving an imperfect result, we achieve nothing at all.

It is often better to start even if we don’t have all the answers yet. When we’re in motion, solutions appear more readily, and progress begets insight. When we sit still, imagining every possible failure, we’re sending a hidden message to ourselves: You can’t do it. This belief then becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy, and we avoid what we’re actually capable of.

At the end of the day, an imperfect result is better than no result. Progress, however small or flawed, moves us forward, whereas waiting for the “perfect time” often means that we never begin.