For this to be a short article, the answer is that we procrastinate because of our negative emotions associated with whatever the task may be.
If a task gives us positive emotions, then we jump right in and get it done. If it does not, however, we shy away at all costs. An example would be choosing to Binge watch Stranger Things Season 3 over doing the dishes. One gives more excitement of positive emotions than the other. So, one we go head first into and the other gets pushed off.
Now, when I say negative emotions, I am referring to emotions that elicit negative feelings, which can come from boredom, frustration, discomfort, or actually physical pain. Most of the time these activities are things we actually want to do but may fear the outcome. I want to get back in the gym but I’m afraid of looking stupid, or I’m going to be too sore to function so why bother?!
The easiest thing to say is that to stop procrastination, we must know why we are procrastinating. Once we know the actual why then we should be able to work past it. Working past it, however, is the hard part and is different for everyone. For me, I procrastinated writing this article because I wanted to watch Stranger Things and assemble shaker bottles instead. But today, I decided to put on some music and just write what was in my head.
We all procrastinate from one thing or the other but at some point, you have to choose and want to make that change. You must associate a positive emotion to the outcome of your task to get over the negative.