Did you know there are different types of procrastination? For everyone, including programmers, identifying which type of procrastinator you are can help you start… and finish working on the task at hand.
Cat videos and memes are fun, but when they take up a lot of time, they can become a problem.
So, whether you scroll through social media instead of doing important tasks or you don’t do well working under pressure, learning about the different types of procrastination can help.
Here are 5 different types of procrastination and tips for overcoming them:
1 Avoiders: How Can I Avoid Doing This?
Avoiders go out of their way to procrastinate a project or task. They may feel like the work will be too challenging or too far outside of their skill set to complete. So, in their mind, it’s better to procrastinate than it is to potentially make mistakes, especially if others will see the work.
If you are an avoider, you may still work on other projects you feel comfortable doing, as long as it means you can continue avoiding the tasks that stress you out.
Tips to Try for Avoiders
- Break down intimidating tasks into smaller pieces
- Try to find resources that can help you with the task
- Try to work on the most challenging task first
2 Dreamers: Wouldn’t That Dream Be Nice?
Dreamers spend a lot of time coming up with the perfect plan, but they struggle with actually putting that plan into action. They may find themselves trapped in a creative cycle where ideas excite them more than the reality of whether or not those ideas see the light of day. And, they may not even realize that they are procrastinating the actual doing part.
If you are a dreamer, you might find yourself going over the plan, strategy, or to-do list again and again before getting anything concrete done.
Tips to Try for Dreamers
- Set a hard time limit for planning
- Plan for things you can do right now
- Revisit your plan only after at least one task is done
3 Crisis-Creators: Why Is Every Project a Crisis?
Crisis-creators love deadlines and waiting until the last minute because they believe they work best under pressure. In reality, they aren’t leaving any time to review work, so the work they do is the best under the circumstances. Even though they have plenty of time to get their work done, they intentionally manage their time in a way that leads to every project being a crisis.
If you are a crisis-creator, you might need external motivation, such as a hard deadline, to stop putting projects off, which can make it difficult to break away from this type of procrastination.
Tips to Try for Crisis-Creators
- Create a hard deadline before the real deadline
- Alternate focused work with planned breaks
- Consider how much time the task needs, not how much time you have
4 Busy-Bees: What Can I Do to Keep Busy?
Busy-bees are people who are always working on something despite never seeming to be able to get anything done. They have a problem with prioritization. Tasks are either deemed unworthy of their time or every task seems equally important so it’s difficult to choose which one to work on.
If you are a busy-bee, you may find yourself postponing tasks because of indecisiveness, finding yourself flustered with urgent tasks, and unable to tell which task is the most important.
Tips to Try for Busy-Bees
- Get a trusted outsider’s opinion
- Ask your project lead for direction
- Consciously list out tasks by priority
5 Perfectionists: Who Can I Be If Not Perfect?
Perfectionists procrastinate because they can get struck at any point during a project, getting hung up on minor details that they believe must be perfect before they can move forward. Even if a perfectionist has a solid vision and robust resources, they may not start a project for fear of it not living up to their expectations of perfection.
If you are a perfectionist, you may find yourself spending a lot of time on seemingly important details that nobody else will notice or care about.
Tips to Try for Perfectionists
- Set and stick to realistic time constraints for each task
- Stay focused on the overall goal, not the details
- Remind yourself that done is better than perfect
Learn More About Becoming a Software Engineer
If you want to achieve your goal of becoming a software engineer or furthering your career, you can check out Hackbright’s Software Engineering program. Our courses are designed to provide structure and support that can help you with overcoming procrastination. When you’re ready to start the application process, view upcoming course dates here.
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