A very common topic that coaching clients bring up is “procrastination”. Coaches need to realize that procrastination has very little to do with the client’s skills to plan or manage time. So don’t waste time going down that deadend.
According to research on procrastination done by psychologists Joseph Ferrari, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at De Paul University in Chicago, and Timothy Pychyl, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, procrastination is more deeply psychological than you might first imagine. They say the root of the avoidance is a reaction to work, sense of purpose, or self-esteem.
Dr. Ferrari and Dr. Pyschyl identified three types of procrastinators:
- Arousal types, or thrill-seekers, who wait to the last minute for the euphoric rush.
- Avoiders, who may be avoiding fear of failure or even fear of success, but in either case are very concerned with what others think of them; they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability.
- Decisional procrastinators, who cannot make a decision. Not making a decision absolves procrastinators of responsibility for the outcome of events.
Do you identify with any of those types? I must admit that I am the “arousal” type. I delay putting gas in my car, just to see how far I can go on empty. And I just love the feeling of racing to catch a ferry! Sad, I know.
To discover how to help procrastinators, and recommendations for more resources, please check out this article from the Hollyhock Leadership Institute.
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Thank you for this article Barbara.
I must admit that I am an ‘arousal’ type. I really could never understand why I left most things to the last although I love to plan and organise everything.
I would love to hear more about this.
Best regards,
Anne