procrastination is a form of perfectionism.

The age old procrastination-perfectionism trap! We all know someone or have experienced it ourselves.

Perfectionism is connected to a fear of not being good enough, not competent, not successful (or some other iteration of these). This fear likely started to develop from a young age. Perhaps you weren’t allowed to make mistakes, not be “perfect”, or had really high and unattainable expectations placed upon you. When you didn’t meet these standards and expectations, you were met with shaming, criticism, anger, reprimanding. This, understandably, did not feel good (especially because it was likely coming from a parent or caregiver). So, you began to place those high standards on yourself and connected meeting these standards to your worth (and thus the perfectionist in you was born!).

This is where procrastination comes into the mix. When we procrastinate, we are often avoiding the uncomfortable feelings, experiences, and beliefs associated with potentially not meeting the standards we have placed upon ourselves or have had placed upon us. We come up with so many excuses (consciously or unconsciously) about why we are putting off the task at hand.

This very quickly can take a toll. It may be connected to anxiety, stress, mood concerns, physical pains, relationship concerns, low self-esteem and self-worth (just to name a few).

What we can do is take a look at the expectations we have for ourselves and others. Are they realistic? Can you shift the expectations? Can you approach yourself with compassion and practice stepping away from judgment? And let’s also start normalizing imperfection and honor our imperfections as part of our humanness.