Please can you help me understand this type of behaviour / habit....

[Chillspot]

Please can you help me understand this type of behaviour / habit, and is anyone else guilty of it....?

....When you put off a task (could be an awkward task), and keep putting it off until it gets to the stage where it would be too embarrassing / shameful to mention it or carry it out.

Is it Procrastination?

Thankfully I don't have anything like this going on right now, but I can think of times in the past when I've felt like this, and I think I want to understand it better and hopefully prevent it ever happening again.

Any thoughts / experiences much appreciated!

I'm not sure but I think you're describing me!

Thank you pickle, I feel less alone already 😀

Also if anyone knows of any good books etc on this subject please.

Ha ha that is so me! Its definitely procrastination but mine was a side effect of ADHD which I was recently diagnosed with.
I

'The impossible task' is also linked to depression.. don't know if that makes sense for you?

Yes, mines due to depression

It’s a coping strategy - do nothing, run away, ignoring it
Only it doesn’t work - you have to question why and where from you developed these strategies before you can stop them

This

Procrastination. Often linked to a fear of failure. If you don't do the task, you can't fail at it, is how procrastinator logic works.

This article is really good
waitbutwhy.com/2013/10/why-procrastinators-procrastinate.html

po.st/TqIBXO

Avoidance. It can be extreme or mild. Facing the 'task' is overwhelming so the psyche just avoids dealing with it!

Some interesting replies already, thank you so much.
Some aspects of the article in the link have resonated the most so far.
Definitely all food for thought though.
I'm determined to understand this a lot better, especially as I'm starting a new job soon

...The article from MeanTangerine.

Also if anyone knows of any good books etc on this subject please
Procrastinating about procrastinating, I love it

Sorry, couldn't resist lol. I hear where you're coming from, I'm usually the same!

There's some great talks online by Tim Urban. He talks about the procrastination monkey and the panic monster

"Better than Before" by Gretchen Rubin is an excellent book on examining your habits and what motivates you.

The five second rule, Mel Robbins.
Why your brain resists change and a simple solution to over-ride lost motivation.

It can also be linked to ADHD / ADD.

Tim Urban's brilliant! Here's his first blog on the Instant Gratification Monkey:

Why procrastinators procrastinate

And here's Tim Urban's brilliant Ted Talk:

But, seriously, look up ADHD. If you don't identify at all with the idea of being hyperactive, look up "inattentive ADHD".

I've always been a procrastinator. I didn't realise until I was in my 40s that it was because I have ADHD.

This is me too, had read some of the Tim Urban stuff but placemarking so I can put the other resources on my list of things to do later

I once bought a book on procrastination, only to discover I already had it and hadn't got around to reading it.

Thank you all for your replies so far. Having reflected on these replies, the following resonate more for me:

• Procrastination and Perfectionism. I like to do a task well and get it right first time and not have to go back to it if that makes sense.
• Procrastination and Motivation. Feeling pressure to do things I feel I should do rather than want to do. In other words if I'm doing something I really want to do then I have no problem motivating myself. If I'm doing something I feel I should do (but don't really want to) then it takes much more motivation and will power, and that's where procrastination creeps in.

Can anyone relate?

Loving the Tim Urban stuff by the way, thanks!

I shall get to the other suggested items shortly (not sure if that's me procrastinating or not lol)