We all know someone who is a master procrastinator, the person whose mantra should be, “I have not yet begun to procrastinate.” That someone might even be us.

The classic thought behind people who postpone projects, errands, or any variety of things is that they simply don’t have a grasp on managing their time. 

But a new school of thought on procrastination is emerging.

Psychologists are discovering that putting things off is much more of an emotional response than a lack of managing time.

The things we avoid doing are ones that evoke negative emotions that we don’t want to feel.

Boredom

Fear of failure

Nervousness

Feeling overwhelmed

Stress

Worry