Why Procrastination Isn’t Laziness (and How to Break the Cycle)

Anna Perry
Aug 8
3 min read

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at your to-do list, endlessly scrolling, or reorganising your desk for the third time instead of doing the thing you know you need to do — you’ve probably labelled yourself as “lazy.”

But here’s the truth: procrastination isn’t laziness.

In fact, procrastination is rarely about not caring or not trying hard enough. More often, it’s a signal that something deeper is going on.

🚩 Procrastination is a Signal, Not a Flaw

When you delay tasks, it’s often because of:

Fear of failure – that voice whispering, “What if I mess it up?”
Overwhelm – too many tasks piling up until you don’t know where to start.
Perfectionism – the belief that if you can’t do it perfectly, it’s not worth doing at all.

Sound familiar?

The problem is, when we label ourselves as “lazy,” we layer guilt and shame on top of procrastination. That only makes it harder to get started.

Instead, try reframing procrastination as a pause button with information attached.

Ask yourself: “What’s really holding me back? Fear? Uncertainty? Or am I just expecting too much of myself right now?”

🌟 The 5-Minute Rule: How to Get Unstuck

Here’s one of my favourite ways to break through procrastination: the 5-Minute Rule.

👉 Commit to doing just five minutes.

Write the first sentence. Open the spreadsheet. Clear one corner of the kitchen counter.

Five minutes is small enough that your brain doesn’t resist it. And once you’ve started, momentum takes over — because starting imperfectly is always better than not starting at all.

🎧 Podcast Pick: The Art of Being Imperfectly Perfect

If procrastination has been keeping you stuck, you’ll love my latest podcast episode: The Art of Being Imperfectly Perfect with Martin Thompson – model aircraft enthusiast, entrepreneur, and winner of Beauty and the Geek 2022.

Martin’s journey is a powerful reminder that life doesn’t wait for perfection. From starting his first business at just 10 years old to navigating ADHD, dyslexia, and reality TV fame, he shares what it really takes to keep going — even when the world isn’t cheering you on.

✨ Listen in for:

The mindset shifts that help you keep going when things get tough
How to deal with criticism (especially when you do something different) by staying delusional
Why finding “your people” matters for business and life
The importance of staying true to yourself – even in a social media-driven world

🎧 Listen to the episode here

Martin’s key quote says it all: “Life just unfolds, doesn’t it? Just keep riding the wave.”

🔍 Why Do YOU Procrastinate?

Here’s the thing: procrastination doesn’t show up the same way for everyone.

Are you an Achiever, freezing when you can’t see the “perfect” result?
A Visionary, juggling so many ideas that you can’t pin one down?
A Grounded Thinker, analysing every option until decision-making feels impossible?
Or a Strategist, wanting to map every step before you dare to start?

When you understand your personality tendencies, procrastination stops being a mystery — and you can work with your wiring, instead of against it.

🎯 Take the Aligned Personality Quiz and find out which type you are (and get personalised tips for breaking the cycle).

👉 Take the quiz here

✨ Final Thought: You’re Not Lazy. You’re Human.

Procrastination isn’t proof that you don’t care. It’s often proof that you care too much — so much that you’re scared to begin.

This month, give yourself permission to start imperfectly. Because once you take that first step — even just for five minutes — you’ll prove to yourself that you’re capable of more than you think.