9 Reasons Why You Avoid Things You Need to Do

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Have you ever experienced putting off important tasks for weeks only to realize they’re not even gonna take you 10 minutes to complete? If so, you’re not alone. Everyone procrastinates at some point in their lives, yet some of us have made a habit of putting off even the simplest of tasks.

That said, why do most of us avoid things we need to do and what can we do to correct that? In this article, we’ll talk about 9 potential reasons why you’re avoiding tasks and some actions you can take to change that habit.

1. You’re Indecisive

One of the most common reasons we avoid tasks is indecision. There is a fine line between gathering enough information to make an informed decision and purposely waiting to make a decision.

In an interview with the American Psychological Association, Dr. Joseph Ferrari, author of Still Procrastinating? The No Regrets Guide to Getting It Done, shared his insights between procrastination and giving something enough thought before diving in.

“Gathering resources and information is productive and useful but some people seem to be unable to make decisions – these are the serious procrastinators. They let others decide for them, so there is no blame for failure attributed to them.” Says Dr. Ferrari.

“Procrastination is not waiting and it is more than delaying. It is a decision to not act. It is very helpful and useful to gather information to make an informed decision, but when one simply continues to gather beyond the point of adequate resources, then they are being indecisive and the waiting is counterproductive.” he added.

Actions to take: Be proactive in doing things that need to be done. Instead of waiting for the information to fall into your lap, pursue that information actively. Ask your boss, your wife, or you’re friend if their input is needed. Research if the information you’re looking for is available online. Do what needs to be done in order to arrive at a decision.

If you’re deciding on simple things and you have enough information at your disposal, take ownership and make the decision.

By the way, if you want a copy of the book mentioned above, you can get a free audiobook version if you sign up for Audible’s 30-day free trial for the first time.

2. There’s No Reward for Doing Tasks Early

We often get punishments for doing tasks late, whether it’s paying credit, taxes, or submitting your school project a day after the deadline. However, we often do not get incentives for doing tasks early. So why do it early?

To explain this better, Dr. Ferrari used tax returns as an example in the same APA interview.

“Most U.S. post offices stay open later on April 15th. What is wrong with that picture? We are accommodating people who procrastinate.” Says Dr. Ferrari.

“We should be celebrating the person who filed on February 15th or March 15th. In fact, if we want to stimulate the government with resources, there should be incentives for filing early. Perhaps, there can be a reduction, say 3 percent, off what is owed for those who file on February 15th. The government gets their funds two months early and the filer saves a little money. Instead, we punish for filing after April 15th. I say, reward for getting it done early.” He added.

Actions to take: Reward yourself for doing tasks early. Buy yourself a gift whenever you’ve done an important task ahead of time, or free up your evenings by doing tasks now so you can have extra time to watch your favorite Netflix show.

3. You’re a Chronic Procrastinator

Have you ever heard the saying, “Everyone procrastinates, but not everyone is a procrastinator”?

According to Dr. Ferrari’s research, around 20% of Americans are considered chronic procrastinators. These people habitually procrastinate everything from filing income taxes to fixing their broken sink.

Actions to take: If the task can be done in 10 minutes or less, make a habit of doing them the moment you received the task. If the task is too big for 10 minutes but you have time to do it now, force yourself to spend the first 25 minutes and permit yourself to stop afterward. Chances are, you will continue doing the task until it’s finished.

Recommended post: How Do I Stop Procrastinating? (An In-Depth Guide)

4. You’re Overthinking Your Tasks

In connection with indecisiveness, overthinking your tasks can also lead to procrastination. Overthinkers literally make simple tasks more complex which diminishes their motivation to do them at all.

They experience what we call analysis paralysis—a situation where overthinking leads to indecision.

Most of these people think overthinking a simple task is productive because they’re thinking about it thoroughly which would eventually make the results better. But in reality, an overthought output is often no better than the output without overanalyzing.

Actions to take: Simplify tasks. Stop trying to make the task perfect by analyzing it more than you should. In some cases, it’s better to start doing the task right now and have the flexibility to correct yourself along the way. Your output may not be perfect, but at least it’s half done.

5. You’re Not Confident In Your Abilities

Another reason why you avoid things you need to do is that you’re not confident in your abilities. How many times have you pushed a task because you wanted to learn more about the subject even though you obviously know enough to do something?

When we’re uncertain about something, it’s natural to want to put that off until we know more about it. However, doing so will only delay the task. Moreover, you aren’t even going to try to learn more about the task unless you have no more choice but to do it anyway.

Actions to take: Be confident in what you know. Chances are, you’ll know what to do once you start doing tasks. I can’t tell you how many times I felt competent about a project only to find myself completing something with flying colors in the end.

Recommended post: Why It’s Okay To Not Be Confident All the Time

6. The Task Seems Too Complex For You

Have you ever received a task so overwhelming you don’t even want to know how to start? Complex tasks make us feel scared. We look at the end goal and see how far we are from actually reaching it—enough to make us want to avoid a certain task before we even started.

Actions to take: Break complex tasks into small ones. You don’t build a rocket by building it all at once—you start with the design, test the science, and build the parts separately in order to come up with a fully functioning rocket.

The same concept is true for other tasks. Break a complex task into manageable chunks and do them step by step.

7. You Don’t Feel Like Doing the Task

Sometimes the reason why we avoid doing an important task is that we just don’t feel like doing it. There are a lot of tasks that most of us don’t feel like doing but have to do anyway.

Actions to take: In that case, there is nothing else you can do but suck it up. If you’re tired, give yourself a break and do the task once you’re ready. Give yourself a deadline so you don’t push a task much further. Ask for help when you need it. Chances are, there are a lot of people who love doing what you hate.

8. You’re Afraid to Put Yourself Out There

When the task involves dealing with the public, calling a stranger, or showcasing your talent, it’s common to feel afraid of how other people might receive it. So, instinctively we push the task to a later date hoping that we’re “ready” in the future. But the truth is, you’ll never be ready unless you do it.

I remember when I was working as a financial advisor and I was tasked to present to another company to give them an idea of what we offer. I was given a date by the head of the company but I kept pushing while making excuses about how busy I am (I wasn’t).

Eventually, I realized that I’m going to have to do it sooner or later and I wasn’t going to be any more ready than I already was. So I went ahead and gave the presentation of my life. Turns out, I was good at doing presentations.

Actions to take: Get out there. Delaying a task just because you aren’t ready will only make you more anxious.

9. You Don’t Have a Deadline

Last but definitely not least is that you don’t set a deadline.

I’m sure many of us has surprised ourselves with how fast we were able to finish a task when the deadline was fast approaching.

When you set a deadline, you instinctively come up with a plan in order to do a task before a deadline. Whether it’s scheduling it, asking for help, or doing it quicker than usual.

Actions to take: If you find yourself frequently moving a task, give yourself a deadline and make yourself accountable for it.

Final Thoughts

These are 9 possible reasons why you avoid doing things you need to do. Being productive is a skill and you only get better at it by practicing it incrementally. Start with the easiest action step that you find on this list and apply it to your daily life.

Doing so encourages you to follow through and start your journey to productivity.

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