{"id":13963,"date":"2025-11-09T11:27:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-09T11:27:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/?p=13963"},"modified":"2026-04-20T08:37:36","modified_gmt":"2026-04-20T08:37:36","slug":"how-to-outwit-procrastination","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/how-to-outwit-procrastination\/","title":{"rendered":"How to outwit procrastination"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yes, there really is such a thing as a Procrastination Clinic \u2013 at the University of M\u00fcnster, no less. It describes the phenomenon as follows: \u201cProcrastination is the scientific term for pathological delay behaviour. In contrast to everyday postponement, it represents a serious work disorder and can affect private, academic, and professional activities alike.\u201d A case for the emergency services \u2013 who would have thought?<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Peter N\u00e4f<\/em><\/a><\/strong>
\nZurich, February 2026<\/em><\/p>\n

I actually forgot to mention procrastination in my article \u201cAnd \u2013 what\u2019s your diagnosis?\u201d<\/a> Yet it\u2019s probably the most common self-diagnosis my clients make, right after ADHD. It\u2019s important, however, to draw a clear distinction: only a few people suffer from clinical procrastination that truly requires treatment. Most who diagnose themselves are describing an ordinary, everyday form of delaying tasks \u2013 one that can be managed quite well with a bit of structure and self-reflection.<\/p>\n

For this non-pathological, everyday version of procrastination, Tom Kelley offers a lovely linguistic distinction in his book “Creative Confidence”: he prefers to speak of resistance rather than illness \u2013 because illnesses make us feel powerless, whereas resistance is something we can actually do something about.<\/p>\n

What makes you procrastinate?<\/h5>\n

The reasons for ordinary procrastination are many. In my case, two stood out. First, I hadn\u2019t realised that so-called D-tasks in the Eisenhower Matrix could simply be eliminated \u2013 and that B-tasks are almost impossible to accomplish without proper planning.
\nSecond, I set unrealistic goals \u2013 a clear violation of the SMART principle.<\/p>\n

The Eisenhower Matrix categorises tasks according to importance and urgency. D-tasks are neither important nor urgent. They\u2019re often postponed, but could just as well be dropped entirely. It\u2019s astonishing how many of these still crop up in my to-do list \u2013 mostly out of habit long past its expiry date.<\/p>\n

B-tasks, on the other hand, are important but not urgent \u2013 and thus perfect candidates for procrastination. In our hectic daily lives, we\u2019re easily driven by what\u2019s urgent, while the important, larger tasks remain untouched until they suddenly become urgent \u2013 and by then, there\u2019s never enough time to complete them without stress.<\/p>\n

Reframing<\/h5>\n

I only overcame my resistance to these tasks once I realised: in a world of constant urgencies, such tasks can only be managed through planning and fixed time slots. Without them, something seemingly more urgent will always take priority.<\/p>\n

My second stumbling block was setting unrealistic goals. Whenever I decided to \u201cfinish a script by the evening\u201d, I simply couldn\u2019t bring myself to start. Why? Because my subconscious knew it was unrealistic \u2013 and dutifully blocked my motivation. Rephrasing the goal solved the problem: \u201cI\u2019ll work on the script from 2 to 4 p.m.\u201d That was realistic \u2013 no inner resistance, and I could work with full concentration for two hours.<\/p>\n

So be mindful of how you label your procrastination \u2013 words create reality. Otherwise, you might one day find yourself racing, sirens wailing, to the procrastination clinic.<\/p>\n

#coaching<\/a> #strengths<\/a> #weaknesses<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yes, there really is such a thing as a Procrastination Clinic \u2013 at the University of M\u00fcnster, no less. It describes the phenomenon as follows: \u201cProcrastination is the scientific term for pathological delay behaviour. In contrast to everyday postponement, it represents a serious work disorder and can affect private, academic, and professional activities alike.\u201d A […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-artikel-2"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to outwit procrastination - Karrierecoaching - Peter N\u00e4f<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"How to outwit procrastination: why we delay, how to overcome resistance, and how clear goals turn planning into progress.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/2026.karrierecoaching.ch\/en\/how-to-outwit-procrastination\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to outwit procrastination - 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