You have an important task due at your workplace. Although you know it’s due soon, you delay it until the last minute. Maybe because the idea of carrying out the task makes you anxious. But when you actually start working, you realized it wasn’t as difficult as you thought. And you could have achieved better results if you started earlier.
Sounds familiar? Have you been in a similar situation before? Then you know what procrastination is. Many people believe they are being lazy. But in actual, they procrastinate.
The difference between procrastination and laziness may not always be evident. But we can help you differentiate between both tactics.
What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of unnecessarily delaying tasks. You may fail to regulate your behavior and put off the task until the last moment. As a result, your performance lowers. Or you may be unable to achieve the desired results.
Procrastinators are aware of the negative consequences. For instance, if you procrastinate when preparing for exams, you are aware this act will affect your grades. And you may be unable to get good results or even fail the exam. But despite the awareness, you keep postponing exam preparation.
Further, procrastination is when you prefer easy and fun tasks over important ones. You may know the task is urgent but delay it because it seems boring or less exciting.
It’s okay to procrastinate sometimes. Even the top performers do so at times. But don’t let it affect the important aspects of your life.
What is Laziness?
Procrastination is quite common. In fact, 15-20% of adults are serial procrastinators. But this doesn’t always mean they are lazy.
Laziness is when you are unwilling to make an effort. You may know this lack of effort will prevent you from achieving your goals. But you don’t want to spend your time and mental or physical effort. Rather, you prefer to rest or engage in activities that don’t benefit you in any way.
For example, you may browse your social media aimlessly. Or you may play games on your phone instead of trying out healthy activities.
Procrastination vs. Laziness: What’s the Difference?
The terms procrastination and laziness are often confused with each other. But these terms aren’t interchangeable. There are some clear differences between these terminologies.
So, let’s explore the difference between procrastination and laziness:
Difference#1: Effort Level
When it comes to procrastination, you may delay an important task. Instead of prioritizing it, you may engage in a low-priority task and keep it for later. This usually happens when you fail to prioritize tasks based on their urgency and importance.
On the other hand, laziness is about the effort level. You don’t want to carry out the task in the first place because it requires effort. And you are unwilling to put in that effort. This is when the idea of doing nothing seems more exciting than working.
Difference#2: Fulfilling Responsibilities
Whether or not you fulfill responsibilities will tell if you are lazy or a procrastinator.
Procrastinators don’t delay the task because they don’t want to fulfill responsibilities. They don’t avoid their responsibilities. What they do is postpone them for later. So, it increases the time it takes to finish the task.
But laziness means you end up ignoring your responsibilities. You know you need to carry out a certain job. But you ignore it since you prefer an idle lifestyle or want to engage in activities that won’t bring a positive change in your life.
Difference#3: Results
Another prominent difference between procrastination and laziness is the end result.
With procrastination, you delay beginning the task. But you eventually do it. There may still be negative consequences since you delayed it in the first place. It can affect your performance or reduce your earning potential. But in the end, you get results even if they are below expectations.
Lazy people, on the other hand, want to avoid effort at any cost. So, they don’t get results because they avoid engaging in tasks. So, they may avoid pursuing their goals in order to avoid the effort it requires.
Difference#4: Psychological Factor
The psychological reasons behind both conditions vary as well.
You may procrastinate due to different reasons such as:
- You have doubts about your abilities
- There is no motivation
- You are afraid of failure
- Lack of clarity about the task
- You are exhausted
- Overestimating or underestimating how long the activity will take
Laziness is more of a coping mechanism. You may be aware of how carrying out certain tasks can positively impact your life. But you don’t do it because you are not ready to put in the effort. Laziness is when you want to do as little work as possible. So, you are reluctant to work on those tasks.
Procrastination and Laziness: The Similarities
There are some key differences between procrastination and laziness. But these tactics can be similar in a few ways.
A common similarity is prioritizing short-term benefits over long-term gains. Regardless of the reason, you want to have a good mood and avoid any effort in the present. But you wouldn’t avoid or delay those tasks if you think about their long-term benefits.
For example, if you spend that time learning new skills, it can help you build your career. Or you can improve your personal and professional life by fulfilling your responsibilities.
Another similarity is giving in to the impulse. When you procrastinate, you prefer exciting tasks over urgent yet boring ones. With laziness, you prefer resting or engaging in useless activities over your responsibilities. So, in both cases, you end up giving in to the temptations that attract you the most.
Types of Procrastination
Do you want to know how to overcome laziness and procrastination? Then you should first learn about the different types of procrastination. This will help you build a better lifestyle.
Active Procrastination
Active procrastination is when you deliberately delay specific tasks. You can make this decision to better achieve your goals.
So, active procrastinators finish small yet boring tasks from the to-do list first. When these annoying tasks are done, they find it easier to focus on bigger and more important ones.
This type of procrastination can be a good thing. Some people deliver good results on tight deadlines. The approaching deadline motivates them to focus on the task. So, they may engage in active procrastination.
Passive Procrastination
Passive procrastination doesn’t involve voluntary decisions. You may experience procrastination due to different reasons. As a result, this kind of procrastination often leads to negative results.
A serial procrastinator tends to struggle with passive procrastination. You may fail to take quick decisions. Also, you may find it difficult to prioritize important tasks. This is why last-minute rush affects your performance and lowers the quality of results.
To become a better student or professional, you need to get rid of passive procrastination.
Final Thoughts
Procrastination and laziness can be quite similar. So, you may feel confused about whether you are procrastinating or only feeling lazy.
Let me tell you, procrastination is when you delay or postpone important tasks. You may instead prefer to engage in more exciting tasks. But laziness is when you want to avoid the effort and put off your responsibilities.
It’s important to manage time to be more productive and achieve your goals.