How to Get a Chronic Procrastinator to Finally Take Action

Procrastination is something most of us struggle with, myself included. I’ve even come across a few precrastinators (yes, it’s a thing—but that’s a story for another time). How can you identify procrastination? And once you spot it, how do you effectively address it?

Procrastination is always rooted in fear. Our brains constantly balance the fear of now versus the fear of the future. Procrastination happens when we overweight the fear of now and/or underweight the fear of the future. If you’re stuck and unable to make progress on something, ask yourself: What might I be scared of? Then, try to either reduce the immediate threat or increase the future one.

Early in my career, I managed a construction project for a client. We were on a tight schedule, and everything was going smoothly at first. We had assembled a dream team, the design phase went well, and we were on track. Then things stalled once we handed the project over to the contractor. There were tasks they could start—like preparing shop drawings so materials could be ordered and sub-trades lined up—but week after week, they failed to follow through. The team became increasingly frustrated as tensions rose, especially when they were expected to drop everything to review last-minute submissions from the contractor—work that could have been done months earlier.

I escalated the issue to the general manager of the contractor’s firm, assuming he’d be concerned about his team’s performance and would step in. But when I called, I was told, “We all know how Joe is, and none of us will change him.” I was shocked that the owner seemed resigned to behavior that was damaging his firm’s reputation.

At the next meeting, I decided to confront the issue directly. The project manager started his usual update—a list of broken promises, followed by apologies, assurances he was doing his best, and promises to address everything next week. I had two choices: (1) reduce the immediate threat or (2) increase the threat of the consequences. I chose the latter. I asked, “Joe, what impact do you think these delays are having on the team?” and then let the silence sit.

In that moment, Joe recognized how he was letting the team down and felt the social pressure of everyone around him noticing. What followed was a burst of activity. He quickly resolved everything outstanding, and the project progressed with minimal impact on the completion date—all because of one well-placed question that forced him to reflect.

The next time you encounter procrastination, remember it’s rooted in fear. The solution lies in rebalancing those fears to prompt movement. I’m not suggesting that increasing the threat of consequences is always the right approach—whenever possible, I’d lean toward reducing the immediate threat. However, in this case, the strategy worked, and the team was able to deliver on their promise to the client.