You're not just lazy
Chronic procrastination’s link to mental health issues and how to fight it
For the past few weeks, I have dived deep into a study around time management, lost focus, and procrastination. As a chronic procrastinator myself, these were all fairly relevant issues in my life.
Since I was very young, I have been a perfectionist; incredibly particular, yet never satisfied. As a content creator, this makes creating high-quality work very difficult. This constant hatred of my creations has taken a toll on me as a creative without me knowing for years.
In addition to this, I have been notorious for procrastinating on my work and other important things for as long as I can remember. I never really knew why I did this, nor was it intentional. I felt that deep down I have always attempted to do work to the best of my ability and on time. But for a chronic procrastinator like me, it is impossible at times to pull myself to do the work. It’s hard to describe, but I physically could not do it no matter how hard I tried.
So, I just listened to what my teachers had always told me growing up: I am lazy, I am disorganized, and I am undisciplined. Although I never felt that these ideas were the reality of my situation, they had become engraved into my brain as truth. So, I accepted this hit to my self-esteem and went on with my life trying to be better to no avail.
It had never occurred to me that my perfectionism and procrastination could be linked until very recently. A few weeks before the publishing of this blog post, I had begun experiencing spouts of anxiety and depression more than I ever had. Although they always occurred in bits in the past, this time was far more intense and far more frequent.
These feelings inspired my research. Throughout this journey of discovery, I learned about chronic procrastination and how it is linked to mental health-related issues including procrastination and anxiety. My whole life I was told that I was just lazy, now I know that this was not the case.
I believe that the message around procrastination needs to change and that we need to make more resources available for people who suffer from it starting at a young age.
I have detailed all of my research and ideas in a white paper that can be found below. I hope that you will read it and that you can learn from it.
Hi! My name is Peyton McKenzie.
I am a professional graphic designer, photographer and content creator.
I encourage you to explore my portfolio to get a better idea of the work I create. If you are interested in working with me or have inquiries of any kind, don’t hesitate to reach out over email.
