Ugh. We all have THOSE projects, right?

The ones that have been hanging around, neglected for weeks, like that bag of ‘New Year, New Me’ kale at the back of your fridge. (Ok, ok, my fridge. God I hate kale.)

The projects that we’d do ANYTHING to avoid actually getting on with. We’d rather clean the fish tank. Watch a Piers Morgan documentary. Seriously, anything.

But the good news is that apparently we shouldn’t beat ourselves up for procrastinating.

I read a brilliant article by social psychologist Devon Price on Medium this week (huge thanks to reader Matthew Harris* for the share) about how ‘Laziness Doesn’t Exist’.

Price says that most of us aren’t actually being lazy when we stall with a task, because there are unseen barriers that are stopping us from moving forward.

If we’re struggling to crack on with a project, she claims, we might be confused about our first step. Or anxious about doing it right. But it’s unlikely that we’re just being lazy.

Phew, right?

So, if you’ve got a project that you’re avoiding like the plague, have a think about WHY you’re procrastinating instead of just getting all Debbie Downer about it.

Maybe you need more clarity on exactly what you need to do. Maybe you’re not quite sure about your end goal. Maybe you’re feeling a bit intimidated by the task at hand.

Once you understand your situation better, you’ll have a stronger chance of putting things right.

After all, you might just need someone to help you get clear on the detail. Or you might need to figure out what you’re trying to achieve. Or you might just need to think a bit smaller and bite off a tiny crumb to start with instead of a big old bite. (Especially if it’s kale-related. Bleurgh.)

So if you’re stuck, try thinking about why you’re stuck instead of continually hitting that brick wall and feeling the guilt. It might just help you move forward.

Good luck and let me know how you get on!