Procrastination Due to Overwhelm

• Procrastination due to overwhelm often occurs when the task is perceived as difficult, complex, or confusing, with too many moving parts.
  • A task may be considered complicated if it has more than one step involved in its completion.
• Typically, complex tasks may have any combination of multiple distinct steps, steps that occur in different locations, or a wait period between steps.
  • The likelihood to get distracted while transitioning between steps increases with the added stimuli.
• This is not the same as completing longer projects, in which you have already begun the project and are having difficulty wrapping it up.

Examples

• Laundry
  • Multiple distinct steps: Gather clothes, load and start washer, transfer washed clothes to dryer or hang to dry, gather dried clothes then fold.
  • Different locations: Different rooms in the home (laundry room, bedroom) and/or laundromat.
  • Wait period: Washer takes 30-60 minutes to complete cycle, dryer takes 30-90 minutes to complete cycle.
• Research Assignment
  • Multiple distinct steps: Form hypothesis, gather and review sources, write assignment (often, these steps are intermingled).
  • Different locations: Library to find books, navigating between different websites for sources or secondary analysis.
  • Wait Period: While a little less cut and dry, the research and writing steps are often initially distinct, and as the paper continues, becomes intermingled.

Discussion

• Procrastination due to overwhelm often starts with difficulties in task initiation, especially when a task feels too large or complicated to begin.
• This can be compounded by uninteresting task avoidance if the task itself feels boring on top of being complex.
• Breaking down tasks using task splitting can make them feel more manageable, especially if combined with prioritization frameworks to focus on what’s most important.
• Additionally, task-switching distractibility can make it harder to keep momentum between different phases of the task, so creating a structured workflow is essential.

Starting tasks with clear task initiation rituals can reduce friction, while techniques like body doubling—working alongside someone else—can provide accountability and motivation. Using tools like concept mapping can help map out the steps involved in a complex task, making it feel less overwhelming by providing a clear path forward.

Sub- and Co-Expressions

Mitigations

Metadata

Sources

Tags

#ex0001 #ex0001-001 #ex0003
#m0001 #m0004 #m0005 #m0006-003 #m0009-003