The Types of Procrastinators – Which Type Are You?

Are you the rare one? The one who does not put things off to the last minute? The one who does not procrastinate? I guess not! You would not be reading this if you are that rare person. It is very likely that you procrastinate just like me. Don’t we all do it?

• "I can do that in the evening."
• "I have more days until the deadline." 
• "It’s not going to make a big difference if I push it off for tomorrow."
• "Nah, I can just do this tomorrow, it’s not going take much of a time."

Haven’t we all said these words before? Do these sound familiar to you?

Almost everyone procrastinates. However, we do not put stuff off to the last minute for the same reason. Finding out your reason for procrastination is very important to properly manage yourself.

If you have an infection, one important step your doctor would do is to find out if it is a bacterial or a viral infection. Why? Because that is what helps them to plan out your management. There is no point in giving antibacterial drugs for a viral infection, isn’t it? A viral infection needs an antivirus and a bacterial infection needs antibacterial drugs. Just like that, to manage procrastination, you first need to find out the reason behind it. Six types of procrastinators have been identified, so which one are you? Keep scrolling down the page to learn about the types of procrastinators. 

The Six Types of Procrastinators

The following are the six different types of procrastinators:

1. The perfectionist
2. The dreamer
3. The worrier
4. The crisis-maker
5. The defier
6. The over-doer

These six types of procrastinators come from three different types of behavior. The first two on the list, which are the perfectionist and the dreamer focus on attention to detail. The second two types, which are the worrier and the crisis-maker focus on their future. The last two types: the defier and the over-doer, focus more on their relationship with others.

An individual can fall into one or more than 1 out of the 6 types of procrastinators.

1. The Perfectionist

You may think that perfectionists do not procrastinate at all, but that is not the truth. They do procrastinate so much that they are unable to finish the work they have started. The term says it all. They want everything to be just perfect without any errors, so they pay so much attention to detail that they spend a lot of time on a simple task and ultimately fail to finish their projects on time.

A perfectionist has such high standards on them that they may even start their work right away, which is something that other types of procrastinators find hard to do. However, they fail to complete their work on time with their unrealistic goals and expectations.

2. The Dreamer

In contrast to the perfectionist, dreamers hate paying too much attention to detail. They have so many wonderful ideas of what they want to do, but they hate to spend their time on those tiny specific details. As the term says it, they are dreamers! Moreover, since they hate to pay attention to detail, they end up putting things off and procrastinating about it.

3. The Worrier

This type of procrastinator always ask the question, “What if?” Worriers have too many "what if’s" on their way. They fear about something that is unfamiliar, they fear change and prefer to remain in their comfort zone. As a result, they start to believe that too many tasks seem unnecessary or risky, thus, delaying their decision-making process. They simply cannot make decisions about something and they try to run away from their responsibilities. They believe that if they do not make a decision, the result will not be their fault, and no one can blame them for the consequences. They just worry too much about what has to be done and never takes an action to do it.

4. The Crisis-Maker

This type of procrastinator loves the adrenaline rush he or she feels, as the deadlines get closer and closer. Crisis-makers keep telling themselves that they work best under pressure and hence, keep pushing things away until the last minute. This kind of procrastinator just loves the feeling of being in a rush when he or she hands over something in the last possible minute. However, do you think doing such action can accomplish your full potential, especially when you spend so little time on your project?

If you are a college student procrastinating this way, it will only affect you and will not be able to bring out your maximum effort in your college projects and exams.

5. The Defier

The defiers believe that too many tasks are just unnecessary. Moreover, they feel that their work has an unfair use of their time and energy. These people always ask themselves the question, “Why should I do it?” They initially resist this thought and eventually agree to do the task. However, they usually end up not accomplishing their tasks at all.

6. The Over-Doer

This type of people accepts almost everything that other people ask them to do. The find it difficult to prioritize their tasks and have a hard time to say "no" to other people, even when they know that they will not have enough time to complete their own tasks. They have too much on their plate because they are unable to set appropriate boundaries.

They tend to take on too many tasks and then start to procrastinate on one task they are doing for themselves, as they think about the whole heap of work that needs to be done. Therefore, they basically procrastinate on the things that they need to do for themselves, and then, in the end, they just realize that it would be near impossible for them to accomplish their work one by one.

All these information will help you to identify a prevailing character in you that causes you to keep putting things off. So which one are you? If you know what your exact type is, then continue to read the next article to learn about how to overcome procrastination.