Avoidant Procrastination

The Entrepreneurial Sin keeping you stuck in the avoidance loop

You’re not lazy. You do want to move forward. But when it’s time to take action, you find yourself doing anything but the task at hand. You suddenly remember that laundry needs folding, your inbox needs organizing, or you might tell yourself you’re waiting for the perfect moment.

It’s not that you’re incapable—it’s that the task feels overwhelming, uncomfortable, or uncertain. Deep down, you might be afraid of doing it wrong, failing, or dealing with the discomfort of the work itself. So, you put it off, hoping the future you will feel more ready to handle it later.

IMPACT ON YOUR BUSINESS

Procrastination doesn’t just delay progress. It creates a constant mental weight that drains your energy and becomes even more intimidating, which makes it even harder to get started. Even when you’re not working on the task, you’re thinking about it, feeling guilty for not doing it, and stressing over the growing list of unfinished work.

This leads to…

• Rushed, last minute work that feels sloppy or stressful

• Missed opportunities because you waited too long to act

• Stalled momentum, making everything feel harder than it should be

• Lingering sense of self doubt because you don’t trust yourself to follow through

It’s not that you’re incapable—you’re just focusing more on the reasons why you can’t start rather than the ways you can. Even the tiniest step forward can shift that balance.

You’re under the influence of this Entrepreneurial Sin if…

• You avoid tasks that feel overwhelming, difficult, or unclear… even though you know they’re important.

• You tell yourself you’ll do it “later” or “when you’re in the right mood,” but later keeps getting pushed further and further.

• You engage in productive procrastination—doing less important tasks so you feel busy without actually making progress.

• You wait until the last minute, then scramble to finish things under stress.

• You hesitate to start projects because they feel too big, so you delay rather than breaking them down into manageable steps.

• You often feel guilty or frustrated with yourself for not taking action when you had the time.

• You tell yourself you “work better under pressure” but end up feeling exhausted or burned out from the last-minute rush.

What’s really going on?

The main culprit is… dodging discomfort, pressure, and uncertainty.

Avoidant Procrastination isn’t about laziness— It’s about emotional avoidance. Your brain perceives the task as stressful, uncertain, or overwhelming, so it tricks you into delaying it to avoid discomfort.

The real issue isn’t the task itself—it’s how you feel about the task. The key to breaking free is to stop waiting until you feel ready and start taking action despite the icky discomfort.

HOW THIS HOLDS YOU BACK

In the short term, postponing the task feels like relief. But in the long term, it creates a cycle of guilt, stress, and last minute panic. The more you avoid it, the bigger and scarier it feels, which reinforces the false belief that you’re not ready or capable.

When you finally tackle it, you realize it wasn’t as bad as you thought—but by then, you’ve wasted precious time and mental energy worrying about it.

Avoidant Procrastination keeps you stuck in delay mode, making progress feel harder than it needs to be. Instead of training yourself to act, you reinforce the habit of waiting—weakening your ability to take decisive, confident action in your business.

Archetypes of Avoidant Procrastination

Avoidant Procrastination doesn’t always look like mindless scrolling or binge watching tv. It all depends on why you’re avoiding action. It often disguises itself as busyness, perfectionism, or strategic delay. Driven by discomfort, whether it’s fear of failure, overwhelm, or simply not feeling like doing the task, your brain convinces you to put it off in favor of something easier or more comfortable.

The archetypes are here to help you uncover and put a name to your natural tendencies—those habits that shape how you tackle challenges and approach opportunities. Once you identify them, you’ll have a clearer understanding of what’s holding you back and why.

With this newfound self awareness, you can start shifting your approach and make more intentional choices. It’s the first step toward transforming those patterns into positive habits that actually work for you.

Do you recognize yourself in any of these?

🐢 1. The Overwhelmed Avoider

“I don’t even know where to start.”

• The task feels too daunting, so instead of breaking it down, you avoid it completely.

• You overcomplicate simple decisions, making them feel heavier and more dire than they actually are.

• You tell yourself you need more time to figure it out, but the delay only adds more stress.

🏆 2. The Impossible Standard Setter

“If I can’t do it perfectly, I’d rather not do it at all.”

• You put things off because you don’t feel good enough to execute them flawlessly. You think “Why bother trying, right?”

• You spend too much time tweaking, editing, and refining instead of finishing.

• You fear that once you put something out there, people will judge it—so you rather put it off to protect yourself.

🐝 3. The Stuck Busy Bee

“I’m doing a lot, but somehow never making real progress.”

• You fill your to do list with more manageable tasks that make you feel productive without tackling the big, important ones.

• You tell yourself you’re “too busy” to work on what really matters—but you’re actually just avoiding it.

• You push major projects aside in favor of low impact work like organizing files or tweaking your branding. Then, in the blink of an eye, the whole day disappears, and you still haven’t gotten what you need to do done.

⏳ 4. The Last Minute Scrambler

“I work better under pressure.”

• You delay tasks until the deadline forces you to act—leading to stressful, rushed work. You might even work overtime, just to get it done.

• You convince yourself you need the adrenaline or pressure to focus, but in reality, you’re just reinforcing bad habits.

• You deliver work that’s good enough, but you rarely feel proud of it because you know you could have done better with more time… if you had it.

Remember, these archetypes aren’t all bad either. It’s only when they’re unbalanced that they become full fledged Entrepreneurial Sins. Click here to discover how the positive aspects of these archetypes have been supporting you, too.

If this resonated or was helpful, click the ‘Like’ button so I know it hit home for you, and I’ll share more practical insights in future content.

NOW EMPOWERED WITH THIS AWARENESS, CONSIDER:
What could become your go to strategy to get yourself into action whenever Avoidant Procrastination strikes?

If you want some suggestions, continue on.

This is just the beginning

Starting March 28, I’ll be serializing my upcoming book, “Outsmarting the Hustle: How to Simplify Your Work, Avoid Burnout, and Build a Business You Love”—your blueprint for working less but better.

For 7 weeks, I’ll release a new chapter here on Substack, guiding you through how to escape busywork, sharpen your focus, and build a business that fuels you instead of draining you.

The best part? You can read the entire book for free—for a limited time. This is your chance to rethink the way you work and create success on your terms.

Your business should work for you, not consume you. Stay tuned—the first chapter drops soon! Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.

Now, it’s time to do something about it

In the paid section below, you’ll find practical ways to overcome Avoidant Procrastination—so you can stop delaying and start making real progress.

• Get simple, effective strategies to break the habit of avoidance and take action with more ease.

• Learn powerful ways to rethink your avoidance habits, overcome resistance, and break the cycles of delay—even on tasks you don’t feel like doing.

If you’re done with the stress and guilt of putting things off, now’s the time to shift your approach and move forward with more ease.

Unlock the paid section, and take control of your productivity today.

How to break free from Avoidant Procrastination

When you're stuck in Avoidant Procrastination, the hardest part isn’t the task itself—it’s overcoming the mental resistance that keeps you from starting. The key is to stop waiting until you feel ready. Let’s rewire how you respond to discomfort and build momentum through small, intentional actions.

Here’s how to overcome your specific archetype of Avoidant Procrastination: