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Procrastination
The Illusion of the Year-End Deadline: Stop Racing Against Time
Work never ends, so why do you keep running?
Posted December 22, 2023 Reviewed by Hara Estroff Marano
Key points
- End-of-year deadlines are often an illusion.
- Procrastination is driven by perfectionism, denial, and fear.
- Procrastination is a red flag for reflection.
- Work never stops unless we make it stop.
As the year winds down, why do we all rush to get everything done as if it's the end of the world? The scenario is all too familiar: We complain about the stress, yet we can't let go of the compulsion to check off every item on our to-do list. It becomes a frantic race to reach the finish line, the self-imposed deadline of the end of the year.
Take a deep breath, and let's explore this phenomenon—no need to rush.
More than Just Poor Time Management
The end of year is supposed to be a time for joy and relaxation. However, the stress of the season puts most of us on the edge, longing for it to be over. A study by the American Psychology Association shows that stress increases rather than decreases during the holiday season.
Hosting family gatherings, limited time for cooking and shopping, the hype surrounding the holiday season, and the pressure to keep everyone happy can push us to a breaking point.
Many stressors during this time are beyond our control.
Instead, focus on what you can control.
Let’s start with a simple question: Why does everyone leave so many things for the end of December?
From a mathematical perspective, it doesn’t make any sense. How can we accomplish in one or two weeks what we weren’t able to do in eleven and a half months?
For starters, procrastination is an emotional battle. Despite the consequences, we voluntarily postpone doing something. Research indicates that approximately 80 percent of students and 25 percent of adults are chronic procrastinators.
But why do we procrastinate?
Research by DePaul University investigators points to several reasons:
- Fear of Failure: Many people procrastinate because they fear the outcome of their efforts won't meet expectations.
- Perfectionism: The desire to do everything perfectly can lead people to delay tasks they don't feel equipped to complete flawlessly.
- Decision Paralysis: With an overwhelming number of tasks, it becomes challenging to prioritize and take action.
- Denial: We don’t like doing certain things, especially those that we’re forced to do, so we "erase" them from our mind.
Our brain seeks immediate reward. So, we keep moving the least exciting tasks to the end of the list. Until we feel the pressure to reach the finish line and race to complete all the tasks—both pleasant and not.
The goods news? Procrastination is not always bad.
The Bright Side of Procrastination
Self-imposed deadlines create a sense of urgency that often leads to a last-minute scramble, exacerbating stress and anxiety. This is particularly noticeable as the year ends.
Instead of trying to solve the current end-of-year rush, prepare for the next year. Consider your procrastination a red flag, prompting reflection instead of rushing to complete all pending tasks.
Consider what you can learn from it you so that you don’t fall into the same trap in 12 months.
First, recognize that the end of the year is not a real deadline but a fictional one. Most tasks can wait a couple of weeks without any real consequences, unless you work in accounting and need to close financial books.
Second, procrastination can be an indicator of overwork. As a consultant, I often work with leaders and teams that suffer from unrealistic goals. Instead of pressuring yourself to complete them, the end of year should be a time to realize that you’re pursuing too many things, have set unattainable goals, or that you, or your team, are stretched too thin.
Third, a lack of clear prioritization always always leads to excessive workload. When everything is a priority, new tasks keep piling up, creating an infinite to-do list.
Last, procrastination could indicate that many tasks on your list are not worth your time. Sometimes, the best way to check something off your list is realizing that it is not worth the time and effort.
Reflect using these questions:
Are you setting realistic goals throughout the year?
Why do you leave so many things for the end of December?
How can you prevent this from happening next year?
Every time something new becomes a priority, what will you deprioritize?
What unnecessary items or meaningless tasks can you remove from your list?
A Guilt-Free End-of-Year Pause
Are you feeling guilty?
That’s the reason most people stress out in December: They focus on what they haven’t finished instead of appreciating everything they have accomplished.
That’s what happened to CEO Banks Benitez when Unchartered transitioned to a four-day workweek. His company adopted this model because research showed that with fewer days at work, people focus more and are more productive. They accomplish more in less time.
However, at the beginning of the transition, Benitez felt extremely guilty because “everything felt urgent, everything felt like a priority.”
Over time, he learned to relax, and he regained control over his time, "Now, when I close my laptop on Thursday, I still feel like there's more to do, but I know I've accomplished what truly matters the most."
That’s the key lesson: Work never stops. It’s up to you to decide when to pause and call it a day.
This is your chance to regain control of your time, not to feel guilty.
Get rid of unnecessary tasks, unattainable goals, and the self-imposed deadline—and pressure.
I encourage you to join me in this simple act: Close your laptop and take a well-deserved break. That's exactly what I'll do after writing this piece.
Let's welcome a year where we control our work, not the other way around. Happy New Year!
