I’ve often wondered if successful people suffer from procrastination. While researching a different article, I read that the average person loses 55 days each year to procrastination!

Working as a Virtual Assistant has allowed me to meet many people in different stages of business and to see how different organizations work. I also get to see behind the curtain of some successful ventures and how their leaders have created routines to maximize their results. So when I asked, “Do you ever feel like you’re procrastinating?” I got some surprising answers.

Many leaders admit to procrastinating.

I also learned there is more than one type of procrastination or underlying cause.

Types of Procrastination

Through multiple psychological and results coaching resources, I’ve found the following to be the most common types of procrastination. I was also better able to understand how I already manage my type of procrastination. Don’t worry, procrastination doesn’t define you or your business and it can be helpful to know more about the causes.

I found Procrastination can be grouped into three distinct types:

• • Those who can’t start: If you fall into this category you might be avoiding something larger than just the task at hand.
    • The Overbooked has too many projects lined up. This can lead to difficulty in deciding which project takes priority, and often leads to a more enjoyable activity, like scrolling social media, instead of starting.
    • The Over Doer is like the overbooked. They have many different priorities that lead to difficulty in making decisions. This can also lead to attempts as multi-tasking that increase confusion and lead to burnout.
    • The Worrier is capable of making decisions and seeing priorities; however, they fear the risks involved with the choices. The worrier may also have difficulty in completing a project because they are unsure what will come next, or the lack of projects once one is complete.
  • Those who can’t finish: If you fall into this category, scheduling might be a difficulty for you as well.
    • The Perfectionist is focused on the project being completed perfectly to the letter. The attempt at perfection might include many revisions, the inability to delegate, and a fear of making mistakes.
    • The Dreamer is often unfocused, easily distracted with new ideas and might consider it someone else’s job to finish the project that was started. This person is great at conceptualizing the idea of the project but might need delegation skills.
    • The Defier struggles by wanting to do the project their way, on their schedule, around their other priorities. Sometimes this person can be taken as passive-aggressive in their interactions associated with projects.
  • Those who feel pressure works to their advantage: If you fall into this category, you might be working long hours and at a frantic pace at the end of each project.
    • The Crisis Maker feels they work best under pressure and are willing to let other priorities take precedence to the project in the beginning. This includes those of us who would wait until the night before our college reports were due to write them.

So how can we become successful even when battling our forms of procrastination?

There are many tips and tricks posted throughout the internet on better ways to schedule, mindset tricks to overcome fear, and hacks to help you stay focused. While each of the successful business owners I spoke with had their suggestions on which of these tips work, there was one common solution they all used.

A Virtual Assistant.

That’s right. Growing a business is a task that requires support from those who understand the specific skills that you need. A VA (Virtual Assistant) is skilled and ready to provide support in their specialty.

One person shared how much their Project Manager VA helped allow them to be the creative driving force of the company as a dreamer.