We obviously procrastinate because for a few common reasons:

* fear — we don’t know if we’ll succeed

* overwhelm — we do not really know what do to

* dislike — we simply just don’t like the task at hand

However, I think one of the main reasons we procrastinate is that we simply don’t know what we want — and I mean really want, like deep down inside.

Let’s dive in at the deep end.

Do you know what controls most of your behavior? Deep down, your everyday actions are molded and shaped by your deepest values. And values are simply the things you value the most in your life: like maybe love, freedom, security, belonging, and so on.

Most of us share a lot of values; where we differ is in how we order our values — what is most important to us (I learned this concept from Tony Robbins). And if two conflicting values are high up on your list, it can cause you to halt and not get anything done.

Let me give you an example to make it clearer. On my personal list of values (I’ve actually taken the time to write them down and order them), security ranks very high, and just under it, I have freedom.

Can you see how that could lead to problems for me?

I really value being secure — like “withdrawn into my shell”-secure. I want my income to be steady and safe, and my life in general to be fairly predictable.

However, freedom is also extremely important. To me it means a lot of things — freedom of time (to work when I want, to play when I want, to go to the library to read poetry when I feel the need) — and financial freedom (these go hand-in-hand, of course).

To be free like that — that is, to create freedom like that, I need to take risks.

And so these two values have a thug-of-war, and nobody wins. Procrastination sets in, accompanied by that nasty feeling in my stomach that something isn’t quite right.

If you have that feeling while procrastinating, the reasons might be a value-conflict you’re experiencing without really knowing so.

In order to cut this gordian knot, it is imperative to figure out what you really, really, really want. Figure out your values, write them down, order them the way you think  they are ordered today. Then look at that list and see if your values and their order support you in getting to where you want.

Maybe you need to consciously re-order your values. It is easier  than you think. Just do it. Write a new list with the new order (including any new values and excluding any old that you seem fit). And see what that does for you.

Now, do it.