Is Procrastination Linked to OCD? All You Need to know

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Most people may not see, at first glance, any relationship between procrastination and Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). After all, they seem totally unrelated. Procrastination is the chronic tendency to delay tasks and activities, while OCD is more centered around repetitive tasks and an overfocus on details. But this first glance may be misleading.

Yes, there is compelling evidence that procrastination is linked to OCD. In fact, symptoms of OCD, such as anxiety, repetitive behavior, and compulsive avoidance, may all contribute to procrastination.

Procrastination and OCD are related in peculiar ways, and it is sometimes hard to spot how they are connected and how they feed into each other.

The first step to getting better is to figure out how your OCD symptoms are making you procrastinate more.

To learn more on this topic, keep reading!

OCD and Procrastination

According to Mayo Clinic, obsessive-compulsive disorde (OCD) features a pattern of unwanted and intrusive thoughts (obsessions) that lead you to do repetitive behaviors (compulsions). These obsessions and compulsions interfere with daily activities and cause significant distress.

One example of an intrusive and repetitive thought in OCD is the fear of being contaminated, which is the most common subtype.

So the vicious cycle of OCD goes like this :

Obsessive thought: you tell yourself : “What if that doorknob had germs on it and I got sick?”

Anxiety : you feel stressed and anxious about being contaminated and getting sick.

Compulsion: you start engaging in avoidant behavior (“avoid touching door knobs”) and ritual behaviors (“excessive hand washing”).

Temporary relief: when you finish your compulsions (avoiding door knobs and washing your hands repeatedly), you’ll feel calmer, and your anxiety level will drop.

This temporary relief is short lived, and the obsessive thoughts soon resurface and invade your mind, and the cycle continues.

Now that you understand the cycle of OCD, you may be asking yourself, “How is OCD related to procrastination?”

In fact, many OCD sufferers report crippling procrastination, as the two seem so connected. This is true because many symptoms of OCD are also triggers for procrastination.

Several studies have found an association between OCD and procrastination and shown that symptoms of OCD, such as intolerance of uncertainty and perfectionism, can affect procrastination.

How Does OCD Affect Procrastination?

Many OCD symptoms tend to cause or exacerbate procrastination. Many factors may explain why OCD and procrastination tend to go hand in hand. Let us see the main factors.

1. Perfectionism Procrastination and OCD:

People with OCD tend to be perfectionists; they are detail-oriented and more likely to have a black-and-white mindset, the kind of mindset where everything should be done a certain way.

Studies have shown that perfectionism is strongly associated with OCD and can even be an early predictor of OCD symptoms in young people.

On the other hand, perfectionism has also been linked to procrastination.

As a perfectionist, you’d like everything you do to be just perfect; this can trigger crippling rumination, doubt, and anxiety over doing even simple tasks, which can make you avoid the task or activity altogether because you doubt your ability to perform well.

In short, OCD is linked to perfectionism, and perfectionism causes procrastination, so perfectionism procrastination and OCD can be viewed as part of a vicious cycle that feeds off itself.

Check out this article on perfectionism and procrastination ffor amore in-depth explanation.

2. Compulsive Avoidance and Procrastination:

Compulsive avoidance is the act of avoiding certain situations out of irrational and obsessive fear.

So you avoid touching a doorknob because you are afraid of contamination.

Well, avoiding certain situations might make it harder for you to do other things, so you start putting off certain things out of anxiety and fear.

For example, someone who has a contamination obsession may avoid public restrooms or going to the gym. This avoidance hinders your productivity and ability to face certain situations and perform even basic tasks.

3. OCD Compulsions and Obsessions Can Trigger Procrastination:

OCD leads to compulsive behaviors, such as ordering and rearranging things, excessive hand washing, or checking door locks.

All these compulsions consume your time and energy and drain you physically, mentally, and emotionally, so you are exhausted and left with little energy to perform necessary tasks.

Discipline and self-control are finite resources, and if you spend your energy on irrational rituals and obsessive thoughts, you don’t have much left for what’s important in your life. Procrastination may start taking hold of your life.

4. OCD Indecisiveness, Doubt, and Fear of Uncertainty Often Trigger Procrastination.

Studies have linked OCD with indecisiveness, pathological doubt, and avoidance of uncertainty. All these factors can cause or aggravate you tendency towards procrastination.

Intolerance and avoidance of uncertainty mean you’d rather avoid certain tasks than be faced with the uncertainty of the outcome. This is what’s called “uncertainty paralysis,” which has been associated with procrastination according to a 2016 study.

Is Procrastination Linked to OCD?

Yes, there is compelling evidence that OCD is strongly associated with procrastination, and it is believed that people with OCD tend to procrastinate more than those without OCD.

A 2010 study found that obsessive-compulsive symptoms were linked to high levels of academic procrastination.

However, another study failed to find significant correlation between clinical obsessive-compulsive disorder and avoidant procrastination.

Therefore, larger and more targeted studies are needed to confirm this link.

What Is Compulsive Procrastination?

Compulsive procrastination is not a clinical term, but it refers to chronic procrastination, which is the pervasive tendency to unnecessarily postpone tasks and activities despite negative consequences.

This tendency to procrastinate may become a long-term problem and invade all aspects of your life, and for that reason you may encounter the term compulsive procrastination, which is a way to put the compulsive part of procrastination into perspective.

Procrastination can in fact become overwhelming, making you feel helpless and mentally and emotionally exhausted.

Does OCD Make You Unmotivated?

Yes, OCD can play a significant role in your lack of motivation, and many OCD symptoms and comorbidities are responsible for low motivation.

As there is a high comorbidity between OCD and depression, this means that people suffering from OCD have a higher chance of also developing depression. If you are depressed, you are likely to lose interest in normal activities, feel tired all the time, and have no motivation to do anything.

OCD is also associated with higher levels of obsessive thoughts and rumination, which often drain you mentally and physically. Your energy is wasted on obsessive and repetitive thoughts and behaviors, so no wonder you have little energy or motivation left to do important things.

Check this article for more in-depth explanation of the link between procrastination and depression.

Do People With OCD Procrastinate More?

Most likely, yes, as people with OCD tend to exhibit symptoms that cause or worsen procrastination compared to the general population.

Although studies in this area are quite scarce, a 2015 study found that OCD patients are significantly more impulsive than the control group. This finding is consistent with the literature linking OCD with low impulse control.

On the other hand, impulsivity was found to be closely associated with procrastination. When you have poor self-control and low impulse control, you tend to procrastinate more when faced with “unpleasant tasks.”.

How Do I Stop OCD Procrastination?

Procrastination can be considered a side effect or symptom of OCD. With this in mind, you should first tackle the symptoms of OCD, because when your OCD symptoms get better, it is very likely that your procrastination will also improve.

Many treatments are available for people with OCD. Psychotherapy, and especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), is considered the gold standard in the treatment of OCD. Medication is also another treatment option.

If you think you have symptoms of OCD that are interfering with your day-to-day life, it is important to seek professional help.

If you are hesitant to ask for help in person, there is specialized online therapy available with licensed therapists.

According to the American Psychological Association, teletherapy is just as effective as in-person sessions for treating a wide range of mental health conditions, including depression and anxiety disorders.

One of the leading online therapy platforms you can try is Talk Space, which includes a wide network of licensed providers covering a broad range of mental health specialties, including OCD and depression.