Overview: Hypnosis for procrastination helps us overcome the mental blocks that prevent us from getting things done. If you've ever struggled with procrastination, hypnosis may offer a solution. 

Our world is full of distractions. Instagram notifications, and alerts on your phone.  Emails to respond to. Everywhere you turn these days, there’s a rabbit hole waiting for you to go down to waste chunks of your day.

We’ve all done it. Let a “few minutes” on social media turn into an afternoon.

Sometimes it's not a distraction. We just actively avoid tasks.

But why do we procrastinate instead of getting things done?

Most of the time, distraction is intentional. We seek out the unnecessary distraction because it’s more enjoyable than a more difficult task. 

However, it can also be unintentional. We might be avoiding a task because we fear failure or we're scared of success.

Ultimately, hypnotherapy and hypnosis can help us identify the reasons why we're avoiding difficult tasks, and ultimately, help us reframe our thinking to overcome procrastination. In fact, the research shows that hypnosis for procrastination is an effective form of therapy.

What to Expect: Hypnosis for Procrastination

Hypnosis empowers us to access the deeper subconscious part of the mind and speak to it directly.

When we undergo hypnosis, we shut off the critical part of the mind through relaxation and intensive focusing. The process is similar to meditation. 

However, once we've relaxed, we can begin to work on the subconscious attachments, fears and triggers that prevent us from accomplishing more. We do this by providing the subconscious with suggestions and new information.

Why? The latest research into how hypnotherapy works suggests that our subconscious is more suggestible in this state. Therefore, we can retrain our automatic, unconscious thoughts to be more proactive.

You can see how the process works in this guided hypnosis for procrastination session:

Is Fear Causing Your Procrastination? 

Procrastination is something that we learn. It develops over a lifetime, and it’s often reinforced and upheld by our automatic unconscious thoughts.

For some people, exercise triggers your procrastination. Throughout the day, they wait and wait, and wait to go to the gym, and next thing you know, they miss the workout altogether.  

Sometimes those people are simply too busy. But why does it happen even when you have all the time in the world? Why can you sometimes just not find the motivation?

The short answer is this. Negative, automatic thoughts drive procrastination.

Often, we don't even realize they're driving our actions. We automatically tell ourselves we won’t succeed or that we won't like something. We’re overly self-critical. And then, we decide to not do something. 

The fear and negative thinking that fuel procrastination materialize in a few different ways. These are some of the most common reasons people procrastinate:

1. Fear of Failure

When we fear we won’t succeed, we convince ourselves not to take action. We avoid failure by never trying. This fear of failure is deep rooted, but it holds massive control over our actions. When we fear failure, the subconscious goes into protection mode, and steers us away from feeling hurt or disappointment – so avoid it altogether.

Getting Past Fear of Failure: You must train the mind to accept that failure is OK. That it’s a natural part of being a human. Often, beliefs become so deeply ingrained that we might not even recognize them. Reversing and updating those beliefs can transform how you approach to-dos.

2. Perfectionism

We all want to do a good job in our work and lives. But sometimes, we set the bar for success so irrationally high that it becomes unattainable. And that’s a huge disincentive for getting started or finishing a task. Again, the subconscious starts to hedge our actions, convincing us to slow down and stop. And much like that fear of failure, we choose not to do something unless it’s 100 percent perfect – so we quit.

Getting Past Perfectionism: Our thoughts can build us up (or push us down). If you struggle with perfectionism, you must retrain the mind to be your best supporter, to sing your praises and help you get things done. That begins by releasing the negative thinking patterns that say you must be perfect.

3. Self-Criticalness

When we’re overly critical, or when we lack compassion for ourselves, we become stressed and frustrated. Our mind tells us we’re not making progress, or that it’s too hard, and next thing you know, you’re putting off tasks. This occurs in the subconscious; our minds get stuck in negative thinking loops and we tell ourselves over and over again that we’re good enough.  

Getting Past Self-Criticalness: We must reframe negative thinking patterns in the mind to be more positive, to remove the critical that’s invaded our thoughts. The bad habits of thought – hearing that you’re not good enough, or other people’s efforts are better, etc. – they can derail our progress. We have to relearn self-compassion.

4. A Lack of Confidence

Lacking confidence is a fear – an irrational fear – that prevents us from getting started. You don’t trust yourself. You don’t think you have the abilities. A lack of confidence can greatly affect motivation. When we feel that we’re not competent or capable enough, we don't even start.

Getting Past a Lack of Confidence: Developing a sense of quiet confidence can be a powerful tool for overcoming procrastination. That starts with retraining our thinking, driving those negative thoughts out of the mind. 

5. A Distracted Mind

A lack of focus can prevent even the most accomplished from crossing to-dos off their list. The mind operates in a constant state of distraction; we’ve trained ourselves to “listen” to every conscious thought, to get side-tracked. Usually, distraction evolves from worry; we’re constantly thinking about what worries us, and thusly, we can’t focus on the project that’s at hand.

Getting Past Distraction: We must train our minds to get in the zone, to focus on the task at hand, and to quiet the “noise” in our minds. Often, this requires eliminating the root cause of the distraction – for instance, worry – and learning to empower the mind to focus intently.

6. Low Energy

This isn't a fear-based cause. But still, it’s a very real cause of procrastination. Exhaustion prevents us from focusing, and it’s often related to lifestyle factors like a lack of sleep, unhealthy eating, and/or stress. 

Getting Past Low Energy: We need to pinpoint the cause of energy struggles, and improve our lifestyle to ensure we’re rested, free from stress, and feeding ourselves the right foods to stay focused.  

How Hypnosis for Procrastination Works

river bed with rocks and trees - hypnosis for procrastination guide

Our automatic thoughts – the subconscious – control just about everything we do. And our subconscious beliefs, ideas and motivations tend to remain unchanged, regardless of the type of therapy we pursue.

You can reframe these unconscious beliefs. 

During a hypnosis session, the critical conscious part of the mind shuts off. We quiet it through relaxation techniques.

At the same time, the subconscious mind activates. It becomes more receptive to information, and the information we feed it sticks.

Therefore, through hypnosis, we can begin to reprogram and transform the subconscious mind. We add new information that counters the negative thoughts that cloud the unconscious. We can update this giant repository of life experiences and beliefs that controls the actions that we take.

Overcoming procrastination with hypnotherapy 

Stopping your procrastination requires a lot of work. We must teach the subconscious to be compassionate, supportive, confident, and kind. Hypnosis can help us to: 

  •  Motivate Ourselves: With hypnosis, we can train ourselves to go after the biggest, most important tasks to start the day. We can do this by quieting fears of perfectionism or failure.
  •  Recognize Negative Thinking: Hypnosis trains the mind to be hyper-aware of our bad habits. This awareness empowers us to turn negative automatic thoughts into thoughts we can only use manually.
  •  Build Confidence: Overcoming fear starts with the subconscious. Thusly, using hypnotherapy, we can begin to reestablish our sense of confidence and self-worth, and empower ourselves to be our No. 1 cheerleader.
  •  Update How We Reward Ourselves: Do you use distraction as a reward? Through hypnotherapy, we can empower the mind to prefer and thrive on getting things accomplishment, and reduce the enjoyment we get out of distractions.
  •   Reducing Negative Lifestyle Factors: Numerous studies have found hypnotherapy to be effective for a range of unhealthy lifestyle factors. Hypnosis can help you sleep better, quit smoking, overcome overeating or sugar/carb addictions, to alleviate stress effectively, and to calm anxiety.
  •  Relearning How We Work: Procrastination starts in seconds. We have that initial thought to not take action. Utilizing hypnosis, we can train the mind to take action in the moment – to empower our sense of initiative.

Why traditional therapies don't always work

The problem with traditional behavioral therapy and psycho-analysis is that they don’t focus on removing and releasing these unconscious and automatic root causes.

We might be able to push and teach ourselves to reduce procrastination, but those inherent fears, beliefs and feelings are still held in place. There will always be that “little voice in their heads” saying wait, or you’re not good enough to try, or you won’t succeed.

Hypnotherapy can turn that voice into a powerful ally in getting things done.

Hypnosis for Procrastination: Does It Work?

river at night - hypnosis for procrastination guide

The effectiveness of hypnotherapy has been researched for decades, and today, it’s quickly becoming one of the fastest growing areas of behavioral research.

In fact, The Mayo Clinic, the Cleveland Clinic, and even Stanford University offer hypnosis and hypnotherapy as complementary services.

Research does also suggest that hypnosis can be a tool for helping us overcome procrastination.

For example, a recent 2012 study, examined how hypnosis could help 60 patients with generalized anxiety disorder overcome procrastination and reduce overall stress and anxiety levels. After the trial, researchers noticed patients scored lower on the Lay Procrastination Scale, suggesting hypnosis may offer help.

Additionally, a study in 1975 found that hypnosis helped college students – a group that’s overwhelming affected by procrastination, i.e. up to 50 percent – curb procrastination. And another study, conducted in the late-1960s, found that hypnosis empowered students to be more focused readers, improving reading times by one-fourth.

In short, there's a wide body of research that has shown the surprising science behind hypnosis.

Get Things Done: Stop Being A Procrastinator Today

rocks under lake water - hypnosis for procrastination guide

The good news: You can start working on procrastination hypnosis today – in your home. You don’t need to work with a hypnotherapist (although that is certainly an option).

How can you start?

Practice self-hypnosis with a hypnosis app. With apps, you follow a guided recording that will help you relax and reach a state of hypnosis. Then, your guide offers suggestions to empower the subconscious. 

Read hypnotherapy books. For example, Close Your Eyes, Get Free, written by our founder Grace Smith, teaches self-hypnosis techniques, and you can use these techniques to reduce anxiety and improve focus.

Schedule a session with a hypnotherapist. We offer online and in-person sessions. Schedule a session today!