11 Specific Tasks Highly Intelligent People Always Procrastinate On
These tasks don't align with the kinds of priorities highly intelligent people have in their daily lives.
BearFotos | Shutterstock Despite having specific strengths with self-discipline and productivity in many facets of their lives, highly intelligent people often fall victim to procrastination tendencies. Whether it's a side effect of their perfectionism or simply a desire for more complex and fulfilling tasks, it's not uncommon for them to push basic tasks and behaviors off, sometimes until the last minute.
Consistently indulging procrastination habits can have adverse effects on self-esteem and general well-being, according to a study from the International Journal of Educational Psychology. This is why the specific tasks highly intelligent people always procrastinate on are more harmful than they may seem.
Here are 11 specific tasks highly intelligent people always procrastinate on
1. Cleaning out their inbox
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When it comes to tedious administrative tasks like cleaning out their inbox, responding to emails, or even filing paperwork, many highly intelligent people are prone to procrastinate. Not only are these tasks unfulfilling and generally boring, they can feel isolating in the workplace.
Considering intelligent people are more prosocial than the average person — interested in seeking out connections and deep stimulating conversations, even in their professional lives — they'd prefer to not "waste" time on tasks that isolate them from their teams or coop them up in their offices, which is why they procrastinate until absolutely necessary.
2. Finishing projects they don't have time to do perfectly
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Intelligent people, especially those with parents who set high expectations around their academic and personal achievements early in life, tend to be perfectionists. They may be comfortable with making mistakes in some scenarios but, generally, they prefer to complete tasks to the best of their abilities, holding themselves to sometimes unrealistic standards.
When they have projects they don't have the time to do perfectly on their to-do list, it's not uncommon for these kinds of people to procrastinate, preferring to push them off rather than complete them in a subpar way, at least in accordance with their expectations for themselves.
3. Creating a budget
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While a study from the journal Intelligence argues that people of high intelligence generally have similarly healthy financial literacy skills, rigid tasks like creating and implementing a budget can be one of the specific tasks they always procrastinate on. They generally like to seek out deep connections, experiences that add value to their lives, and even casual, yet fulfilling, conversations in their daily lives — all of which are hard to "plan."
They want to have the freedom to stop for coffee with a new friend or go to a social outing at the last minute, and factoring those unexpected expenses into a budget can feel difficult to follow and track.
4. Calling customer service
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When they have to troubleshoot a missed payment or talk to a customer service representative, highly intelligent people have a tendency to procrastinate. It's not because they don't appreciate the value of conflict resolution or solving a problem, but rather, they have a disdain for small talk and superficial passing connections.
They don't just prefer deep connections and meaningful conversations either, they genuinely benefit from them personally, socially, and internally. Why waste time arguing about a bill or a Target return when they could be living in the present moment and interacting with people in what they perceive to be a more thoughtful way?
5. Starting a big creative endeavor
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Whether it's starting a new painting, investing in the tools for a new hobby, or writing their debut novel, many of the creative endeavors that take a lot of time, energy, and effort are difficult for highly intelligent people to start. Once they're in it, they excel — they're innately curious and creative, which makes endeavors like a creative project in their alone time fulfilling and healthily challenging.
However, many intelligent people hold themselves to perfectionist standards, whether they realize it or not, so starting a big project like this, especially if it's incredibly personal or important, can be overwhelming.
6. Outlining their ideas
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Highly intelligent people are deep thinkers, even about seemingly mundane tasks and subtle topics, which is why they also tend to struggle with existential debates and crises more than the average person, according to licensed professional counselor Samuel Kohlenberg.
They appreciate thinking about their habits, unpacking the deeper meaning behind their emotions, and often turning simple conversations into more fulfilling and meaningful ones, but when it comes to actually outlining those thoughts in a more rigid and conventional way, they avoid it.
Especially in environments like the workplace, where planning, outlining, and organizing are often monitoring and rigidly defined, containing their thoughts and ideas in a succinct way can feel like an overly laborious and boring task, which is why it's one of the specific tasks highly intelligent people always procrastinate on.
7. Networking
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Highly intelligent people are not huge fans of superficial connections and small talk. While they may eventually indulge in a networking conversation or going to a networking event, it's also common for them to push it off until it's absolutely necessary.
While they do tend to be more successful at work on the basis of their critical thinking skills, innovation, and problem-solving, often on a deeper level than their co-workers, traditionally rigid norms like networking or making connections aren't always fulfilling them in a way that motivates intelligent people to prioritize them.
8. Updating their resume
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Anything that has to do with organizing their life in a rigid way often transforms into the specific tasks highly intelligent people always procrastinate on. They've done cool, exciting, and fulfilling things, both at work and in their personal lives, but actually putting them on paper in accordance with an institutionally set document is draining and often boring.
Of course, that doesn't mean they're not reflecting. Highly intelligent people also often have the emotional intelligence to cultivate self-awareness through self-reflection, mindfulness, and other healthy rituals.
They may even open themselves up to more success at work and more exciting opportunities simply for reflecting on their careers, like a study from Frontiers in Psychology suggests, but formulating those thoughts onto a resume or portfolio is much less invigorating and fulfilling.
9. Submitting applications
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According to a study from the Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, many intelligent people tend to procrastinate on specific tasks like submitting applications and responding to non-urgent emails because of their perfectionism. They not only want to do things perfectly and to the best of their ability, like submitting a great job application, they tend to be easily distracted when the more rigid and monotonous aspects of a task get in the way.
They may always be waiting for the "perfect" choice of words to include, the "perfect" version of their resume, or the "perfect" time to reach out to a potential employer, rather than simply doing it to the best of their ability in the present moment.
10. Organizing their desk
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According to a study conducted by University of Minnesota researchers, intelligent people thrive in a cluttered environment, whether it's their work desk or a living room prone to creative endeavors in the evening. They're not only more innovative, coming up with new ideas surrounded by clutter, they're also more creative, a fundamental facet of their identity.
Organizing their desks can take away from the innovation and deep thinking they experience surrounded by intentional clutter, which is why it's often one of the specific tasks highly intelligent people always procrastinate on.
11. Reading required materials
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Whether they're in college reading boring curriculums or forced to proofread things at their corporate jobs, it's not uncommon for reading required and rigid literature to be one of the specific tasks highly intelligent people always procrastinate on.
Of course, it's not because they don't appreciate and enjoy reading; in fact, they often prefer hobbies like it coupled with solitude over going out and investing in superficial social interactions, according to a study from the British Journal of Psychology.
However, when they're reading, they like things that challenge them in a fulfilling way or prompt them toward deeper thinking. They don't want to be consistently challenged by boredom, which is why they tend to put it off.
Zayda Slabbekoorn is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in social relations & policy and gender studies who focuses on psychology, relationships, self-help, and human interest stories.
