6 Thinking Hats

Black hat thinkers look at the potentially negative outcomes of a decision.
They are cautious and look for

reasons why something might not work, asking questions like:
Will this really work?
How is this likely to fail?
How can we justify this financially?
While this does not sound like an inspiring person to be around, they just might save your project, because they
identify weak points that should be discovered sooner rather than later. Black Hat thinking will also make your
solutions more resilient and effective because you have run them through grueling worst-case scenarios.
Losing Precious Time
How much time have you wasted procrastinating?
The worst thing about procrastinating is the moment you realize that you are two, five, or ten years older
and nothing has changed.
This is a terrible feeling because you cannot turn back the hands of time; you just must live with the
helpless feeling of regret. There is nothing worse than feeling frustrated at yourself, knowing the situation could
have been so different if only you had taken that first step.
Blowing Opportunities
How many opportunities have you wasted because you did not take advantage of them when they were
there? This is when the effects of procrastination make you really want to kick yourself.
What you do not realize is that the opportunity could have been life changing, but you missed out on it.
Most opportunities only come around once; you are never guaranteed a second chance.
Opportunities are the world’s way of giving you more, so do yourself a favor and grab them with both hands
as soon as they present themselves.
Not Meeting Goals
Procrastination seems to come on with full force when we entertain the thought of goals, of wanting to
achieve or change something. You might have a strong desire to change, but you just cannot seem to take the
first step forward.
This is normally confusing and perplexing; you might find yourself thinking, “Why is it so hard to go for
something that I want so badly?” Only you can answer that; you will have to explore a little deeper into the
resistance.
We set goals because we have a deep desire to better our lives in some way. If you do not do this because of
procrastination, you reduce the possibility to better your life.
Uncover the root cause behind your procrastination if it is preventing you from achieving your goals, or you
may never attain them.
Ruining a Career
The way you work directly affects your results, how much you achieve, and how well you perform, so the
effects of procrastination can end up being detrimental to your career.
Procrastination may prevent you from meeting deadlines or achieving your monthly targets. What
consequence will this eventually have on your career?
You might miss out on promotions or even be at risk of losing your job. You can try to hide it for a while,
but don’t doubt that long-term procrastination at work will almost certainly ruin your career.
Lower Self-Esteem
This is one of the vicious circles you might find yourself in. We tend to procrastinate because low self-
esteem makes us feel that we will not be able to get a task or project done the right way. Unfortunately,
procrastinating only increases feelings of low self-esteem, making us doubt ourselves even more.
One study involving 426 college students found that “academic procrastination was negatively predicted by
self-esteem, and self-control.”
When we have low self-esteem, we hold ourselves back, feel unworthy of success, and begin to self-
sabotage. Procrastination eats away your confidence, slowly but surely.
If this resonates with you, focus on building your self-esteem instead of holding on to the illusion that you
should be able to do something, as this makes you force yourself into something when you are not ready.
Making Poor Decisions
Poor decision making is one of the worst effects of procrastination. When you procrastinate, you make
decisions based on criteria that most likely would not be there if you did not procrastinate, like pressure
to finally decide because time is running out.
Emotions heavily influence the decisions we make, and procrastination increases negative emotions, which
can push us into making decisions that do not serve us in the long run.
Instead of rushing through decisions while procrastinating, write out all the possibilities and find a calm
moment to analyze the pros and cons of each.
Damage to Your Reputation
When you keep saying you will do something and you do not, your reputation gets tarnished, as nobody
wants empty promises. Besides damaging your own reputation, you are damaging your self-esteem and self-
confidence. You will find that it gets easier to procrastinate each time because you are not surprising yourself
anymore.
People could stop depending on you and hold back on offering you opportunities because they could be
worried that you will simply procrastinate, leaving them to clean up the mess.
Even if you already have a reputation of being a procrastinator, you can turn it around. Next time someone
asks you for something, use all the tools at your disposal to get it done on time. Each time you fulfill a request,
your reputation will begin to build back up, which will lead to more opportunities and better relationships with
those around you.
Risking Your Health
Among the effects of procrastination are mental health problems like stress and anxiety, and these in turn
are linked to health issues. If your procrastination leads to feelings of depression, this will start to affect other
areas of your life.
If you procrastinate too much with something, it will most likely start to stress you out and cause anxiety,
especially when other people or things are involved, and all of this can lead to poor health outcomes.
Another way that procrastination can affect your health in the short term is when you continually put off
check-ups and postpone appointments or things you need to do, such as exercise. The problem only gets worse
and the consequences more dire.
Final Thoughts
The effects of procrastination may not seem all that bad at first, but over time, those effects can build,
leading to stress, anxiety, broken dreams, and low self-esteem. Instead of letting procrastination take hold, take
the time to develop time management techniques to help you deal with it when it appears.
In a study on procrastination interventions, researchers discovered that cognitive behavioral

therapy significantly reduced procrastination and, furthermore, “reduced procrastination more strongly than the
other types of interventions”. If you find yourself continuing to struggle with procrastination, cognitive
behavioral therapy may be a great option to try.

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Black hat thinkers look at the potentially negative outcomes of a decision.

They are cautious and look for

Will this really work?

How is this likely to fail?

How can we justify this financially?

Losing Precious Time

How much time have you wasted procrastinating?

Not Meeting Goals

Making Poor Decisions

Damage to Your Reputation

Risking Your Health

In a study on procrastination interventions, researchers discovered that cognitive behavioral

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