Perfectionism, Procrastination, and the Way Out Using ACT

As clinicians who use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) with adults and teens, we often see the same underlying pattern show up in different ways: people get stuck trying to avoid uncomfortable inner experiences, and that stuckness—what ACT calls psychological rigidity or inflexibility—ends up showing itself as procrastination, perfectionism, or both. 

In this post we’ll explain how ACT understands psychological rigidity, how it connects with procrastination and perfectionism, and practical ways ACT-informed work can help you move toward what matters even when discomfort is present.

What is Psychological Rigidity?

Psychological rigidity (or inflexibility) is a pattern of responding in which thoughts, feelings, and sensations dominate and dictate behavior in ways that reduce effective action over time. 

ACT describes a set of processes (cognitive fusion, experiential avoidance, dominance of the conceptualized past/future, rigid attachment to self-stories, lack of present-moment contact, and limited values-guided action) that combine to make people less able to respond flexibly to life’s demands (Hayes, Strosahl, & Wilson, 1999; Hayes, Pistorello, & Levin, 2012). 

Instead of choosing actions guided by values, people are driven—often unintentionally—by attempts to eliminate or control uncomfortable internal experiences.

How Rigidity Shows Up As Procrastination

Procrastination is commonly framed as poor time management or laziness, but from an ACT perspective it’s often an experiential-avoidance strategy: delaying a task because it evokes anxiety, shame, boredom, or fear of failure. Behavioral research shows procrastination correlates strongly with attempts to avoid negative affect and with short-term mood repair behaviors (Steel, 2007; Sirois & Pychyl, 2013). 

In other words, putting off an important task can be a way to feel better now—at the cost of stress, missed opportunities, and lower well-being later. 

This pattern is reinforced: the immediate relief for unpleasant internal states increases the chance of using avoidance again, strengthening psychological rigidity.

How Rigidity Shows Up As Perfectionism

Perfectionism often reflects rigid rules about performance ("I must not make mistakes") and rigid self-evaluative standards. Maladaptive perfectionism is associated with high distress, self-criticism, and avoidance behaviors (Flett & Hewitt, 2002; Shafran, Cooper, & Fairburn, 2002). 

From an ACT stance, perfectionism can be a fusion with evaluative thoughts (“If it isn’t perfect, I’m useless”) and behavior dominated by the goal of preventing criticism or painful shame. That dominance narrows the person’s behavioral repertoire, making it harder to take valued actions that involve risk, learning, or imperfection.

Where Procrastination and Perfectionism Intersect

Perfectionism and procrastination often co-occur. People may delay work because they fear their output won’t meet their high standards (paralysis-by-standards) or because they want ideal conditions before starting (conditioned avoidance). Empirical work shows complex links: some procrastinators are impulsive, others avoidant—many perfectionistic procrastinators combine rigid standards with avoidance strategies (Steel, 2007; Flett & Hewitt, 2002). In ACT terms, both patterns are forms of experiential avoidance and cognitive fusion that reduce flexibility and move people away from values-driven living.

How ACT Helps: Shifting from Rigidity to Flexibility

ACT doesn’t aim to eliminate unpleasant thoughts or feelings; it helps people relate differently to them so they can act in line with values despite discomfort. Key ACT strategies useful for procrastination and perfectionism include:

• Cognitive defusion: Learning to notice thoughts (“I’m not good enough”) as mental events rather than literal commands reduces their power to control behavior. This weakens perfectionistic rules and the hold of self-critical thoughts.

• Acceptance and willingness: Practicing willingness to experience discomfort (anxiety, fear of failure, boredom) makes it easier to start and persist with tasks instead of using avoidance-based coping.

• Values clarification: Identifying what truly matters (e.g., being a competent parent, finishing a degree, creative expression) provides motivation to act despite difficult inner experiences.

• Committed action and behavioral experiments: Taking small, values-guided steps tests perfectionistic assumptions and builds evidence that setbacks or imperfections are survivable and often informative.

• Present-moment contact: Mindfulness practices reduce rumination about future failure or past mistakes, supporting clearer choices in the moment.

Evidence Supporting this Approach

ACT and psychological flexibility are supported across a range of problems and populations. Meta-analyses and reviews indicate ACT improves functioning for anxiety, depression, and behavioral problems, and that increases in psychological flexibility mediate therapeutic gains (Hayes et al., 2012; Gloster et al., 2020). 

Research on procrastination highlights the role of emotion regulation and avoidance in delay behaviors (Steel, 2007; Sirois & Pychyl, 2013). Studies of perfectionism emphasize the link between rigid evaluative beliefs and distress; interventions that reduce cognitive fusion and increase self-compassion and action show benefit (Flett & Hewitt, 2002; Shafran et al., 2002).

Practical Steps You Can Try

• Notice and label the urge: When you find yourself avoiding a task, pause and name the internal experience (“I notice anxiety about starting”).

• Try a brief defusion exercise: Say the thought out loud with “I’m having the thought that…” to create distance.

• Use a tiny step: Commit to 5–10 minutes of the task—often starting is the hardest part.

• Reconnect with values: Ask, “If I did this from a place of caring about X (e.g., learning, being reliable), what’s one small action I could take now?”

• Accept discomfort as part of the process: Remind yourself that discomfort doesn’t have to stop you from acting.

When to Seek Help

If procrastination or perfectionism is causing significant distress, impairing work or relationships, or linked with depression or anxiety, psychotherapy can help. 

ACT-informed therapy targets the processes that maintain rigidity and builds practical skills for living in line with values despite discomfort.

We’re Here to Help

If you recognize these patterns in yourself and want a collaborative, evidence-based approach to change them, our clinicians use ACT alongside other supportive therapies to tailor work to your goals. Contact us to schedule an intake or to ask about how ACT might fit your needs.

Selected references

• Flett, G. L., & Hewitt, P. L. (2002). Perfectionism and maladjustment: An overview of theoretical, definitional, and treatment issues. In G. L. Flett & P. L. Hewitt (Eds.), Perfectionism: Theory, research, and treatment (pp. 5–31). American Psychological Association.

• Gloster, A. T., et al. (2020). The empirical status of acceptance and commitment therapy: A review of meta-analyses. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 15, 14–25.

• Hayes, S. C., Pistorello, J., & Levin, M. E. (2012). Acceptance and commitment therapy as a unified model of behavior change. Counseling Psychologist, 40(7), 976–1002.

• Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D., & Wilson, K. G. (1999). Acceptance and commitment therapy: An experiential approach to behavior change. Guilford Press.

• Shafran, R., Cooper, Z., & Fairburn, C. G. (2002). Clinical perfectionism: A cognitive–behavioural analysis. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 40(7), 773–791.

• Sirois, F. M., & Pychyl, T. A. (2013). Procrastination and the priority of short-term mood regulation: Consequences for future self. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7(2), 115–127.

• Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94.