{"id":1949,"date":"2025-07-17T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-07-17T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.legalwills.ca\/blog\/?p=1949"},"modified":"2026-06-09T20:08:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T18:08:48","slug":"avoid-writing-a-will","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.legalwills.co.za\/blog\/2025\/07\/17\/avoid-writing-a-will\/","title":{"rendered":"Procrastination: Why So Many People Don\u2019t Write a Will"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Originally published: 16 November 2016 &nbsp;|&nbsp; Last updated: 17 July 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n<section class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"border-left-color:#2980b9;border-left-width:4px;background-color:#f0f7fb;padding-top:20px;padding-right:24px;padding-bottom:20px;padding-left:24px\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-flow wp-block-group-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>TL;DR:<\/strong> Over 65% of South African adults procrastinate on writing a Will. The main reasons are fear of mortality, perceived complexity, cost concerns, and the belief that it can wait. None of these excuses justify leaving your family unprotected. Creating a Will online at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.legalwills.co.za\">LegalWills.co.za<\/a> takes under 20 minutes.\n<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n\nTL;DR: More than 65% of South African adults postpone their Will writing process. The main reasons are fear of mortality, perceived complexity, cost concerns, and the belief that it can wait. Your family needs defense because you have no valid excuses to neglect their safety. The process of creating a Will online at LegalWills.co.za requires only twenty minutes to complete.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"646\" height=\"560\" data-attachment-id=\"2219\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.legalwills.co.za\/blog\/2025\/07\/17\/avoid-writing-a-will\/28919296-concept-of-fear-with-businessman-like-an-ostrich\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.legalwills.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/28919296_m.jpg?fit=743%2C644&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"743,644\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;28919296 - concept of fear with businessman like an ostrich&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;alphaspirit\/123RF&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;28919296 - concept of fear with businessman like an ostrich&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"28919296 &amp;#8211; concept of fear with businessman like an ostrich\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Copyright: &lt;a href=&#039;https:\/\/www.123rf.com\/profile_alphaspirit&#039;&gt;alphaspirit \/ 123RF Stock Photo&lt;\/a&gt;&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.legalwills.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/28919296_m.jpg?fit=646%2C560&amp;ssl=1\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.legalwills.ca\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/28919296_m.jpg?resize=646%2C560&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Procrastination on making a Will in South Africa\" class=\"wp-image-2219\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.legalwills.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/28919296_m.jpg?w=743&amp;ssl=1 743w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.legalwills.co.za\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/28919296_m.jpg?resize=300%2C260&amp;ssl=1 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 646px) 100vw, 646px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Do People Procrastinate on Writing a Will?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fear of Confronting Mortality<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\nProcrastination on Will-writing is a widespread problem in South Africa, with over 65% of adults lacking a valid Will. The Intestate Succession Act takes control of your estate because you failed to create a Will which would have allowed you to decide how your assets should be distributed. People need to understand their procrastination behavior before they can learn to stop delaying their work.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Perceived Complexity<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\nYou must deal with death when you create a Will. People tend to avoid this practice because it creates fear about their upcoming death. A Will serves to defend your family members because it functions as a demonstration of love instead of being a dark legal requirement. People feel overwhelmed by this task because they view it as a difficult process.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Cost Concerns<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\nThe general public in South Africa feels they need professional legal help to write their Wills. LegalWills.co.za operates through online systems which transform user responses into complete legal documents without requiring people to understand the law. The platform allows users to create complete legal documents through its user-friendly interface.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8220;I&#8217;ll Do It Later&#8221;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\nPeople avoid legal assistance because traditional lawyer fees start at R1,500 and can exceed R5,000. The availability of online services has enabled South Africans from all backgrounds to access affordable Will-writing services.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Are the Consequences of Delaying?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI\u2019ll Do It Later\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>People use this excuse to create the most dangerous situation. Life contains unpredictable elements because people can experience accidents and illnesses and surprising occurrences which occur throughout their entire lifespan. Your family remains without protection throughout each day which passes since you did not create a Will.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Intestate Succession Act controls your estate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No guardians appointed for your children<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A stranger may administer your estate<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to Stop Procrastinating<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\nCommon-law partners inherit nothing\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What percentage of South Africans don&#8217;t have a Will?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\nFriends and charities receive nothing\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How long does it take to make a Will online?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\nYou need to find twenty minutes today to focus on your work. Visit LegalWills.co.za and complete your Will. The peace of mind is immediate.\n\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"Article\",\"headline\":\"Why People Procrastinate on Writing a Will in South Africa\",\"author\":{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"name\":\"Tim Hewson\"},\"publisher\":{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"name\":\"LegalWills.co.za\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.legalwills.co.za\"},\"datePublished\":\"2016-11-16\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-07-20\"}<\/script>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What percentage of South Africans don't have a Will?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Over 65% of South African adults do not have a valid, up-to-date Will.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"How long does it take to make a Will online?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Under 20 minutes at LegalWills.co.za.\"}}]}<\/script>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Originally published: 16 November 2016 &nbsp;|&nbsp; Last updated: 17 July 2025 TL;DR: Over 65% of South African adults procrastinate on writing a Will. The main reasons are fear of mortality, perceived complexity, cost concerns, and the belief that it can wait. None of these excuses justify leaving your family unprotected. Creating a Will online at [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true},"categories":[7],"tags":[25,15],"class_list":["post-1949","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-wills","tag-cost","tag-wills"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>Why do most of us avoid writing a Will? 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He has over 20 years of experience helping people to write their Will and other estate planning documents. He has been interviewed by many of the major news media outlets and has contributed to articles in most leading publications. He has also contributed to a number of financial planning books. 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