Procrastination
Introduction
We have all experienced at least one dreadful night; slumped over your desk, the hue of the laptop screen burning your sight, running on espresso and adrenaline, cursing yourself for not finishing an assignment on time. Suddenly, it’s 11:59 pm again.
This scenario is frequent in a procrastinator’s life. They understand it is a terrible habit, affecting oneself physically and psychologically, yet why does it feel impossible to snap out of it? Why do we do this to ourselves?
Let’s explore the science of procrastination.
What Is Procrastination, And The Causes Behind It?
Procrastination is linked to basic human tendencies such as emotional avoidance, in which people delay tasks to avoid stress, fear, or boredom. It is a short-term method for regulating emotions rather than managing time; as quick gratification causes us to favor immediate benefits over delayed ones, resulting in short-term pleasure rather than long-term goals. Furthermore, because modern life adds pressure and distractions, procrastination has become a coping method for emotional depletion.
Psychological Theories and Studies on Procrastination
Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT) proposes that procrastination stems from how we value (or devalue) future rewards in comparison to immediate costs. Motivation is calculated as expectation × value / (impulsiveness × delay). Procrastination is more likely when the reward is far away, there is a significant delay and the task is unpleasant. Temporal Decision Model extends TMT by explicitly modeling "task aversiveness" and "outcome utility" like how unpleasant the task is now vs how excellent the outcome will be. Delays occur when people prioritize task aversiveness over outcome usefulness. The activity Aversiveness Model focuses on how much the individual believes the activity to be unpleasant, uninteresting, difficult, or anxiety-inducing. High aversiveness indicates more procrastination.
Reasons of Procrastination
Emotions like impulsivity challenge in resisting immediate distractions, postponing gratification and poor motivation leads to placing excessive value on immediate rewards while undervaluing future advantages. Furthermore, distractions such as mobile devices, social media platforms, and juggling multiple tasks impair concentration and lack of structure like ambiguously defined tasks lead individuals to postpone initiation.
The Role Of The Brain
Procrastination is heavily influenced by two parts of the brain, the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex, which are involved in a tug of war, with the limbic system emerging as victorious over the rational prefrontal cortex.
The amygdala, a key structure in the limbic system responsible for processing emotions such as fear and anxiety, activates when we are challenged by an overwhelming task. This action steers us towards more enjoyable activities, resulting in the release of dopamine, a feel-good hormone.
Avoiding a task simply reduces stress, which procrastination is closely tied to. However, this temporary relief is overrode by the incoming anxiety before the deadline.
Positive And Negative Aspects Of Procrastination
Although procrastination is commonly seen as a harmful activity, it has some positive aspects, such as:
- Many procrastinators deem putting off difficult tasks leads them to produce a better quality of work, as they focus on getting smaller, easily achievable tasks conquered.
- Procrastination can lead to better decision making, allowing fruitful ideas to marinate for a longer time, ultimately bringing along a better quality and amount of work.
However, the negative effects of procrastination are far more significant, such as:
- Chronic procrastinators are prone to repeatedly delaying tasks until the very last moment. Lower self esteem, stress and guilt are intertwined with this action, alongside overstimulation of stress hormones such as cortisol. Over time there is a chance of the development of mental illnesses such as anxiety and depression.
- Repeated procrastination strengthens neural pathways in the brain associated with task avoidance, leading it to become easier in the future, while the pathways for focus and discipline begin to weaken. Alarmingly, studies have shown that grey matter in the brain is decreased due to frequent procrastination, along with the increased stimulation of stress hormones, which impairs cognitive and mental well-being.
Strategies To Combat Procrastination
As with the majority of life’s challenges, procrastination can be overcome, with a few simple strategies and consistency. Experts suggest drawing up a to-do list, with clear structured tasks with a due date, such as: identifying and avoiding distractions which affect your productivity, rewarding yourself after completing any task you find particularly challenging or trying to break down large agonising tasks into smaller ones to make them more approachable.
Conclusion
In the end, a lot of us suffer from bouts of procrastination. Understanding one's emotions and triggers, and the negative consequences, both mental and physical, and implementing effective strategies can help to break free from the shackles of this disastrous habit.
References
[1] Procrastination - Wikipedia
[2] https://www.investopedia.com/temporal-discounting-7972594 (“Temporal Discounting: The Psychology Behind Future Reward Depreciation”)
[3]https://insightspsychology.org/the-neuroscience-of-procrastination/
[5]Understanding and Overcoming Procrastination | McGraw Center for Teaching and Learning https://share.google/IUOQEKtKIhIwMWi13
[6]https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.787337/full
[7]https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/edited-volume/abs/pii/B9780128028629000086
[8]https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31259598/
[9]https://ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ijps/article/view/0/40986
