What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is a form of self-regulation failure characterized by the irrational delay of tasks despite potentially negative consequences. (Prem et al. 2018)
To put it simply - avoiding doing something until the very last moment.
It is a common problem that affects 20% of people in the U.S. (Ferrari 2010)
In the current digital world, it is no wonder that another study found that approximately 50% use the internet to procrastinate. (Lavoie et al. 2001)
Another very important fact about procrastination is that it is task-dependent. Research conducted on psychology students has shown that they procrastinate more on such tasks as writing term papers, academic reading, and preparation for exams than on administrative tasks and general school activities. (Solomon et al. 1984)
Areas of Procrastination
Procrastination can affect many areas of life.
Household - chores, repairs, etc
Work - being on time, writing reports, answering emails, etc
Studying - attendance, doing homework, exam preparation, writing assignments, etc
Personal Care - exercise, hygiene, food, sleep
Social relationships - staying in touch with friends, asking someone out, planning activities with other people
Finance - filing paperwork on time, paying bills, budgeting, tracking expenses. (Burka et al. 1983)
Two Types of Procrastination
Some studies suggest that there are two types of procrastination - Active and Passive. (Zohar et al. 2019)
However, the concept of active procrastination is disputed and remains controversial. (Pinxten et al. 2019)
Active Procrastination
A conscious decision to postpone actions, in order to use increased pressure as motivation to do work. Sometimes associated with positive results.
Characterised by
Preference to work under pressure
Intentional decision to procrastinate
Ability to meet deadlines
Satisfaction with the results of their work
Passive Procrastination
“Traditional Procrastination”. Unintentional delay of actions, due to inability to complete tasks on time. Associated with negative results. (Zohar et al. 2019)
The Cycle of Procrastination
When we get a new task we will face a chain of decisions and actions we need to make to complete the task.
What we expect to happen is that we will plan the task and then do it.
However at every step of the way you can slip into mindless distractions and false excuses not to do the task. And as the result, you find yourself in an endless cycle of procrastination. Each time we tell ourselves that this time we will start on time and do it “right”, but we end up in the old procrastination cycle over and over again.
Procrastination starts with distractions and excuses, that lead us to avoid working on the required task. As we lose time, the pressure from external deadlines or self-blame and self-criticism increases. Which leads to further distractions and excuses and the cycle starts over.
When the pressure becomes unbearable we face two choices
Finally do the task
Quit
Why do we procrastinate?
The two major reasons why people procrastinate are:
Prioritisation of the current emotional state over the long-term result
Motivation to do the task is not strong enough to compete with other motivations
These reasons come from two major theories that explain why we procrastinate:
Emotional Regulation Theory
Temporal Motivation Theory
Emotional Regulation Theory
It states that procrastination happens when we prioritise short-term mood over long-term goal achievement. We procrastinate by postponing unpleasant tasks to avoid feeling the negative emotions that come with them. (Gross 2014)
Temporal Motivation Theory
It states that procrastination happens when we have low motivation.
It happens when
We don't see value in the task,
We don't expect to do well,
There is a lot of time required to achieve the outcome,
Or when the rewards for completing tasks are too far in the future. (Steel 2007)
4 Ways to solve a Problem
Problem solve
When the solution to your problem is under your control. Meaning you can do something about it.
First, list all the options, then list the advantages and disadvantages of each option. Pick the solution that suits you best. Then implement it.
Regulate emotions
When the solution to your problem is not under your control. When you can’t do anything to solve it. Then, the only thing left is to regulate your attitudes and emotions.
Change your beliefs
Irrational and self-limiting beliefs often cause emotional distress. Sometimes the problem is your beliefs and not something out there in the world. Then the best solution is to reassess and change your beliefs.
Avoid/Quit/Deny
There is always an option of avoiding, quitting, or denying a problem. To pretend it's not there or to run away from it. But it usually comes back to bite you with even greater negative consequences in the future.
Procrastination is characterised by delaying and avoiding a task. What often happens is that you are regulating your emotions instead of problem-solving.
My Approach to working with Procrastination
I split the methods of overcoming procrastination into 4 groups
Increasing Discipline
Nurturing Motivation
Reducing Task Aversiveness
Changing Self-Limiting Beliefs
Self Limiting Beliefs are strongly interrelated with the other 3 groups.
Please note that I am excluding physical and mental health reasons, as they require appropriate treatment from a certified health professional.
This approach allows you to gain insight into the problem and understand where all the solutions are aimed, without needing to read tons of books and scientific papers on the subject.
As the result, there are 4 areas where you need to work in order to overcome procrastination.
Lack of Discipline
Low Motivation
Task Aversiveness
Self-Limiting Beliefs
Here are some further causes of procrastination linked to these 4 areas.
Lack of Discipline
Personality traits
- Low trait Conscientiousness
- High trait Neuroticism
Read more about personality in the coming blog posts.
Environment (eg. mess, distractions)
Poor time and task management
Inertia (difficulty stopping procrastination once it has started)
Exhaustion
- Sleep
- Ego depletion
Low Motivation
Poor goal setting
Motivation needs are not met
Rewards are too far in the future
Expected effort
Task Aversiveness
The task is unpleasant
In itself
Some tasks are not pleasant no matter what you do. In that case, we need a sufficient amount of discipline to power through it.
Due to using bad methods to complete it
Sometimes the task might be alright, but the way we work at it makes it unpleasant. For example, bad study skills.
As a consequence of self-limiting beliefs
In this case, a change in beliefs would be beneficial.
Self-limiting beliefs
Perfectionism and Unrealistic standards
Self-sabotage and Self Handicapping
Overwhelming Pessimism
Lack of confidence that you are capable of doing the task
Disobedience to external influence/control
The reasons listed here are not exhaustive.
Conclusion
Procrastination happens for different reasons. A lot of the causes mentioned above are interrelated and influence each other.
Getting to the root causes of each individual's procrastination and finding out how these reasons influence each other is a complicated process.
With the right guidance and consistent work, you can overcome the problematic habit of procrastination.
Follow the links to learn more:
References
Prem R, Scheel TE, Weigelt O, Hoffmann K, Korunka C. Procrastination in Daily Working Life: A Diary Study on Within-Person Processes That Link Work Characteristics to Workplace Procrastination. Front Psychol. 2018 Jul 5;9:1087. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01087. PMID: 30026712; PMCID: PMC6042014.
Ferrari Joseph. Psychology of Procrastination: Why People Put Off Important Tasks Until the Last Minute, 2010. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/04/procrastination
Lavoie, J. A. A., & Pychyl, T. A. (2001). Cyberslacking and the Procrastination Superhighway: A Web-Based Survey of Online Procrastination, Attitudes, and Emotion. Social Science Computer Review, 19(4), 431–444. https://doi.org/10.1177/089443930101900403
Solomon, L. J., & Rothblum, E. D. (1984). Academic procrastination: Frequency and cognitive-behavioral correlates. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 31(4), 503–509. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.31.4.503
Burka, J. B., & Yuen, L. M. (1983). Procrastination: why you do it, what to do about it. Reading, Mass., Addison Wesley Pub. Co.
Zohar AH, Shimone LP, Hen M. Active and passive procrastination in terms of temperament and character. PeerJ. 2019 May 29;7:e6988. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6988. PMID: 31179184; PMCID: PMC6545097.
Pinxten Maarten , Tinne De Laet, Carolien Van Soom, Christine Peeters, Greet Langie,
Purposeful delay and academic achievement. A critical review of the Active Procrastination Scale, Learning and Individual Differences, Volume 73, 2019, Pages 42-51, ISSN 1041-6080,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lindif.2019.04.010.
Gross James. Handbook of Emotion Regulation, 2nd edition, 2014.
Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65–94. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65
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