Procrastination is a common problem among students of all ages, and it can have a significant impact on their academic abilities and performance. As noted in the study by Kármen et al. (2015), there is a significant negative correlation between procrastination and academic performance, indicating that students who procrastinate tend to perform poorly in their studies. This finding is supported by Tibbett and Ferrari’s (2015) study, which identified risk factors associated with procrastination, including indecisiveness, low self-esteem, and fear of failure.
The negative effects of procrastination on academic performance can be explained by the fact that procrastinators tend to delay their work until the last minute, resulting in a rushed and incomplete assignment. Furthermore, procrastinators tend to experience higher levels of stress and anxiety, which can negatively affect their cognitive abilities and memory retention. As noted by Kármen et al. (2015), procrastination can also lead to a negative attitude towards studying, which can further exacerbate the problem.
To overcome the negative effects of procrastination on academic performance, it is important to develop effective time management skills. This includes setting realistic goals and deadlines, breaking down assignments into manageable tasks, and prioritizing tasks based on their importance and urgency. Additionally, students can benefit from developing a positive attitude towards their studies, such as by setting personal goals and finding ways to stay motivated and engaged in their learning.
In conclusion, procrastination can have a significant negative impact on academic abilities and performance. Students who procrastinate tend to experience higher levels of stress and anxiety, delay their work until the last minute, and may have a negative attitude towards their studies. To overcome the negative effects of procrastination, students can develop effective time management skills and a positive attitude towards their studies. By doing so, they can improve their academic abilities and achieve their academic goals.
References:
Kármen, D., Kinga, S., Edit, M., Susana, F., Kinga, K. J., & Réka, J. (2015). Associations between Academic Performance, Academic Attitudes, and Procrastination in a Sample of Undergraduate Students Attending Different Educational Forms. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 187, 45–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.03.009
Tibbett, T. P., & Ferrari, J. R. (2015). The portrait of the procrastinator: Risk factors and results of an indecisive personality. Personality and Individual Differences. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.03.014
It’s interesting to see the causation found of procrastination on academic performance, with findings that indicate poorer results in students that tend to procrastinate (Kármen et al., 2015). While Tibbett and Ferrari’s (2015) found risk factors associated with procrastination, including indecisiveness, low self-esteem, and fear of failure, there is another crucial one worthy of mentioning: neurological factors of ADHD. Because of issues with executive functioning, time perception issues, and distractibility/impulsivity (Niermann & Scheres, 2014), people with ADHD often struggle to complete work or school on time. That said, their tendency to procrastinate doesn’t always necessarily cause a decrease in academic performance, as Niermann and Scheres (2014) found that one of the three types of procrastinators among adults with ADHD includes arousal types or thrill-seekers. While most neurotypicals may attribute their procrastination to other psychological factors like decision avoidances or decisional procrastination (Tibbett & Ferrari, 2015), people with ADHD struggle with another risk factor, the attempt to experience adrenaline rushes.
Grant (2016) discusses that procrastination may have benefits, such as encouraging innovative thinking. Allowing minds to ruminate on an idea is essentially a method of brainstorming and can result in improving the idea or end result. In fact, Weideman and Hofmeyr (2020) found that self-paced work and autonomy in structuring tasks can positively influence productivity and decrease procrastination tendencies. Therefore, as long as people have the confidence, support, and time management skills necessary to complete tasks on time, minimal procrastination can be beneficial and may help people with ADHD get the adrenaline they desire. While this is a possibility, it’s not the reality for everyone procrastinating, and it’s important to highlight the need to improve time management and stability in both neurotypicals and people with ADHD that experience these difficulties.
References
Grant, A. (2016). TED: The surprising habits of original thinkers. Ted.com; TED Talks. https://www.ted.com/talks/adam_grant_the_surprising_habits_of_original_thinkers
Kármen, D., Kinga, S., Edit, M., Susana, F., Kinga, K. J., & Réka, J. (2015). Associations between Academic Performance, Academic Attitudes, and Procrastination in a Sample of Undergraduate Students Attending Different Educational Forms. Procedia – Social and Behavioral Sciences, 187, 45–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.03.009
Niermann, H. C. M., & Scheres, A. (2014). The relation between procrastination and symptoms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in undergraduate students. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 23(4), 411–421. https://doi.org/10.1002/mpr.1440
Tibbett, T. P., & Ferrari, J. R. (2015). The portrait of the procrastinator: Risk factors and results of an indecisive personality. Personality and Individual Differences, 82, 175–184. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.03.014
Weideman, M., & Hofmeyr, K. B. (2020). The influence of flexible work arrangements on employee engagement: An exploratory study. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v18i0.1209
I agree with your recommendations of setting realistic goals, breaking down assignments into manageable tasks, and prioritizing tasks based on their importance in order to minimize the chances and negative consequences of procrastination. While I certainly struggle with this coping strategy myself, there are some additional techniques that I’ve found to be useful in order to counteract procrastination. For one, I’ve found it useful to always have working “to-do lists” on hand that I keep saved in my phone and reference daily. I organize these lists based on priority and then based on category (work, school, personal, etc.), and I then remove tasks from these lists as I accomplish them. I always try to put the most difficult or time-consuming tasks at the highest priority on these lists, as I know that they are things that I could tend to procrastinate with accomplishing because I am dreading doing them. I know from experience that if I don’t put measures in place to curb the chances of procrastination, that I could have a strong tendency to self-handicap myself when I have to complete a task or assignment that I do not enjoy by engaging in a more favorable activity instead. I believe that self-handicapping can become even more prevalent for us as online learners, and it is important for us to acknowledge that behavior early and develop strategies for mitigating it as “high self-handicappers showed poorer adjustment to college over time, which led them to rely even further on self-handicapping as a method for coping” (Gruman et al., pg. 228, 2017). While my techniques for reducing procrastination are not entirely foolproof against myself, I can definitely say that they have helped me with acknowledging my tendencies to procrastinate and allow me to combat myself in my own self-handicapping behaviors.
References:
Gruman, J.A., Schneider, F.W., & Coutts, L. M. 2017. Applied Social Psychology: Understanding and Addressing Social and Practical Problems. SAGE Publications.