Procrastination is an ongoing plague that is sweeping the world. Whether it’s delaying completing a project, doing the dishes, or writing Science 200 blogs, we generally tend to fall victim to procrastination in one way or another. But what causes this? What are we waiting for?

Turns out, there is a scientific backdrop to procrastination. Psychologists have studied procrastination and determined that procrastination is based on emotions—if you don’t feel motivated in the given moment, you will wait in hopes that when you are under the pressure of a deadline you will become productive. Procrastinators know they must complete the task, but they struggle with the act of self-control in finding the connection between intention and action. They can’t bring themselves to commit to the work they have lined up, so they find other uses of their time instead. Procrastination is rooted in an emotional and psychological state of dissatisfaction. Procrastinators are fully aware that waiting to do their work will only cause them harm and stress later, but yet they continue to prioritize pleasure over responsibility.

A study done at Case Western Reserve University recorded the success of students who procrastinate and those who don’t. Results showed that the procrastinators had the initial benefit of less stress because they pursued pleasure over responsibility. As time went on, the procrastinators had to make up for lost time, thus becoming more stressed, as well as having lower quality of work and a higher tendency for illness. Therefore, procrastination will hurt you even more in the long run, and it can easily spiral out of control when overwhelming responsibilities pile up yet time remains limited. However, because this study was correlational, we cannot rule out reverse causation or third variables. The study states that procrastinators perform worse and are more stressed, but it is possible that people who are more stressed and are cognitively designed to do worse are the ones that put off the work until the last minute, perhaps in an attempt to avoid the stress or lack of confidence in their ability. In addition, the procrastinators that are more stressed could be receiving the stress from other events in life–drama, family issues, overwhelming courses, etc.

Procrastinators tend to feel regret, guilt, and shame when they realize that they should not have waited. Regardless, they fail to learn from their habits. They try to justify their actions, or lack thereof, by saying things such as, “At least I got the work done” or “Three hours to spare, I could’ve waited longer if I really wanted to.” This emotional imbalance only worsens the situation, because the procrastinator feels bad, yet fails to admit he/she has a problem and improve.

However, there is a difference between a “procrastinator” and a “person who procrastinates”. Checking Facebook for a few minutes before opening the textbook does not mean you will suffer under the curse of procrastination. However, if you consistently cannot do anything until the stress forces you to address it, or you go out for hours instead of starting your homework, doing nothing as your grades fall and your stress levels rise, then you may have a problem. Psychologists recommend setting personal deadlines, chopping up task sizes, or even receiving counseling if necessary.

My thoughts: I don’t think procrastination can be a labeled disorder as the article source suggested. I personally think that our society today has a tendency to over-diagnose. However the causes of procrastination do seem very  plausible to me. I think more research could be done on this topic to examine the demographics of procrastinators and see if there are patterns shown in the type of people who procrastinate. At the beginning of the semester I tended to procrastinate but now I focus more and get the work done in advance, and I have to say, I enjoy the relaxed and accomplished feeling that results from being ahead.

Source:

http://www.psychologicalscience.org/index.php/publications/observer/2013/april-13/why-wait-the-science-behind-procrastination.html

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/15/science-of-procrastination_n_5585440.html

via www.inkwellinspirations.com