Procrastination. Valuing short-term goals above those which are long-term. Ironically enough, in working on this blog post, I am actually getting work done a day ahead of time. However, I am putting off a more immediately looming assignment found in a science project I have due tomorrow. That is typically my style of procrastination. I get things done that are not insignificant, and might even hold health or academic benefits (getting ahead in reading for a class, writing out my daily schedule in my planner, or going to the gym), but I still put off that one piece of work I dread. I’d like to think I’m a “productive procrastinator” (cue air quotes), but I think that is just me feeding my ego because I don’t spend much time scrolling through Youtube or watching Netflix. Still, I wondered about procrastination. Why do we do it, rather than just doing our work?
Over the years, I’ve heard many a classmate claim that they do their best work under pressure. The tension that builds up for them is said to be like a burst of adrenaline, a shot of an energy drink. They pull an all-nighter the night before an essay is due, and they receive quality grades. No harm, no foul, right? But they do put their bodies through the wringer, and struggle to keep their eyes open the next day. Why do we participate in this form of self-abuse when we’ve known for weeks we have an assignment on the horizon?
After watching a short Sci Show video, “Why Do We Procrastinate?”, I gained some probable insight. The theories do vary among cognitive specials, though. According to neuropsychology, procrastination could be considered a failure of executive function, how one plans ahead and prioritizes things. This makes sense from the perspective that a college student could incorrectly order their obligations, putting first on their to-do list an easy worksheet, rather than studying for a challenging quiz. Social psychology, on the other hand, emphasizes procrastination relationship to emotion regulation. The test next week gives me anxiety, therefore, I’m not going to let my mind wander to those topics until the night before testing. Finally, some believe procrastination to be a result of evolution and genetics. Our ancestors were primarily concerned with immediate threats and survival (ie. staying warm, fighting off predators, finding food). So there is a possibility that procrastination demonstrates a lapse in evolution. Maybe we just haven’t evolved enough to have foresight regarding the significance of threats beyond the span of a few days, too?
The conclusion of the research was always that procrastination is not a positive attribute. If not a main determinant of our grades or work ability, it can hurt our physical wellbeing and our ability to cope with emotions. So, in the wise words of a fellow named Ben: “Don’t put off until tomorrow what you can do today”. And with that, I am going to take on my science project… after I read for my English class.
Hi Kate,
In reading the first paragraph of your blog, I immediately thought of some of my friends who only get their work done when they procrastinate. I try not to procrastinate, because having so much to do at once only gets me stressed out – so I try to do as much in advance as I can. In asking my friend why she procrastinates in, for example, writing an essay, she said when she tries to do it in advance, she’ll stare at the prompt and it’ll take her a few hours to get one, substantial paragraph written. However, if she knows she has a time deadline, her ideas come more rapidly and she can waste less time. Although this does not line up exactly with the theories you took from the “Why do we procrastinate” video, they are relatively similar. Reading the last paragraph reminded me of a quote that lends itself to this topic: “If tomorrow is not the due date, today is not the do date.” (I’m not sure who said this quote, I just remember reading/seeing it somewhere.)