“Procrastination is a thief of time,” they say, and it truly is. It robs you of achieving your goals and carrying out important tasks in life, such as meeting a work deadline, completing academic assignments, handling your finances, or starting a project you’re passionate about.
Procrastination is widespread like a global pandemic. The majority of people procrastinate occasionally, but for others, it is a chronic and difficult-to-manage issue. A 2022 study on procrastination among university students revealed that severe procrastination can cause anxiety, stress, remorse, criticisms, and depression (Rozental et al., 2022).
When you don’t break the habit of procrastination, it can harm the quality of life you desire. Breaking your procrastination cycle can help you become more productive, open up new opportunities, boost your self-esteem, and achieve your goals.
Here’s the good news: contrary to popular belief, procrastinating doesn’t mean you’re lazy, and science explains why we procrastinate and how to stop it.
If you’re looking for effective and scientifically proven ways to stop yourself from procrastinating, then read to the end.
Key highlights in this post
- What is procrastination?
- The Science Behind Procrastination
- Why you’re not lazy
- Statistics on Procrastination
- Practical Science-Backed Ways to Stop Procrastination
What is Procrastination?
We procrastinate when we postpone tasks despite being aware of the repercussions associated with it. Procrastination is a common human behavior and involves delaying activities such as chores, work, or assignments. You’re procrastinating when you binge-watch Netflix movies or surf the internet while you pile up work, clocking deadlines on your desk. But there’s an explanation for why you procrastinate instead of completing important tasks.
The Science Behind Procrastination
The science behind procrastination reveals what goes on inside the brain.
The brain’s wiring.
The limbic system is the part of the brain that processes emotions. It is responsible for processing emotions like pain, fear, pleasure, and reward. The system activates emotional responses like anxiety or discomfort when you need to perform challenging tasks, which is driven by the amygdala.
It desires immediate pleasure and therefore directs you to do things that are easier and more enjoyable.
The prefrontal cortex
The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain that’s responsible for planning and making rational decisions. Its functions include decision-making, impulse control, and prioritizing long-term goals.
By comparison, it tries to overrule the emotional impulses generated by the limbic system when faced with a challenging or unpleasant activity. In this case, you procrastinate when the limbic system dominates the prefrontal cortex. Leading you to watch funny videos on Facebook instead of finishing your project.
Dopamine
Dopamine also plays an important role in this brain activity. It is a neurotransmitter (chemical messenger) and hormone that facilitates your movement, mood, pleasure, and motivation.
When you procrastinate, you engage in short-term reward activities, which release dopamine (a feel-good chemical) that provides immediate satisfaction and reinforces that habit.
Fear and avoidance.
Procrastination is only a coping mechanism for fear and avoidance. Fear of pain, failure, or perfectionism can trigger the amygdala to send a signal to send strong emotional signal, which triggers an avoidance behavior to reduce anxiety temporarily.
Why You’re Not Lazy
Procrastination doesn’t mean you’re lazy.
it’s just your brain helping you to deal with difficult or unwanted activities by releasing the feel-good chemical that gives you a temporary reward, like reducing anxiety.
So, you watch funny videos online a laugh, instead of engaging in a 2-hour-long difficult project because your brain wants to escape that stress. It’s the brain’s way of protecting you
You’re not alone in this; many successful people also struggle with procrastination. The way they remain successful is by dealing with that habit in an effective way.
Statistics on Procrastination
- About 20-25% adults in the world are chronic procrastinators. They habitually delay important tasks.
- Also, 80-95% of university students procrastinate in their academic work.
- 75% of people confess that procrastination is problematic in their lives.
Practical Science-Backed Ways to Stop Procrastination
Break tasks into smaller chunks: Break major tasks that stress you out into smaller tasks. Like writing a two-page article with one or two paragraphs instead of writing the whole show at a go. Breaking tasks reduces overwhelm and gives the brain mini “wins.”
Use the 5-Minute Rule: When a task feels big and daunting, your brain finds a way to avoid that feeling by letting you avoid it to do something that feels good other than what you need to do. Start with just 5 minutes to trick your brain into action.
Instead of saying, “I’ll tidy my room,” you tell yourself you’ll make your bed in 5 minutes. Once you start, your brain will shift focus, and it often keeps you going for more than that time.
Set implementation intentions: You need to set a time of action on the things you have to get done. It should be clear and time-bound. Replace vague “I’ll do it later” with specifics (“At 10 am, I’ll write 200 words at my desk”). That will help you accomplish most things.
Reward progress, not just completion: We mostly cheer ourselves with the big wins, and that can put a lot of pressure on us. We eventually postpone important activities because the pressure is too great. Small celebrations fuel dopamine positively.
Please be sure to celebrate yourself when you write those 200 words down at 10 am. It’s not 1000 words, but you got something done.
Tame perfectionism: Don’t aim for perfection at a go. Start small and make progress. Taking small steps gets you closer to your goal than waiting for the perfect moment.
Create accountability: Share goals with a friend, group, or journal. When you have someone to be accountable to, that person ensures you stay on track and reminds you of your progress.
Procrastination is your brain’s way of protecting you from stressful tasks; it doesn’t mean you’re lazy. Following the steps listed above can help you break the cycle and get most done, be satisfied with your life, feel good, and achieve your goals.
What is the one thing you procrastinate about and wish to stop? Share with me in the comments, follow the steps to overcome it, then come back and share your progress with me.
featured image by freepik
Further readings
References
Okoronkwo, V. (2024, February 4). 40+ Useful Procrastination Statistics To Help You Today. Passive Secrets. https://passivesecrets.com/procrastination-statistics/
Rozental, A., Forsström, D., Hussoon, A., & Klingsieck, K. B. (2022). Procrastination Among University Students: Differentiating Severe Cases in Need of Support From Less Severe Cases. Frontiers in Psychology, 13(13). https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.783570
Shatz, I. (2023). Procrastination Statistics: Interesting and Useful Statistics about Procrastination – Solving Procrastination. Solving Procrastination. https://solvingprocrastination.com/procrastination-statistics/
