Procrastination
By: Priyanka Ramanathan, '19
(CHAOS 2017 EDITION)
(CHAOS 2017 EDITION)
Procrastination. It’s something that most people, especially teenagers, know all too well. People often can not stop procrastinating. Telling us to “plan better” will not solve the problem, and is just as effective as telling a depressed person to “cheer up” So then what’s the real issue, and how do we solve it?
Many times, we procrastinate because we’re just “not in the mood”, and we’ll complete the task when the right time comes. Except clearly, as many of us have experienced, that doesn’t work most of the time. Chances are if you’re not interested now, you won’t be later, and you will never get whatever you need to get done, done. In addition, we tend to miscalculate our time. We think that we’ll have enough time to finish a task so we can afford to slack off a little. Or often, we don’t always know how to tackle an assignment, so we end up putting it off and doing things we know how to do and feel comfortable with. For example, you may have to work on your english paper, but you’d prefer to work on your math homework instead because it's your strength, while English makes you feel lost.
This is the most interesting justification, as there is a theorized correlation between lack of self confidence and procrastination.
Procrastination is way to avoid facing things that you are not good at. Procrastinators may be perfectionists in disguise, as perhaps they’re so afraid of failing that they avoid the task altogether. Maybe procrastination helps maintain your public image. People may be concerned about what others think or they think to harshly of themselves. A lack of confidence will lead you to put off thing you think you’re bad at, even if you’re good at them. It will cause you to make decisions in order to appeal to people’s perception of you, rather than make logical choices. Not doing something adds to the negative thoughts that we can’t do it, and will make it difficult to rebuild confidence in that area. This is a common phenomenon and yet a paradox as well: low self-esteem leads to procrastination, but procrastinating tends to lead to lower self esteem as well. Whatever the case may be, lack of self esteem goes beyond procrastination and can lead to depression if not resolved.
Moreover, the frontal systems of the brain are involved with self-regulation, such as tasks including problem solving, or self control. These tasks fall under executive functioning, which seems to have a direct correlation to academic procrastination. The nine parts of executive functioning are impulsivity, self-monitoring, planning and organization, activity shifting, task initiation, task monitoring, emotional control, working memory, and general orderliness. Procrastinators show a link with all 9 of these. This suggests that proscrascinators have subtle executive dysfunction while otherwise remaining neurologically healthy. The amygdala is another region of the brain that goes under stimulation during procrastination, as it establishes the “fight or flight” instinct in your mind. While mainly used for survival, this instinct is also a plausible neurological explanation as to why you procrastinate. If you have work that seems to hard, or an overwhelming amount of homework, then your brain protects you from feeling doubtful and hopeless, causing you to procrastinate because you believe your work “isn’t a big deal” and can be done later. You then proceed to take up your time doing something else, anything that seems more rewarding to your brain. By doing something else that is less stressful and more enjoyable, you cause your brain to release more and more dopamine, in time making you more and more happy for short period of time before you get back to work. Dopamine is a compound present in the body as a neurotransmitter and is released when good things happen. When you procrastinate, dopamine is released as you avoid tasks that make you upset and take part in activities that make you happy. This dopamine release and the feeling it produces make you more likely to continue procrastinating, not only within the same day, but also in the future.
Procrastinators can take many measures to end the vicious cycle, however there are few that are proven to work. For one, proscrascinators need to self-evaluate and come to terms with whatever fears prevent us from getting tasks done. We can provide rewards for ourselves in order to associate more positive connections with tasks we typically dislike, thereby not only boosting our productivity, but also our self-confidence. In addition, you can learn to pre-commit. If you set a time and place where you’ll do your work, you’re far more likely to complete your task than if you just set vague parameters. Set big goals and little goals, because it's easier to break down a big task into little pieces rather than face it all at once. Your little goals for writing that dreaded paper should be setting personal deadlines for each part of the process you need to complete. Maybe give yourself two hours for each paragraph, and reward yourself after each mini task to keep yourself engaged. Your big goal would be to complete the entire essay in two days. Remember to give yourself enough time to reach your goals, but don’t give too much time as that will encourage more procrastination. This mentioned goals and rewards system is critical in the process in order to associate more positive feelings and dopamine release with tasks you typically don’t enjoy such as work and homework. You can give yourself candy for every 5 pages you read, or maybe take a quick Buzzfeed quiz if you finish your math homework. If you can motivate yourself with rewards for doing work, your brain will release more dopamine, in turn making you happier and more inclined to working rather than procrastinating.
Procrastination is scary to think about, but eventually we have to break down and evaluate how it affects us and how to stop it. It’s beyond just laziness; it's something much greater. But if we break it down to its core and understand it piece by piece, we can eventually understand our behavioral response towards getting tasks done, and then get the actual work done efficiently.
Many times, we procrastinate because we’re just “not in the mood”, and we’ll complete the task when the right time comes. Except clearly, as many of us have experienced, that doesn’t work most of the time. Chances are if you’re not interested now, you won’t be later, and you will never get whatever you need to get done, done. In addition, we tend to miscalculate our time. We think that we’ll have enough time to finish a task so we can afford to slack off a little. Or often, we don’t always know how to tackle an assignment, so we end up putting it off and doing things we know how to do and feel comfortable with. For example, you may have to work on your english paper, but you’d prefer to work on your math homework instead because it's your strength, while English makes you feel lost.
This is the most interesting justification, as there is a theorized correlation between lack of self confidence and procrastination.
Procrastination is way to avoid facing things that you are not good at. Procrastinators may be perfectionists in disguise, as perhaps they’re so afraid of failing that they avoid the task altogether. Maybe procrastination helps maintain your public image. People may be concerned about what others think or they think to harshly of themselves. A lack of confidence will lead you to put off thing you think you’re bad at, even if you’re good at them. It will cause you to make decisions in order to appeal to people’s perception of you, rather than make logical choices. Not doing something adds to the negative thoughts that we can’t do it, and will make it difficult to rebuild confidence in that area. This is a common phenomenon and yet a paradox as well: low self-esteem leads to procrastination, but procrastinating tends to lead to lower self esteem as well. Whatever the case may be, lack of self esteem goes beyond procrastination and can lead to depression if not resolved.
Moreover, the frontal systems of the brain are involved with self-regulation, such as tasks including problem solving, or self control. These tasks fall under executive functioning, which seems to have a direct correlation to academic procrastination. The nine parts of executive functioning are impulsivity, self-monitoring, planning and organization, activity shifting, task initiation, task monitoring, emotional control, working memory, and general orderliness. Procrastinators show a link with all 9 of these. This suggests that proscrascinators have subtle executive dysfunction while otherwise remaining neurologically healthy. The amygdala is another region of the brain that goes under stimulation during procrastination, as it establishes the “fight or flight” instinct in your mind. While mainly used for survival, this instinct is also a plausible neurological explanation as to why you procrastinate. If you have work that seems to hard, or an overwhelming amount of homework, then your brain protects you from feeling doubtful and hopeless, causing you to procrastinate because you believe your work “isn’t a big deal” and can be done later. You then proceed to take up your time doing something else, anything that seems more rewarding to your brain. By doing something else that is less stressful and more enjoyable, you cause your brain to release more and more dopamine, in time making you more and more happy for short period of time before you get back to work. Dopamine is a compound present in the body as a neurotransmitter and is released when good things happen. When you procrastinate, dopamine is released as you avoid tasks that make you upset and take part in activities that make you happy. This dopamine release and the feeling it produces make you more likely to continue procrastinating, not only within the same day, but also in the future.
Procrastinators can take many measures to end the vicious cycle, however there are few that are proven to work. For one, proscrascinators need to self-evaluate and come to terms with whatever fears prevent us from getting tasks done. We can provide rewards for ourselves in order to associate more positive connections with tasks we typically dislike, thereby not only boosting our productivity, but also our self-confidence. In addition, you can learn to pre-commit. If you set a time and place where you’ll do your work, you’re far more likely to complete your task than if you just set vague parameters. Set big goals and little goals, because it's easier to break down a big task into little pieces rather than face it all at once. Your little goals for writing that dreaded paper should be setting personal deadlines for each part of the process you need to complete. Maybe give yourself two hours for each paragraph, and reward yourself after each mini task to keep yourself engaged. Your big goal would be to complete the entire essay in two days. Remember to give yourself enough time to reach your goals, but don’t give too much time as that will encourage more procrastination. This mentioned goals and rewards system is critical in the process in order to associate more positive feelings and dopamine release with tasks you typically don’t enjoy such as work and homework. You can give yourself candy for every 5 pages you read, or maybe take a quick Buzzfeed quiz if you finish your math homework. If you can motivate yourself with rewards for doing work, your brain will release more dopamine, in turn making you happier and more inclined to working rather than procrastinating.
Procrastination is scary to think about, but eventually we have to break down and evaluate how it affects us and how to stop it. It’s beyond just laziness; it's something much greater. But if we break it down to its core and understand it piece by piece, we can eventually understand our behavioral response towards getting tasks done, and then get the actual work done efficiently.
Works Cited:
(n.d.). Retrieved February 06, 2017, from http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/04/procrastination.aspx
A Neuropsychological Perspective on Procrastination. (n.d.). Retrieved February 06, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/201106/neuropsychological-perspective-procrastination
The Science of Procrastination. (2014, May 14). Retrieved February 06, 2017, from http://thebrainbank.scienceblog.com/2014/05/13/the-science-of-procrastination/
(n.d.). Retrieved February 06, 2017, from http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2010/04/procrastination.aspx
A Neuropsychological Perspective on Procrastination. (n.d.). Retrieved February 06, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay/201106/neuropsychological-perspective-procrastination
The Science of Procrastination. (2014, May 14). Retrieved February 06, 2017, from http://thebrainbank.scienceblog.com/2014/05/13/the-science-of-procrastination/