What is Procrastination?
Procrastination is the intentional delay of an action that is related to achieving specific goals. As a behavior, it is quite familiar, as most people have postponed a task, even if only for a few minutes, at some point in their lives.
The scientific community also describes it as a failure of self-regulation, which leads to behavioral patterns that result in decreased performance levels, avoidance of tasks, emotional exhaustion, and an inability to manage negative emotions (Ferrari & Díaz-Morales, 2014; Schubert & Stewart, 2000).
People who procrastinate often choose to do so to relieve the uncomfortable emotions they experience when faced with the need to take action. The temporary relief they feel tends to reinforce this behavior, which often becomes a habit.
What are the Causes of Procrastination?
Procrastination arises as a behavior when an individual feels overwhelmed by the task they are required to complete (Aremu, Williams, & Adesina, 2011). This can occur because the task seems too difficult, boring, meaningless, stressful, confusing, or burdensome.
The key factors identified as being related to the emergence of procrastination include:
Fear of failure, low self-efficacy, perfectionism, performance anxiety, self-evaluation based on unrealistic standards, excessive reliance on others, distractibility, low self-esteem, and, finally, when the individual feels they have nothing to gain from completing the task (Schubert & Stewart, 2000; Steel, 2007; Steel & Ferrari, 2013).
Approximately 20-25% of the adult population worldwide experiences chronic procrastination in various areas of their lives, such as studies, social relationships, as well as professional and financial responsibilities.
What Types of Procrastination Exist?
Procrastination is not a modern phenomenon. There are references to it in historical texts dating back several centuries. What is remarkable is that instances of procrastination have dramatically increased in recent decades.
So far, five types of procrastination have been identified:
- Everyday Task Procrastination
- Decision-Making Procrastination
- Neurotic Procrastination
- Pathological Procrastination
- Academic Procrastination
This categorization is based on the context in which procrastination occurs and on certain characteristics of the behavior.σωπικότητας. Είναι περισσότερο βοηθητική για τους ειδικούς και λιγότερο για τα άτομα που υποφέρουν από αναβλητικότητα.
What are the Consequences of Procrastination?
Procrastination is a complex psychological phenomenon that is directly linked to low levels of health, well-being, and wealth (Steel & Ferrari, 2013).
Procrastinators struggle to manage their time effectively, set priorities and goals, and as a result, often fail to fulfill their basic obligations. They tend to have lower performance, make more mistakes, work at a slower pace, and miss deadlines more frequently compared to those who do not procrastinate (Balkis & Duru, 2007).
Continuing with the consequences, a person who procrastinates may jeopardize their marriage, job, and education.
It is important to note that the belief that procrastinators tend to work better under pressure has been debunked as a myth by Skowronski and Mirowska (2013). This approach may work in very specific cases and only for a certain category of people.
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What are the Solutions to Procrastination?
As a first step in addressing procrastination, specific strategies are suggested that an individual can implement on their own:
- Structured Goal Setting: Writing down clearly defined, measurable, time-bound, and realistic goals. This process is much more effective when done in writing.
- Breaking the Task into Smaller Parts: Breaking down the task makes it more understandable, reduces the individual’s anxiety, and helps them take the first step.
- Acceptance of Feelings of Anxiety and Fear: These emotions are natural to a certain extent. Recognizing and accepting them helps to process and ultimately weaken them, allowing the individual to focus and take action.
- Education on the Causes and Patterns of Procrastination: Simply reading content that analyzes procrastination can help the individual identify their patterns and, in many cases, manage them.
- Managing Thoughts Through Writing: Writing down thoughts that arise during moments of procrastination can be helpful, as it allows the individual to process the emotions associated with these thoughts.
An alternative option is to seek the help of a professional.
Rozental and Carlbring (2013) state that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is considered the most suitable option for addressing procrastination. In certain cases, Cognitive Behavioral Coaching (CBC), which is a scientifically validated intervention, can also be effective (Sims, 2014).
Therapeutic interventions share many similarities with coaching interventions, but they also have critical differences. To make the appropriate choice of intervention, it is useful to understand the differences between psychotherapy and coaching.
The Cognitive Behavioral approach generally deals with an individual’s thoughts and their relationship with behavior and emotions. The therapist or coach initially informs the client about the causes of procrastination, providing them with a first insight into what might be responsible for their behavior.
Additionally, the client’s overall perspective on the issue they are procrastinating on is explored through discussion. For example, to what extent they like it, consider it important, or how it relates to their broader life goals.
In a second phase, the client’s thought process regarding the task they are delaying is clarified (Sims, 2014).
Examples of such thoughts might include: “I must be perfect; otherwise, there’s no point in doing it,” or “I’m likely to fail, so there’s no point in starting.” Once unhelpful thoughts are identified, the process of reworking them begins, aiming to reshape them into more functional and supportive thoughts for the individual.
The specialist, when necessary, helps the individual develop specific skills that lead to an improvement in self-efficacy and, consequently, in self-confidence (Sims, 2014).
Examples of such skills include learning time management techniques, learning anxiety management techniques, and experiential training in self-regulation. Naturally, each individual has different needs, so the skills selected vary and differ from case to case.
Clarifying an individual’s authentic priorities in life and intervening in their thoughts leads to changes in their behavior and emotions. This, combined with newly acquired skills, results in their gradual improvement.
After a number of sessions, the individual begins to think, behave, and feel differently, taking action in situations where they previously procrastinated (Sims, 2014).
Conclusions
Procrastination can negatively impact an individual’s life to varying degrees, with potentially significant consequences in some cases.
Addressing procrastination is a conscious choice and entirely achievable. Many people choose to seek solutions through articles or videos online. Others look for answers in relevant books and scientific literature, while some seek help from professionals.
In any case, and regardless of the solution an individual chooses, simply being informed about the causes, consequences, and ways to combat procrastination can be helpful in itself.
References
Aremu, A. O., Williams, T. M., & Adesina, F. T. (2011). Influence of Academic Procrastination and Personality Types on Academic Achievement and Efficacy of In-School Adolescents in Ibadan. IFE Psychologia, 19(1), 93-113. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ifep.v19i1.64591
Balkis, M., & Duru, E. (2007). The Evaluation of the Major Characteristics and Aspects of the Procrastination in the Framework of Psychological Counseling and Guidance. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 7(1), 376-385.
Ferrari, J. R., & Díaz-Morales, J. F. (2014). Procrastination and Mental Health Coping: A Brief Report Related to Students. Individual Differences Research, 12(1), 8-11.
Rozental, A., & Carlbring, P. (2013). Internet-Based Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Procrastination: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 15(11), 27.
Schubert Walker, L. J., & Stewart, D. W. (2000). Overcoming the Powerlessness of Procrastination. Guidance & Counseling, 16(1), 39.
Sims, M. C. (2014). Self-regulation coaching to alleviate student procrastination: Addressing the likeability of studying behaviors. International Coaching Psychology Review, Vol. 9 No.2, pp. 147-164.
Skowronski, M., & Mirowska, A. (2013). A Manager’s Guide to Workplace Procrastination. SAM Advanced Management Journal (07497075), 78(3), 4-27.
Steel, P., & Ferrari, J. (2013). Sex, Education and Procrastination: An Epidemiological Study of Procrastinators’ Characteristics from a Global Sample. European Journal of Personality, 27(1), 51-58. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/per.1851