Postponed Again: The Truth About Procrastination
The deadline is tomorrow, and all you’ve accomplished is a Wikipedia deep-dive. Sound familiar? Procrastination isn’t laziness—it’s a complex psychological behavior that is usually possible to overcome. In this blog, we’ll dive into common reasons for procrastination, ways therapy can help treat it, and strategies for managing procrastination on your own.
The Roots of Procrastination
Procrastination can be described as a “dysfunctional delay”: you know what you need to do, and you have a plan for doing it, but you repeatedly postpone implementing your plan. The core causes of procrastination are not typically about the task itself; rather, they stem from how you manage emotions.
While some people claim they work best under pressure, procrastination is usually rooted in negative emotions. Moreover, it often increases stress and lowers performance on tasks. As Dr. Miriam Khiari, a licensed psychologist at Dyad Psychology in Providence, Rhode Island explains, “People may procrastinate for various reasons, including finding a task boring, tedious, or difficult. When a task triggers these uncomfortable emotions, people often choose to avoid it by procrastinating, which provides temporary relief. In the short term, they may feel calmer and notice a reduction in stress, anxiety, or boredom. Because procrastination temporarily reduces these uncomfortable feelings, the behavior becomes inadvertently reinforced. Over time, as the task remains unfinished, the relief fades and is replaced by increased stress, anxiety, shame, and guilt about having procrastinated. The longer the task is avoided, the more overwhelming it can feel—turning it into a much steeper mountain to climb and further strengthening the procrastination feedback loop."
Other common psychological factors associated with procrastination include having poor time management, feeling overwhelmed, lacking motivation, and having trouble concentrating. While common, procrastination can contribute to anxiety, low mood, decreased well-being, erosion of self-confidence, and reduced self-efficacy. It can also create a self-reinforcing cycle in which increased stress leads to further delay.
Procrastination and ADHD
People with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are more likely than average to struggle with procrastination. This struggle is often linked to lower self-efficacy, which makes people doubt they can complete a task and achieve positive outcomes. It is also linked to higher impulsiveness, which leads people to focus more on the immediate reward of delaying the task, rather than the benefits of completing it. Forgetfulness or trouble sustaining focus can also compound the difficulties of procrastination for people with ADHD.
Procrastination and Perfectionism
Procrastination frequently goes hand-in-hand with perfectionism. People with unrealistically high standards for themselves often also experience an intense fear of evaluation and dissatisfaction with their performance. In perfectionists, delaying a task temporarily reduces that fear of judgment. However, ultimately, procrastination can cause further psychological distress.
Procrastination and College Students
Procrastination is especially rampant among university students. In fact, almost one-third of people consider procrastination to be a major barrier for them in attaining an education. The leading cause of procrastination for students is a fear of failure. The high-stakes environment of an academic setting, combined with challenges such as test anxiety, can amplify the tendency to delay.
Treatment for Procrastination
If you’re continually putting things off and struggling with negative feelings related to your procrastination, such as anxiety or self-criticism, finding a therapist can be transformative. The right therapist will help you address the root causes of your behavior as a treatment for procrastination.
Therapy methods such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) can be effective treatments for procrastination, with ACT potentially having longer-lasting impacts. Treatment for procrastination can be beneficial in both individual therapy and group therapy formats.
CBT is a type of therapy that focuses on shifting negative thought patterns. CBT can help people with procrastination understand the causes of their procrastination. It can also allow individuals to correct beliefs and thinking patterns that hinder them from achieving tasks, such as a fear of failure.
ACT focuses more on addressing the tendency to avoid unpleasant experiences. Increasing people’s ability to accept negative experiences and commit to actions that align with their core values can help reduce procrastination. This shift can help people prioritize completing tasks that are truly important in their lives.
Other Procrastination Management Strategies
In the short term, other strategies can help you overcome procrastination:
Break it down: People often procrastinate because a task feels overwhelming. Consequently, one important strategy for addressing procrastination is to break tasks down into more manageable parts. Completing a smaller task can help you get into a productive mindset and make it easier to get started. Similarly, if committing to a task for an hour seems like too long, commit to just 20 minutes of work—or as little time as you need to find it manageable. Often, starting a task makes it much easier to keep going, as well as increasing the likelihood that you’ll return to it later.
Create the right setting: Devices and other distractions are major causes of procrastination. Putting your phone in another room or using tools to block access to distractions on your computer can help you focus. Ensuring you have an organized, dedicated workspace, whether it be a desk, a local coffee shop, or a library, also helps reduce the opportunity for delays.
Reframe your thinking: People often procrastinate because they dread a task. Figure out what about the task is making you put it off—does it seem boring, hard, or pointless? Try to reframe the task by connecting it to a larger goal or the positive outcome. (For example, for college students, you may think about how a task aligns with your value of education or advances you toward graduating with your degree). You can also increase your motivation by giving yourself a small reward for completing the first chunk.
Conclusion
Procrastination is psychologically complex and can be particularly challenging for people with ADHD or anxiety, people who are perfectionists, and college students. However, therapeutic approaches such as CBT and ACT can help you overcome the tendency to procrastinate. In the meantime, trying strategies such as breaking down tasks, creating the right setting, and reframing your thinking about a task can make it easier to break the cycle of procrastination.
Frequently Asked Questions
What causes procrastination?
Procrastination, sometimes described as a “dysfunctional delay,” often stems from psychological causes. Emotional avoidance is a major cause of procrastination. ADHD can also make procrastination particularly challenging, as can perfectionism, anxiety, and being a college student.
How can therapy help with procrastination?
Therapy can be a transformative step in overcoming procrastination. Therapeutic approaches such as CBT can shift thought patterns that feed into procrastination. In addition, ACT can help you reduce your reliance on avoidance to cope with unpleasant tasks.
What strategies can address procrastination?
There are several strategies that can help you deal with procrastination, including breaking a task down into smaller parts, creating the right setting for working, and reframing your thinking about the task at hand.