Carlos Solis
Do you keep putting things off? You might take some comfort in knowing that about 20 percent of adults and 50 percent of students report doing it regularly. Those numbers, though, may still be lower than the true rate.
Fuchsia Sirua, a professor of psychology at Durham University in the United Kingdom, has spent 20 years studying procrastination. She knows a lot about what causes it and how to fight it.
Why people procrastinate — it’s about mood, not time
Professor Sirua says there isn’t convincing scientific evidence that poor time management causes procrastination. The issue, she argues, is really about regulating mood.
Procrastination, at its core, is an inability to regulate one’s mood and emotions, the expert says. Although many people blame impulsivity and poor self-control (and those factors do play a role), the problem stems from a misguided emotional response.
As Sirua explained, everyone encounters stressful situations that trigger brain activity and engage the amygdala. This brain region processes emotions and signals threats — responses that can lead to procrastination, BBC Science Focus reports.
People who describe themselves as chronic procrastinators generally have a larger volume of gray matter in the amygdala, Sirua noted. That greater sensitivity can make them more aware of potential negative consequences, and that awareness often leads them to delay tasks.
How picturing your future self fights procrastination
Another factor tied to procrastination is how — or whether — you picture your future self.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles found that people often imagine their future selves as very different from who they are today. Using functional MRI, the team found that imagining our future selves lights up many of the same brain areas that activate when we think about a stranger.
“Because your future self can feel psychologically distant, you may treat that future self like a kind of superhero. You might tell yourself, ‘I’ll be full of ideas when I’m well rested,’ or ‘I won’t hit a creative block in the future,'” Sirua said.
But you need to picture your future self more often. One study of university students showed that those who spent ten minutes twice a week imagining how they would be two months from now procrastinated less.
Can procrastination harm your health
Procrastination can cause far more problems than you might expect.
Sirua says people who chronically put things off experience significant health problems and repeatedly face acute issues. They are more likely to have headaches, insomnia, digestive problems, and frequent colds and flu. They may also develop hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
Procrastinators typically have lower self-esteem, perform worse academically, earn less money, and are less likely to hold high-level positions.
How to stop putting things off
Try these well-known tips to fight procrastination:
- Break complex tasks into small, simple actions.
- Start your morning by tackling the most unpleasant task.
- Use the five-minute rule: promise yourself you’ll work for just five minutes, and you’ll often keep going.
Professor Sirua believes there are two main ways to tackle procrastination at its root:
- self-compassion
- cognitive reframing
On the first point, Sirua says procrastinators — especially chronic ones — tend to be very hard on themselves. Instead of starting, they stall. Don’t sink into self-reproach. Acknowledge your disappointment in yourself and move on. Take regular breaks to avoid burning out, and praise yourself for work you complete.
Explaining the second method, Sirua cited a recent study at the University of Sheffield that involved student procrastinators. The researchers divided participants into two groups. One group focused on positive thoughts while doing unrelated activities (for example, watching videos of kittens). The other group was asked to reframe the upcoming task as something meaningful by reflecting on questions such as:
- What benefit will achieving this goal bring to your self-image?
- How will achieving this goal affect how others see you?
- What benefit will achieving this goal have for your personal growth?
After a few days, the study’s authors found that participants who reframed the task were less likely to put things off.
“It’s about reappraisal — about seeing something as more important. When you create meaning, you create a connection to the task,” the authors explained.
In Sirua’s view, finding meaning in a task — whether for yourself or for other people — is crucial. “It’s a great way to start the process of re-evaluation and to reduce negative emotions or, at least, make them more manageable,” she concluded.
Photo: Openverse, Unsplash
