Calling all Deadline Fighters! Do you know how people with procrastination solve their procrastination problem — without putting it off?
Procrastination can be understood as pushing a task you had planned to do off until later. What makes it so insidious is that even when people know full well the harm that delaying their work brings, they still find it hard to break free of the habit.
Whether in studies, at work, or in relationships, everyone has tried procrastinating at some point. Academically, ninety per cent of university students admit they have procrastinated while working on an assignment. In the workplace, psychology research suggests that on average between thirty and sixty-five per cent of employees' online time has nothing to do with their work.
Three main forms of procrastination
Psychologists have found that procrastination generally falls into the following three forms:
1. Arousal procrastination
In search of a thrill, some people put their work off until just before the deadline. From a physiological-psychology standpoint, working under pressure produces a certain rush of adrenaline, and some people are naturally wired to chase that kind of stimulation. So they deliberately leave their work until the last minute, hoping the jolt of adrenaline will help them get it done faster.
2. Avoidance procrastination
Procrastinating in order to avoid the work itself — this is the most common form. People avoid it because they believe they lack the skills and ability to finish the task, and they worry about how others will judge their performance and the finished product, or they are afraid of failing. Psychologists believe that most people prone to avoidance procrastination tend to have low self-worth and a high degree of emotional instability (neuroticism).
3. Decisional procrastination
So-called "choice paralysis" is, in fact, a part of decisional procrastination too. People dither and cannot make a decision on the spot, so the work gets pushed back day after day. Beyond the difficulty of the work itself, their inability to make a firm decision is not only down to an indecisive personality but also to a desire to protect their self-esteem and self-confidence.
Do any of these sound familiar? Mild procrastination is a normal part of our everyday lives. But once it becomes a serious obstacle to our work — and even hardens into a habit — the consequences are dire indeed.
Psychological ways to tackle procrastination
The section above set out the three main reasons people procrastinate. The most maddening thing about procrastination is that even when we know it gets in the way of our work and affects our health, we still cannot root out the bad habit.
There are plenty of books and articles out there introducing ways to tackle procrastination — but which ones actually work? And can someone with procrastination even finish reading a whole book?
Some argue that procrastination can never be fully cured. A small part of our brain governs our mechanisms for drive, reward, punishment and so on, and the severity of someone's procrastination seems to depend on how readily this part of the brain is stimulated.
That said, others argue that even so, we still need to find ways to reduce the impact procrastination brings. Psychology research has uncovered many different ways to tackle procrastination, and how useful they are varies from person to person. Here are three of the more useful approaches:
1. Remind yourself: work performance ≠ self-worth
Because we are afraid we lack the ability, worried about other people's criticism, and dreading the sight of our own failure, we keep putting off making a start. Before you set yourself each work goal, try reflecting on your sense of self first. The success or failure of the task in front of you takes up only a tiny part of your life; your self-worth matters far more than what other people have to say.
2. Raise your expectation of success
Drawing on Temporal Motivation Theory, psychologists point out that when procrastinators see a deadline as far off, even the biggest reward is viewed with a casual, dismissive attitude; but when a task feels urgent, even a small reward gets taken seriously. So, to cut down procrastination, you have to make the work feel both important and urgent.
Besides bringing the deadline forward, psychologists also suggest trying to make the work more challenging, thereby raising people's expectation of succeeding at it — including the sense of achievement and satisfaction it brings.
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3. Stimulus control
People with procrastination are generally easily swayed by stimulation from the outside world — for example, they are easily distracted when their work environment throws up too many temptations and obstacles. To solve the problem of distraction, you have to start with the work environment. It can be as simple as keeping electronic devices out of reach, moving to a workspace that suits you, or even setting yourself a penalty.
Once you have identified your own particular sources of stimulation and brought them firmly under control — pairing that with a reward for finishing the work, or a penalty for not finishing it — you will find it helps reduce how often procrastination occurs.
Procrastination is unquestionably a major challenge in people's work, but the truth is there is no perfect solution to it today. Bear in mind that mild procrastination is normal behaviour, but to keep yourself from falling into the cycle of chronic procrastination, we need to make not only small changes in our behaviour but, more importantly, adjustments to our mindset.
This article was provided by Expivotal Work Matters | Workplace Psychology – to learn more about workplace psychology, please click the link.
Edited, compiled and published by TreeholeHK – a full-spectrum psychology training company.
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