Procrastination: why it happens, how dangerous it is, and how to deal with it.

Have you ever had the situation when important tasks are constantly postponed? Most of us have put off business at least once, doing anything other than the task. Being lazy can be helpful at times, but postponing work systematically can lead to serious trouble. Psychologists call this condition procrastination. We will explain why it happens, how dangerous it is, and how to deal with it.

What is procrastination and how is it different from laziness?

Procrastination is the constant postponement of important things, tasks, and assignments, which leads to negative consequences. For example, it causes mental suffering.

Many consider procrastination to be synonymous with laziness. But these are two different states. The procrastinator puts things off until the last moment. A lazy person does not take up work and does not set a goal to accomplish something.

The procrastinator makes a commitment. He is confident that he will fulfill it. But he can't bring himself to start. And the further the case is postponed, the more he suffers. There is less time, more work, and he is simply afraid to get down to business. The feeling of guilt from failure increases every day. A lazy person does not feel any guilt. He is comfortable in his condition.

In 1992, psychologist Noah Milgram made a breakthrough in psychology with the release of Procrastination: The Disease of the Century. This work laid the foundations for the study of this phenomenon. The scientist identified 5 types of procrastination:

Household procrastination. Postponing regular, household chores (cleaning, going to the store, etc.);
Decision-making procrastination. A person cannot make any decision: from the choice of what to eat for lunch, to the important steps on which the success of the project depends;
Neurotic procrastination. Inability to make a vital decision (choice of profession, future spouse, etc.);
Academic procrastination. Postponing activities related to studies (writing a term paper, diploma, preparation for exams);
Compulsive procrastination. The inability to make a decision is combined with the inability to get down to work.

National Procrastination Week is celebrated in the UK on March 1st (although sometimes it starts later for unknown reasons). Proponents of the idea propose to postpone non-urgent tasks in order to relieve the brain and learn to live for today. Their opponents celebrate Anti-Procrastination Day on January 14, considering the habit of avoiding business as a sign of infantilism and laziness. Scientists believe that boredom and taking breaks from work are good, but the harm from procrastination is greater. For example, studies have shown that those who like to procrastinate have lower wages on average, while they worry more and get sick more often.

Reasons for procrastination

Scientists have not yet come to a consensus on whether procrastination is a disease or just a condition that you can fight on your own.

The most popular position on this point is that procrastination is not a disease. However, the causes of its occurrence are often mental disorders. Procrastination is often a symptom of a mental illness (such as depression).

Psychologist Joseph R. Ferrari, professor at DePaul University in Chicago and author of "Still Procrastinating: The No-Regrets Guide to Getting It Done", found that parenting is often the determining factor.

Most of the patients whose behavior the scientist studied had very strict parents who almost always decided everything for the child. As a result, he did not learn to make decisions on his own.

The second development scenario: parents often gave the child tasks that seemed impossible to him. At the same time, he did not receive a reward for completing assignments. Because of this, a fear of difficult tasks developed, and the principle of motivation did not form.

Important deeds cause fear in a person and seem meaningless to him (after all, there will be no reward for them).

Canadian scientist Pierce Steele noted that procrastinators have an easier time coping with small tasks in a short time and with instant gratification. The mechanism of momentary pleasure works here. Large rewards increase motivation. But if the task takes a long time and the reward isn't coming soon, the procrastinator won't be able to bring himself to work.

Thus, there are 5 main reasons for procrastination:

Lack of intrinsic motivation;
Lack of planning skills;
Several cases of success in doing work at the last moment (this is how procrastination becomes a habit);
Lack of understanding of the negative consequences;
Perfectionism in all its forms - a person wants to do the job perfectly and is afraid of failure.

What does procrastination lead to?

When a person makes commitments and does not fulfill them, he can seriously let down the people who counted on him.

A procrastinator is unlikely to be able to build a career. If the task is given a week, and the person does everything on the last day, then the results are unlikely to be good. Companies will not reward such an employee.

Procrastination can lead to problems in your personal life. People develop low self-esteem. By putting things off, the procrastinator feels remorse for not being able to get the job done on time.

Hence, there is a feeling of inability to normal activity. A person reproaches himself for his shortcomings, but cannot get rid of them. Low self-esteem creates additional insecurity. Such a person is morally weak and it is difficult for him to fight for his happiness, since he considers himself unworthy.

How to deal with procrastination?

Don't get distracted. Procrastinators are constantly distracted by watching YouTube videos, hanging out on Instagram, eating, or smoking. Hide your cigarettes, turn off the internet, or install a program that blocks individual sites.
In order not to leave things until the last moment, you need to learn how to draw up a schedule. Reverse scheduling is one method of scheduling, but unlike standard to-do lists, it emphasizes the positive. That is, instead of meetings, paying bills and unpleasant calls, you indicate events, long-awaited meetings and things that you like in your diary. This method was invented by the psychologist Neil Fiore back in 1988, but it works in modern realities.
Switch. If you need to distract yourself from business, you do not need to “scroll the tape” for hours. You can switch to something useful: read a book, play sports, clean up the room, etc. This will not bring you closer to completing the task, but at least the time will not be wasted.
Set simple goals and objectives for yourself. One of the reasons a person puts things off until later is because the task before him seems too difficult. It's much easier to get started on a project when you set simple, achievable goals rather than a big, vague plan. Instead of telling yourself, "I'm going to study Russian tonight," say, "Tonight I'll read a couple of pages of the textbook and do one assignment." This will make the goals less challenging and more attainable. Another life hack is to tell others about your plans. This will give you additional motivation to complete the task, because the responsibility will become higher.
Accept your flaws. More energy is spent not on trying to do something, but on pangs of conscience. Mental anxiety develops into panic, which completely destroys the ability to act. Stop beating yourself up for being lazy and accept that as your way of working. It will get easier.
Think about your mental health. As already stated, procrastination is often psychologically induced and is a symptom of mental illness. Maybe it makes sense to consult a psychologist.
Rule 15 minutes. If the planning and preparation methods don't work, sometimes you have to get down to business against your will. But here, as in any difficult endeavor, the 15-minute rule works. Agree with yourself that you will devote this time to an uninteresting but obligatory task. If after this period you do not want to continue working on it, take a break and look for reasons elsewhere. Maybe you're really tired, haven't been out for a walk in a long time, or you miss talking to your best friend on the phone. The main thing is not to reproach yourself for "lost time", but to learn how to use it with benefit.

Procrastination can and should be fought. By getting rid of it, you can significantly improve your life.

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