Putting off a work or school assignment in order to play
videogames or water the plants might seem like nothing more serious than
poor time-management. But researchers say chronic
procrastination is an emotional strategy for dealing with stress, and it
can lead to significant issues in relationships, jobs, finances and
health.In August, researchers from Stockholm University published one of the first randomized controlled trials on the treatment of procrastination. It found a therapy delivered online can significantly reduce procrastination.
Psychologists also are studying other ways people might be able to reduce procrastination, such as better emotion-regulation strategies and visions of the future self.
Scientists define procrastination as the voluntary delay of an action despite foreseeable negative future consequences. It is opting for short-term pleasure or mood at the cost of the long-term. Perhaps we didn’t finish preparing a presentation on the weekend because we had house guests. That is just intentional delay based on a rational decision, says Timothy Pychyl (pronounced pitch-el), a psychology professor at Carleton University, in Ottawa, who has published extensively on the topic.
What triggers procrastination and
how can people overcome the urge to put off tasks? Prof. Timothy Pychyl
of Carleton University joins Lunch Break for some advice. The essence of procrastination is “we’re giving in to feel good,”
Dr. Pychyl says. “Procrastination is, ‘I know I should be doing it, I
want to, it gets under my skin [when I don’t].’ ”
Ben Lockwood, a 39-year-old office manager in Chippenham, about 100 miles west of London, knows the feeling all too well. Even though he isn’t a lazy person, he says, he struggles with procrastination at work and in his personal life. He says he feels paralyzed by wanting to do everything perfectly, which then makes him feel anxious about getting started.
Mr. Lockwood says this pattern of behavior fills him with self-loathing. “I think I’d rather tell someone I robbed a bank than tell them I procrastinate,” he says.
Chronic procrastinators often hold misconceptions about why they procrastinate and what it means, psychologists have discovered. Many chronic procrastinators believe they can’t get started on a task because they want to do it perfectly. Yet studies show chronic procrastination isn’t actually linked to perfectionism, but rather to impulsiveness, which is a tendency to act immediately on urges, according to Piers Steel, an organizational-behavior professor at the University of Calgary.
To Procrastinate Less, Start by Doing This
Tips from research led by Timothy Pychyl, Piers Steel and Alexander Rozental.- Break a long-term project down into specific sub-goals. State the exact start time and how long (not just “tomorrow”) you plan to work on the task.
- Just get started. It isn’t necessary to write a long list of tasks, or each intermediate step.
- Remind yourself that finishing the task now helps you in the future. Putting off the task won’t make it more enjoyable.
- Implement “microcosts,” or mini-delays, that require you to make a small effort to procrastinate, such as having to log on to a separate computer account for games.
- Reward yourself not only for completing the entire project but also the sub-goals.
