Procrastination as an Emotional Experience: How to Get out of the Rut
Procrastination is the delay, dallying and postponement of tasks we should be doing because we fail to properly and effectively regulate our negative emotions towards those tasks. We avoid – rather than confront the task, and the unpleasant emotions it triggers.
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Admit it – you have done it before. Most of us would have. Just as we realize we need start on our tax returns, send our vehicles for servicing, or even ourselves for our yearly health check-up, our brains scream in protest, telling you put it off and delay it for another week. Or two. Procrastination affects many aspects of our lives – but most regularly in things or acts that we personally find unpleasant, potentially difficult, or simply those that we rather have someone else do for us. We put off such unpleasant tasks until it becomes a little too late. Psychologically, however, procrastination is considered a ‘self-regulatory failure.’ In simpler terms, this means that procrastination is the delay, dallying and postponement of tasks we should be doing because we fail to properly, and effectively regulate our negative emotions towards those tasks. We avoid – rather than confront the task, and the unpleasant emotions it triggers. Common across many definitions of term is that the postponement of tasks or decisions is done despite the fact that this delay in action will result in a worse set of consequences than if action was taken immediately [1]. Procrastination is not exclusively negative of course – there is some evidence to suggest that some ‘active’ procrastinators actually perform better when they deliberately hold off a task until later [2]. Most of the time, however, procrastination is being detrimental to our well-being and ability to complete tasks – and so we will focus on this negative form of procrastination instead.
The inability to regulate one’s emotional reactions forms a key component for how to overcome this tendency. Instead of focusing on the task, procrastination causes us to focus on our emotions. We get ‘stuck in the rut’ because we fixate on how displeased, upset and distressed we are regarding a particular distasteful task, rather than address the task directly. This cycle then repeats itself – we continually put off tasks we dislike even though we realize (eventually) that we cannot escape our tax auditors, mechanics, or our GPs perpetually. Fortunately, there are some effective, evidence-based approaches to overcoming procrastination. Here are three you might try:
1) Plan and prioritize – This seems almost self-evident, but really, how often do you plan to do your taxes, set up an appointment with the mechanic, or schedule an appointment for your medical checkup? Some degree of self-control and volition (personal determination) is necessary here, but identify the task that needs to be done – and do it. Prioritize it as something that has to be done – and, definitely don’t forget to reward yourself for having complete the task. If it helps, think about how pleased you will be once you get this task over and done with [3].
2) Get someone to set a deadline for you – Dan Ariely and Klaus Wertenbroch found that a deadline that is externally imposed is more effective than one that is self-imposed. Imposing deadlines on oneself is less effective for overcoming procrastination than it is when a deadline is absolute, or set by individuals/parties external to oneself [4]. Try getting your partner, friend, or colleague to help you set a deadline and see if this helps keep your focus and drive towards task completion.
3) Eliminate distractions – Place your smartphones out of view and disconnect from social media. This tip works best for helping you overcome procrastination on the job. Distractions sap our cognitive energy, making it more difficult and tiring to switch back to what it was we were doing before we were distracted. Setting aside blocks or chunks of time for focused work helps you complete your tasks more efficiently, and with fewer errors.
Reference:
[1] Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self- regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65-94.
[2] Chun Chu, A. H., & Choi, J. N. (2005). Rethinking procrastination: Positive effects of" active" procrastination behavior on attitudes and performance. The Journal of Social Psychology, 145(3), 245-264.
[3] Van Eerde, W. (2000). Procrastination: Self‐regulation in initiating aversive goals. Applied Psychology, 49(3), 372-389.
[4] Ariely, D., & Wertenbroch, K. (2002). Procrastination, deadlines, and performance: Self-control by precommitment. Psychological Science, 13(3), 219-224.
