A psychologist’s guide to overcoming procrastination for good

Are you procrastinating now? Don’t worry, we’re not judging. But we’re here to tell you you’re not alone. An estimated 20 percent of adults (and More than 50% of students) procrastinate regularly.

In fact, procrastination (defined as voluntarily and unnecessarily delaying work) is so prevalent that scientists have even found evidence of it in pigeon behavior.

So why do so many people procrastinate? What causes it? And most importantly, how can you stop procrastinating?

Don’t put off answering these questions any longer. In collaboration with Durham University Professor Fuschia Sirois, a researcher who has dedicated 20 years to the subject, presents a beginner’s guide to the psychology of procrastination.

What causes procrastination?

It would be easy, as your mom probably did, to attribute procrastination to poor time management, or worse, to being just plain lazy. However, science does not support this.

“There’s no convincing scientific evidence that procrastination is the result of poor time management, but it’s easy to say it’s all about mood management,” Sirois says.

“The essence of procrastination is an inability to control one’s moods and emotions. Many people think that impulsivity and self-control are the problems, but they are actually contributing factors, but at the root of the problem… There is a lack of emotional response.”

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Sirois explains that everyone faces stressful situations that require them to perform tasks that trigger brain activity that involves an area of the brain known as the amygdala. And it’s the amygdala that processes emotions and signals threats, which can prompt the “fight or flight” response that leads to procrastination.

“Interestingly, people who say they are chronic procrastinators tend to have more gray matter in their amygdala,” says Sirois.

“This means they become more sensitive to the potential negative consequences of their actions, leading to more negative emotions and procrastination.”

Another factor that is strongly associated with procrastination is time thinking. To put it more simply, it means how close you think your current self is to your future self.

If you’re a normal person, chances are you have trouble thinking in terms of time. It really sucks. In fact, according to a study conducted at the University of California, Los Angeles, you probably Imagine yourself in the future as a completely different person.

Using functional MRI scans, researchers found that different parts of the brain are activated when we process information about our current and future selves. And when we imagine our future selves, the same areas of the brain are activated as when we think about strangers.

“This is important because when you perceive your future self in this way, you’re more likely to do something that could be harmful to that person, leaving them with a bigger job than you would do yourself now.”, Sirois explains.

“While your future self may feel psychologically distant to you now, you may also see them as some kind of superhero.’ You might say, ‘I’ll come up with ideas,” or ‘In the future, I won’t have any obstacles in my way as a writer.'”

“But the truth is, in the short term, we won’t change much.”

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re probably familiar with this fallacy. But fortunately, there is some evidence to suggest that there are simple ways to improve your temporal thinking. It’s about doing it more often.

For example, it is interesting that applied psychology A study of college students found that those who imagined themselves (from a third- and first-person perspective) just two months later were It turns out that people who spend 10 minutes twice a week are less likely to procrastinate..

The researchers concluded that such practices were “effective in increasing altruistic motivation.” [a future self]Mainly by reducing your current procrastination.”

Is procrastination bad for your health?

In short, procrastination can cause far more problems than missing deadlines. Sirois has spent decades studying the effects of chronic procrastination on human health, and the results are alarming at best and downright frightening at worst.

“People who are chronic procrastinators, people who have a habit of procrastinating, have higher levels of stress. more acute health problems. You’re more likely to have headaches, insomnia, and digestive problems. It also makes you more susceptible to influenza and colds.”

Even more alarming, Sirois found that: Procrastination is a factor that can cause high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseasePeople who are chronic procrastinators tend to put off healthy behaviors like exercise.

Chronic procrastinators not only have the worst grades in school;Take a job that makes less money and has less value for you.

Research also shows that procrastination causes problems such as:decreased self-esteemfewer visits to the dentist, and even a lack of “home safety behaviors” (such as checking if the fire alarm is working). An estimated 37,000 house fires occur in the UK each year).

How to stop procrastinating

As you may have already realized, procrastination big problem. But fortunately, psychologists know this and have been looking for effective ways to address it.

First, there are many ways to quickly solve procrastination. For example, persuasive psychological science The paper describes how larger time metrics (think 48 hours instead of 2 days, or 10,950 days instead of 30 years) can be downsized. Make events look more immediateinvite people to participate in upcoming tasks.

But for Sirois, there are two main ways to reduce the root cause: procrastination. self-pity and cognitive reframing.

“People believe that procrastinators, especially chronic procrastinators, very Be strict with yourself before and after work. And instead of putting in the work, they just sit idle and idle,” she says.

“My advice is to not be too self-aware and take that frustration too far. Step back from that for a second and admit that you’re not happy with yourself. And before you Proceed.

“Basically, it’s about recognizing that everyone makes mistakes. You’re not the first to procrastinate, and you won’t be the last. Welcome to humanity.”

Data increasingly supports this theory. For example, in a survey of 750 people, Sirois found the following companies: The link between procrastination and low levels of self-compassion (They are more likely to judge themselves harshly, believing they are the only ones suffering from the problem).

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But what does this actually mean? First of all, as Sirois claims, mindfulness practice is associated with increased self-compassion and lower levels of procrastination. I’m doing it.

As an example of research published in International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology People were found to have completed just three minutes of mindfulness exercises (including “audio instructions aimed at promoting non-judgmental awareness and attention to current bodily sensations, including breathing”). After that, I was less likely to procrastinate..

(Breathing audio exercises like this can be found through the NHS. this instructional video. )

“These exercises will help you gain a little perspective and prevent you from going down the bad path of negative emotions that lead to procrastination,” Sirois explains.

Sirois also points to recent, unpublished research conducted by doctoral students. Sisi Yang. In an experiment with students who had a task they were procrastinating on, or who predicted they would procrastinate, they divided the participants into several groups.

One group was encouraged to think about happy thoughts by engaging in a specific activity (think watching a video of kittens). Another group was asked to reframe the upcoming task as meaningful, pondering questions such as:

• How is achieving this goal valuable in your own perspective?
• What value will achieving this goal have in terms of how others see you?
• What value will achieving this goal be to my personal growth?

Interestingly, when observing all participants’ activities over the next few days, the second group procrastinated less.

“It’s about reappraisal. Seeing something as more meaningful. And when you create meaning, you create a connection to the task,” Sirois says.

“Finding meaning in your work, whether it’s in your relationship with yourself or with other people, is really, really powerful. And it starts a process of reappraisal, and it starts a process of reappraisal, of negative emotions. It’s a great way to alleviate some or at least make it more manageable.”

Source: www.sciencefocus.com