As you step onto the crisp autumn leaves distributed on the grounds of campus, the air feels cooler and your heart clenches with every step you take. As you rub your hands together, you blame it on the weather, the unforgiving climate of the GTA. But it’s not the only thing making you tense.
When you finally find a place to study, you finally realise how much you have left to catch up on from all of your classes. That feeling you had while walking becomes even more intense as you add on to the existing miles of tasks on your to-do list. Feeling overwhelmed, you decide to scroll through your phone, even though you know at the bottom of your heart that it will make you even more behind.
I know Halloween has passed, but this horror story is one almost all of us have experienced at least some point in our lives. So, why does this happen to us–and why is it so normal?
Why We Procrastinate
Procrastination may have evolved as an evolutionary coping mechanism to allow our bodies to rest after periods of high stress. The website solvingprocrastination.com beautifully defines procrastination as the result from having a higher desire to delay than act. In other words, you procrastinate when you find the act of delaying more appealing than working on your pending tasks.
Motivation, emotional and physical well-being are some of the factors that can affect your ‘drive to act’. For example, when you’re feeling especially determined to get your work done, you’ll be more proactive and will take active steps to plan your schedule to best meet your needs. But as it so happens, humans are a dynamic species, meaning how you are feeling one day may not reflect how you feel the next. In this case, you have two types of goals: short-term and long-term.
Short-term goals would be to make the best out of the immediate situation, whereas long-term goals would have more to do with planning for objectives due in the future. The interplay between these two factors affects your level of procrastination. You are wired to seek immediate goals, which may explain why short-term goals are favoured over long-term ones as is in the case of procrastination. As a result, tasks with distant deadlines may lack the urgency to trigger action. In addition, fear of failure can cause you to delay starting a task to avoid the anxiety that is often associated with potential shortcomings. The planning fallacy, a phenomenon where you underestimate the time and effort for a task, can lead to delayed action.
Ultimately, many of the factors that cause procrastination carry an inherent psychological basis that influences your completion of pending tasks. This means procrastination is a completely normal phenomenon! In fact–it can be beneficial in many cases as well.
Let’s Keep It Real
You’ll hear the consequences of procrastination from many places, but due to the potential for hindrance to productivity, rarely will you hear about the benefits. Nonetheless, there’s two sides to every coin!
To begin, some people will find themselves in a more creative space when they are under pressure–this can force you to kick into your fight or flight mode and think outside of the box. Such a situation can guide you towards finding unique solutions to problems. This type of pressure can also lead to heightened focus and energy which can help you meet a deadline you’re a little short on.
Another potential benefit you may have experienced is enhanced decision-making. In some cases, delaying a decision allows you to gather more information and gives you time to consider different perspectives. Your last-minute choice can end up being more informed and thoughtful.
Procrastination also gives you time to alleviate your stresses. Sometimes, you need a mental break and just want to sit back and relax and forget the rest of the world. Taking mental breaks are highly important to incorporate into planning because they give your brain some time to rest and power up! Procrastination can help you get this break and reduce your stress.
Prioritisation is another key factor arising from the act of procrastination. When you are faced with multiple responsibilities, delaying less critical tasks may naturally lead to a focus on more and important ones, allowing you to work on those long-term goals early on.
These are all some great benefits to procrastination, but they shouldn’t be relied upon too heavily! Things like being under pressure can also increase stress in some situations, and it’s important to consider the duration of the breaks you take which are linked to procrastination. Delaying a task for too long can also carry some serious disadvantages, so I think it’s important to use procrastination more as a tool for success rather than a pathway to success. In other words, it can help you to reach your goals in some cases, but it shouldn’t always be the go-to mechanism.
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel
After you’ve scrolled through your phone for a few minutes, you see your laptop, notebook, or tablet out of the corner of your eye. It reminds you that you’ve still got studying to do and assignments to complete. You decide it’s time to begin some work.
You put your phone down on the table, or maybe in your backpack or pocket to avoid distractions. As you take note of what you have left to do, you feel a sense of accomplishment–the break helped you refresh and come back in a better mood to study. Now, you know exactly what you need to do to get back on track. The future seems bright!