Even the simplest of tasks can become the heaviest burden due to the rapidly spreading plague of procrastination. Your brain becomes fogged with irritation and resistance to anything that fills the entire to-do list, and it becomes easier to put those things off until a later time. I find it to be exceedingly difficult to complete minuscule assignments or errands when I’m distracted with something less demanding and more pleasurable. And each second I spend scrolling away, talking to my friends, or binging a show, the more time slips away from me and before suddenly my ten-page research paper is due in a day.
So Why Do We Procrastinate?
According to Psychology Today, procrastination requires some degree of self-deception. It’s the thought of completing a daunting task, not necessarily the actual act of doing so that is so off putting. Surprisingly enough, studies have shown that serial procrastinators are often also perfectionists. Many are faced with the agonizing fear of not performing well, and in return wait until the last possible moment to begin. This, as we all know, typically doesn’t have the most positive effect on the work that’s being done. One would have to rush to meet deadlines, making it more likely that small details may be overlooked or forgotten.
However destructive this habit may seem, many may claim that they perform their best work under the pressure of a close deadline. I know I’ve always tended to prefer to start my work significantly close to the due date because of this reason, but studies show that is actually not the case. People, majorly students, are so consumed with the habit of procrastinating, that they are mistaking the rewarding feeling of barely completing an assignment by the due date, with the feeling of submitting their best work in a timely manner. Many people believe that if they’re able to do it within the small window of time they’ve allowed to build up, it’s an accomplishment.
How is Procrastination Bad For Our Health?
According to the National Institute of Health, “Cross-sectional studies suggest that procrastination is associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress as well as loneliness and reduced life satisfaction.” The lack of structure within the college aged environment causes newly young adults to become overwhelmed with the degree of responsibility that is now placed on them, resulting in an avoidance of anything.
Procrastination is a major cause of depression and anxiety in young adults. Keeping people in an ongoing cycle of insomnia, worsening grades and work ethic, lack of motivation, and even hopelessness. Scarily enough, procrastination is a sickness that due to overwhelming access to distractions, demanding schedules, and overwhelming expectations, can imprison us if we don’t choose to escape it.
how can we break the cycle?
Personally speaking, it’s easier said than done. There is simply no reason that putting away clean clothes or finishing that application should feel like the daunting task that it does. But simply changing your perspective on these tasks can make a huge difference.
Think about the task at hand. Say you need to finish reorganizing your junk closet, but you keep putting it off and putting it off until you physically can’t even close the door to it anymore. Don’t think about it as an all day activity. Tell yourself “I’m going to organize as much as I can in 45 minutes. Wherever I’m at by then will be left for another time.” Simply changing your complete tasks into shortened time slots can make a tremendous difference in how you feel about the activity. I know for me personally, going to a 50 minute class feels like an absolute breeze, but an hour and 15 minute class seems like forever. Even though it’s only a 25 minute difference, my brain convinces me that it is that much more demanding, causing me to be more likely to skip it rather than the easy breezy 50 minute class.
Another way to shift your mindset is to think of the phrase “If not now, then when?” If you don’t do your essay now, when? In 3 days when you planned on celebrating your best friends birthday? Or next week when you have another essay and a presentation due? Do you want to sacrifice your time in the future for something you could complete right now? You don’t know how many times I’ve started something due the day of, and kicked myself for not doing it the week prior when I had all the time in the world. The pure bliss you’ll feel on the day it’s due and you have nothing else to submit will be completely unmatched.