All posts tagged: Procrastination

The Many Faces of Procrastination and Health Behaviors

The Many Faces of Procrastination and Health Behaviors

Published by Jenni Sidey

Procrastination abounds. If you ask anyone, they will probably say that they procrastinate from time to time. Sometimes it is a mild tendency that is fairly harmless, perhaps causing some guilt or annoyance. But, sometimes, procrastination is a constant, causing stress, anxiety, and possibly having adverse life consequences. The debilitating kinds of procrastination have been described simply as having a single cause: dysfunctional delay. Others go deeper and suggest that it is driven by emotions—specifically, anxiety, fear, shame, guilt, regret, boredom, frustration, anger, and revenge. Based on these causes, some research suggests mood repair and emotional regulation as potential cures. Others have suggested learning time management skills. Still others refer to research indicating that procrastination is 46 percent genetic. Some do not bother with deeper causes and simply call it an inefficient coping mechanism. In many cases, procrastination is linked to low self-esteem and feelings of failure. Indeed, many procrastinators are discouraged by it, which can lead to further dips in self-esteem. However, some ways of coping and getting relief have been identified. It’s been …

Longitudinal study finds procrastination declines with age but still shapes major life outcomes over nearly two decades

Longitudinal study finds procrastination declines with age but still shapes major life outcomes over nearly two decades

Published by José Betancourt

An 18-year-long study published in Journal of Personality & Social Psychology finds that people tend to procrastinate less as they move through young adulthood. Research on procrastination has mostly focused on short-term behavior, largely in academic settings and over relatively brief periods. These studies have been useful for identifying what leads people to delay tasks and the immediate consequences for performance and well-being, but they don’t say much about whether procrastination changes across longer stretches of life, or whether it stays fairly constant as people grow older. It is unclear, then, whether procrastination should be understood primarily as a context-dependent behavior or as a more enduring individual difference. Lisa Bäulke and colleagues addressed this gap by examining procrastination across the transition from late adolescence into adulthood. They sought to determine whether procrastination shows both stability and change over time, and how it develops alongside broader personality traits. The study was also motivated by the possibility that major life transitions, particularly the shift from education to the workforce, may shape patterns of procrastination. By following individuals …

Proximal Goals : 5-Minute Steps That Reduce Procrastination

Proximal Goals : 5-Minute Steps That Reduce Procrastination

Published by skeptic

Building willpower and tackling difficult tasks often feels like an uphill battle, but Andy Stapleton explores practical strategies to make the process more manageable. One key approach he highlights is the use of “proximal goals,” which involves breaking large, intimidating tasks into smaller, actionable steps. For example, instead of attempting to complete an entire project in one sitting, you might start by drafting an outline or focusing on a single section. This method not only reduces overwhelm but also provides a clear sense of direction, making it easier to stay engaged and productive. In this hands-on walkthrough, you’ll learn how to reframe negative self-talk to foster resilience, implement mental contrasting to balance aspirations with realistic planning and establish routines that minimize decision fatigue. These techniques are designed to help you build momentum and maintain focus, even when motivation wanes. By the end, you’ll have a clearer understanding of how to approach challenging tasks with confidence and discipline. Overcoming Procrastination Strategies TL;DR Key Takeaways : Reframe negative self-talk into positive, growth-oriented dialogue to reduce fear of …

Why You Keep Procrastinating, According To Neuroscience

Why You Keep Procrastinating, According To Neuroscience

Published by Jenni Sidey

The thing about those times when we keep procrastinating is that we know better. That’s the whole essence of procrastination, after all: You keep not doing the thing even though you know you need to do the thing! So what’s the deal? Well, recent neuroscientific research has found that there may be a specific mechanism in our brains that is to blame for this annoying tendency. Knowing what it is and how it works just might be the key to getting the thing you don’t want to do done. You keep saying ‘I’ll do it later’ even though you know you shouldn’t because your brain is wired that way. It’s easy to feel like procrastination is a character flaw, especially in our culture that brands it as laziness or incompetence. But according to a study of macaque monkeys at Kyoto University in Japan, it’s quite literally just your brain doing its job. So you’re off the hook! You never have to do anything ever again! LightField Studios | Shutterstock Kidding, of course. But scientists found …

If You’re Mentally Exhausted, Try Closing Your ‘Open Loops’

If You’re Mentally Exhausted, Try Closing Your ‘Open Loops’

Published by Sam Flores

There are many reasons folks are feeling drained these days – poor sleep, health issues, financial stress, job-related burnout and exposure to so many distressing events in the news, among others. But there’s one smaller, more insidious factor that may be weighing you down more than you realise: all of your “open loops”. If you’re not familiar with the term, open loops refer to a type of mental clutter made up of various unfinished tasks and other loose ends. Think: phone calls you haven’t returned, emails or texts you haven’t replied to, appointments you’ve been putting off, conversations you’ve been avoiding, packages you need to send back, subscriptions you need to cancel or other pending items on your to-do list. All of these open loops occupy space in your brain, nagging at you and draining you of your energy. This may be explained by something called the Zeigarnik Effect, named after psychologist Bluma Zeigarnik, which says that humans have a tendency to remember uncompleted tasks much better than completed ones. This makes sense as it …

How To Stop Putting Everything Off: 4 Tips For Doing Things When You Really Don’t Want To | Ingrid Helander

How To Stop Putting Everything Off: 4 Tips For Doing Things When You Really Don’t Want To | Ingrid Helander

Published by Jenni Sidey

If you tend to worry and are easily overwhelmed, it can be significantly difficult to face tasks and situations and do the things that need to be done. Putting everything off is not your fault, and it’s not a joking matter. “Just do it” is a great motto for selling shoes, but it’s not so easy for anxious people to implement. So, what can you do today to start doing those things in life you don’t want to do without crumbling in a corner later? Here are 4 tips for doing things when you don’t want to so you stop putting everything off: 1. Acknowledge your avoidance without beating yourself up Avoiding and procrastinating can become a way of life if you’re not careful. It can rob you of time, relationships, money, fun, and other pleasures. In my office, there are six target areas and examples of avoidance I see every day: Work-life: Your successful career requires consistent task completion, but suddenly, you are online shopping like a whirlwind. Physical Health: There are two wakeful …

Neuroscientists Decipher Procrastination: A Brain Mechanism Explains Why People Leave Certain Tasks for Later

Neuroscientists Decipher Procrastination: A Brain Mechanism Explains Why People Leave Certain Tasks for Later

Published by skeptic

How does procrastination arise? The reason you decide to postpone household chores and spend your time browsing social media could be explained by the workings of a brain circuit. Recent research has identified a neural connection responsible for delaying the start of activities associated with unpleasant experiences, even when these activities offer a clear reward. The study, led by Ken-ichi Amemori, a neuroscientist at Kyoto University, aimed to analyze the brain mechanisms that reduce motivation to act when a task involves stress, punishment, or discomfort. To do this, the researchers designed an experiment with monkeys, a widely used model for understanding decisionmaking and motivation processes in the brain. The scientists worked with two macaques that were trained to perform various decisionmaking tasks. In the first phase of the experiment, after a period of water restriction, the animals could activate one of two levers that released different amounts of liquid; one option offered a smaller reward and the other a larger one. This exercise allowed them to evaluate how the value of the reward influences the …

Nail-biting, procrastination, self-harming: The evolutionary origins of bad habits

Nail-biting, procrastination, self-harming: The evolutionary origins of bad habits

Published by Jenni Sidey

Patterns that look self-defeating often have a deeper logic, according to a new psychological analysis by Charlie Heriot-Maitland, a clinical psychologist whose work examines why people harm themselves in small, familiar ways. He argues that behaviors such as procrastination, perfectionism, harsh self-talk, and avoidance arise from the brain’s drive to survive, not to maximize happiness. From this perspective, the mind sometimes chooses a limited, predictable harm to avoid a threat that feels larger or more uncertain. The idea reframes self-sabotage as a protective strategy that once helped humans endure danger. It also challenges the assumption that such behaviors are irrational or meaningless. Instead, they may reflect how the brain manages risk when outcomes feel unknown. “Our brain is a survival machine. It is programmed not to optimize our happiness and well-being, but to keep us alive. It needs us to exist in a predictable world. It does not like surprises. It does not want us to be caught off guard,” Heriot-Maitland explained. Behaviors such as procrastination, perfectionism, harsh self-talk, and avoidance arise from the brain’s …

Why procrastination isn’t laziness – it’s rigid thinking that your brain can unlearn

Why procrastination isn’t laziness – it’s rigid thinking that your brain can unlearn

Published by skeptic

Most of us have experienced it: a deadline approaches, the task is perfectly doable, yet instead of starting, we suddenly feel compelled to tidy a drawer or reorganise the apps on our phone. Procrastination feels irrational from the outside but gripping from the inside. Although it’s often framed as a failure of discipline, research shows it is far more linked to how flexibly (or inflexibly) our brains respond to discomfort and uncertainty. In other words, procrastination isn’t a time-management problem – it’s an emotion-regulation problem. People don’t delay because they lack planning skills; they delay because their brains want to escape a difficult internal state. When I ask students why they procrastinate, their answers are strikingly consistent: “I don’t know where to start”, “I feel lost”, “I get anxious”, “I’m overwhelmed”. Not one says, “I don’t care” – procrastination usually comes from caring too much. Crucially, avoidance prevents the brain from discovering something important: that starting is often rewarding. Even a tiny first step can release dopamine. This helps motivation increase after we begin – …

Is Procrastination Just Laziness? A Look at the Procrastinating Brain

Is Procrastination Just Laziness? A Look at the Procrastinating Brain

Published by Sam Flores

Published: Dec 8, 2025written by Maysara Kamal, BA Philosophy & Film   Procrastination is an art. The more we practice it, the more skillfully we conjure the most creative task-evasion techniques. We delay tasks, trusting that the last-minute adrenaline rush will kick in at the right time—until it no longer does. Master procrastinators are caught in a vicious loop of continuous stress. Although they are often accused of laziness, their predicament is much more complicated than that.   What Is Procrastination? Procrastination, by Mohamed Hassan. Source: Pixabay   Procrastination is the act of deliberately deferring a task despite knowing the negative consequences of its delay. We’ve all been there in one way or another. We have a pressing task at hand that, for whatever reason, we don’t feel inclined to complete. Before we know it, we’ve already spent several hours in a scrolling spree. Or, even better, we’ve finally decided to attend to pending house chores or other tasks down the priority line of our to-do lists that would give us a sense of productivity.  …