Countering Procrastination

Every year close to 20% of Americans will pledge to stop procrastinating as their New Year’s Resolution (Saltz). Yet people procrastinate on achieving their resolutions in that by February, 70% of those resolutions are abandoned (Tucker). I can say that from personal experience, fighting procrastination is an ongoing battle that must be addressed on a day to day, or even hour by hour basis. The magazine “Psychology Today” refers to procrastination as a learned trait that can be countered but takes large amounts of mental energy as well as persistence (Marano). In this essay I will cover the various methods used to combat the various forms of procrastination.

Setting deadlines and making schedules is a general solution that has been proven to increase performance in both quality of work and time management (Ariely). When given the opportunity to procrastinate, people willingly place deadlines upon themselves whether they miss them or not (Ariely). The theory behind this is that when a person is subject to procrastination and are fully aware of this problem, they see placing deadlines, or “constraints”, upon themselves as the most logical solution (Ariely). However, it is good to note that while self-imposed deadlines, better than maximally delayed deadlines, they are not as effective as external ones, such as those set by a professor or employer (Ariely). Also, when using schedules and deadlines, we tend to create them in a manner that is not efficient in that it allows for too much flexibility or in some cases allowing them to be ignored (Ariely & Chaffee). Overall, deadlines and general schedules prove to be a good method of curbing procrastination and are a recommended first step.

However, one thing that we must understand is that procrastination is more complex than a simple behavioral problem (Fee), so setting deadlines or schedules may not necessarily be enough for some people (Chaffee). So naturally, another way to fight procrastination is to find a personal solution, which means correctly identifying the root of the problem, and attack there first (Chaffee). “We often have difficulties solving a problem because we misidentify the heart of the problem” (Chaffee). Try composing a journal of your thoughts, feelings, and actions while studying, and categorizing them as either “Productive” or “Procrastinating” (Tucker). When I used this solution, I discovered how to take my procrastinating actions and ideas, can convert them into productive ones while at the same time, discovered this to be vital in pre-empting procrastination. Finally, I found this step to be useful in finding what other solutions to use.

For the most part, the causes of procrastination can be broken down into two categories: Pleasure-Seeking, Fear (Tucker). The pleasure seeking procrastinators tend to be more relaxed about their problem and usually in denial about it (Tucker). For the most part the only way for these procrastinators feel the need to change is by being slapped with a harsh reality (Tucker). For students, this could mean failing a class or flunking out of school entirely. This really isn’t the best way for them to solve their problem. In order to avoid harsh reality, the pleasure seeking procrastinators should be aware of negative reinforcements such as blowing assignments out of proportion, excuses, promising to do it later, and purposely going in search of diversions from their work (Morano). Ironically, this group requires an injection of fear and a perspective of the distant future in order to survive. My suggestion is to use the journal of your thoughts and feelings in order to learn to catch yourself in the act rather than after the damage is dealt. A great solution for this group is called the “5 minute-plan” (Tucker). The goal of this method is to learn to get started early on assignments (Tucker). “Studying, like drinking, is usually in binges”(Tucker). I think the quote phrases it perfectly. Five minutes, depending on the situation, can feel like a gasp or an eternity. Personally I can’t keep track of when its been five minutes unless I stare at the clock. Just by getting a start on the assignment, we build momentum and hopefully decide to continue well beyond the five minutes. Think of it like the movement of a train. A train takes a decent amount of time to get moving, but after a while it becomes very quick and difficult to stop. The main problem of procrastinators is not that they are poor workers, but that they have a hard time initiating action (Brownlow). While this plan is best suited for the pleasure-seeking procrastinator, it can work for anyone having trouble getting started.

Procrastination as a result of, perfectionism, fear of failure, self protection are all grouped in to the Fear category. In order to understand the solution, you must first realize the cause and effect of these personality traits and or habits. Perfectionism causes one feel the need to make it perfect the first time causing them to become frustrated with an assignment which will push them away from assignments (Powers) They usually have the idea that either they are going to get it right or not at all. Fear of failure and self protection exist because one may feel relatively inadequate and their performance sub par resulting in task avoidance which in turn leads to a lower self esteem (Brownlow). With this information in mind we can now derive a solution. The esteem and motivation of this group is directly connected with their grades that, can in some cases, end up resembling a roller coaster (Brownlow). The biggest way for this group to improve their performance is to place more emphasis on success as opposed to disappointment (Overcoming Procrastination). This method revolves around praise, positive reinforcement and reassurance. Instead of putting down their work, one should assure themselves that whatever they do will be “good enough” and to reward themselves for their accomplishments (Procrastination is the Thief of Time). The trick here is turning a maladaptive trait, in to an adaptive one. By focusing on success, one will realize that they don’t have to nit pick their ideas to death while at the same time learning that perfectionism is not possible in all aspects (Powers).

Ultimately, there is not perfect cure-all method for procrastination. However, there are dozens of minor solutions that are their to assist us on a day by day, hour by hour basis. As I have illustrated, there are broad, as well as specific, more personal solutions for solving procrastination but, they all rely on our awareness, desire, and persistence to change.

Works Cited Ariely, Dan and Wetenbroch, Klaus. Procrastination , Deadlines and Performance. Brownlow, Sheila and Reasinger, Renee D. Putting off Until Tomorrow What is Better Done Today: Academic Procrastination as a Function of Motivation Toward College Work. Journal Of Social Behaviour & Personality. Vol. 16, Issue 1. March 2001. Chaffee, John. Procrastination: Solving the Problem. <http://www.thinkingworld.com/solvproc.htm > Fee, Ronda L. and Tangney, June P. Procrastination: A Means of Avoiding Shame or Guilt. Journal of Social Behavior & Personality. Special Issue, Vol. 15 Issue5, P167. 2000. <http://0-search.epnet.com.portal.tamucc.edu:80/login.aspx?direct=true&AuthType=cookie,ip,url,uid&db=pbh&an=10637208> Marano, Hara Estroff. Ending Procrastination. Psychology Today Magazine. Oct 28, 2003. <http://cms.psychologytoday.com/articles/pto-20031028-000008.html> Overcomming Procrastination. The University of Tulsa Alexander Student Health Center Counseling and Psychological Services Center. 1999. Last modified: August 20, 2003. Powers, Theodore A., Zuroff, David C., Topciu, Raluca A. Covert and overt expressions of self-criticism and perfectionism and their relation to depression. European Journal of Personality. Vol. 18, Issue1. Jan/Feb 2004. “Procrastination is the thief of time”. Student Academic Services-Study Skills. California Polytechnic State University. <http://www.sas.calpoly.edu/asc/ssl/procrastination.html> Tucker-Ladd, Clayton E. Procrastination. <http://mentalhelp.net/psyh