Procrastination and its effects

Procrastination is typically defined as an irrational tendency to delay the beginning and/or end of an academic task. The core characteristics of procrastination are the intention-action gap and the challenge of implementing these intentions. These characteristics of procrastination suggest that procrastinators often have good intentions, but the challenge lies in the implementation of these intentions. Thus, procrastination has traditionally been understood as a self-regulation or time management problem. The act of postponing and putting off tasks is a pervasive problem for a significant number of college and university students.

Some Research Data on the effects of Procrastination

Prevalence estimates for students who procrastinate at some point are as high as 95% (ELLIS; KNAUS, 2002; O’BRIEN, 2002). Almost 50% of students procrastinate consistently and in a problematic manner (STEEL, 2007). Procrastination typically leads to a lower grade point average, longer task completion time (VAN EERDE, 2003), course withdrawals (WESLEY, 1994), stress (BLUNT; PYCHYL, 2000), increased health risks (TICE; BAUMEISTER, 1997), and interpersonal conflicts (DAY et al., 2000). Cross-sectional studies that have investigated the conceptual framework of ACT in relation to procrastination have found evidence that procrastination is related to lower levels of acceptance (GLICK; MILLSTEIN; ORSILLO, 2014), lower levels of mindfulness (SIROIS; TOSTI, 2012), and lower levels of committed action (GAGNON; DIONNE; PYCHYL). In addition, mindfulness was found to mediate the relationship between procrastination and perceived stress (SIROIS; TOSTI, 2012). Glick and colleagues (2014) found that the combined effects of acceptance, mindfulness and values added to the prediction of academic procrastination over trait anxiety. (Citation: USING ACCEPTANCE AND MINDFULNESS TO REDUCE PROCRASTINATION AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS: RESULTS FROM A PILOT STUDY by Frédérick Dionne and Joel Gagnon.)

Lack of Self-Regulation: A disaster

Being somewhat of a procrastinator myself, I have seen the downsides of procrastination. Procrastination, in layman’s terms, is basically letting your laziness take over your sense of mind, as well as yourself. Procrastination’s dire impacts might range from just missing a crucial deadline to something more long-term, such as a wasted opportunity that kills an ambition. Many of us will be fortunate enough to detect our procrastination inclinations early on and intervene. Others may experience long-term consequences that ricochet throughout their lives.

Let’s take a deeper look at some of the dreadful impacts of procrastination

Reduced Self-Esteem:

This is an example of a vicious circle you may find yourself in. We procrastinate because low self-esteem makes us believe we won’t be able to complete a task or project properly. Unfortunately, procrastination exacerbates feelings of low self-esteem, leading to even more self-doubt.

According to one study of 426 college students, “academic procrastination was negatively predicted by self-esteem and self-control”.

When we have low self-esteem, we limit ourselves, believe we are unworthy of success, and begin to self-sabotage. Procrastination slowly but steadily erodes your confidence.

If this rings true for you, work on improving your self-esteem rather than holding on to the illusion that you should be able to do something, as this causes you to push yourself.

Inadequate Decision Making:

One of the most serious consequences of procrastination is poor decision-making. When you procrastinate, you make decisions based on criteria that would not be present if you did not procrastinate, such as the pressure to make a decision because time is running out.

Emotions heavily influence our decisions, and procrastination increases negative emotions, which can push us to make decisions that aren’t in our best interests in the long run.

Instead of rushing through decisions while procrastinating, write them all down and find a quiet moment to weigh the pros and cons of each.

Health-related effects:

Procrastination has been linked to mental health problems such as stress and anxiety, which in turn have been linked to health issues. If your procrastination causes you to feel depressed, it will begin to affect other aspects of your life.

If you procrastinate too much, it will most likely start to stress you out and cause anxiety, especially if other people or things are involved, and this can all lead to poor health outcomes.

Another way procrastination can harm your health in the short term is when you repeatedly put off check-ups and appointments, as well as things you need to do, such as exercise. The problem is only getting worse, and the consequences are becoming direr.

Inability in meeting goals:

When we think about goals, about wanting to achieve or change something, procrastination seems to kick in full force. You may have a strong desire to change, but you simply cannot seem to take the first step.

This is normally perplexing and perplexing; you may wonder, “Why is it so difficult to go after something that I want so badly?” Only you can answer that; you’ll have to delve deeper into the resistance.

We set goals because we want to improve our lives in some way. If you don’t do it because of procrastination, you reduce your chances of improving your life.

Determine the root cause of your procrastination if it is preventing you from completing your tasks.

Conclusion:

Procrastination’s effects may not appear to be all that bad at first, but they can accumulate over time, resulting in stress, anxiety, broken dreams, and low self-esteem. Rather than allowing procrastination to take hold, take the time to develop time management techniques to help you deal with it when it arises.

Researchers discovered that cognitive-behavioral therapy significantly reduced procrastination and, moreover, “reduced procrastination more strongly than the other types of interventions” in a study on procrastination interventions. If you’re still struggling with procrastination, cognitive behavioral therapy could be a good place to start. If that seems like a burden, there’s always procrastination to resort to at the end.

Thank you for reading my article.