Procrastination: Why We Do It and How We Can Stop

Sixty-three percent of students told us that distractions such as video games and social media caused them to procrastinate on their work.

By ADEEBA MAHMOOD and KALIYAH KING

When we think of procrastination — the habit of delaying doing something undesirable until a later time — we often chalk it up to plain laziness. Procrastination is something that everyone is capable of doing, no matter the age nor the occupation. Many students do it when it comes to schoolwork and even adults tend to do it when it comes to their work as well. But why is this? What is procrastination? Why do we do it? Are there ways to overcome it?

In an article for the Association of Psychological Science, Eric Jaffe, who studies behavioral science, goes into the details of the psychology behind and causes of procrastination. What he discovers is that the act of procrastinating goes way back to ancient civilizations. 

Jaffe describes procrastination as the absence of progress. It occurs when an unpleasant task meets a person who is high in impulsivity and low in self-discipline. Someone who procrastinates has the intention of getting things done but delays it. As Timothy Pychyl of Carleton University explains, “You know what you ought to do, but you’re not able to bring yourself to do it. It’s that gap between intention and action.”

Prioritizing tasks is difficult but temptation also plays a huge role. The inability to manage time and the inability to regulate moods and emotions also contribute to procrastination. Abdul Hassan ‘23 thinks it comes down to fear. “When you’re afraid to fail at something, you often procrastinate,” he said.

For many, procrastination leads to higher levels of stress and a lower sense of well-being. But on the other hand, those who work best under pressure can adapt to it.  

“While everybody may procrastinate, not everyone is a procrastinator,” said Joseph Ferrari, a professor of psychology at DePaul University. “To tell the chronic procrastinator to ‘just do it’ would be like saying to a clinically depressed person, ‘cheer up.’”

We polled 65 Midwood students, about 70% of whom were juniors and seniors, to get their thoughts on procrastination. Out of the students polled, 50 (77%) agreed that they were procrastinators while the other 15 (23%) said they weren’t. Asked to rank themselves on a scale from 1-5 based on how often they procrastinate, 37% gave themselves a “4,” and 29% gave themselves a 5 out of 5. 

“I just feel extremely overwhelmed or lose motivation once I realize I have a lot of work to be done that is due soon,” said Andrea Ni ‘25. “I tell myself beforehand that I’ll just do it later since I have time, but I keep repeating that over and over again until my assignment is actually about to be late and I have to rush through everything in the end.”

Isabella Shalumov ‘22 said, “I procrastinate when it comes to assignments and studying. I end up getting distracted, bored, or frustrated, which in turn leads to me temporarily give up. After that, I tend to do something that gives me instant serotonin.” 

Some procrastinated to the point where it ultimately worked against them. “During my junior year, I procrastinated on the final essay for one of my AP English classes,” said Mahjabin Uddin ‘22. “It was due at the end of the week, but as every day passed, I put it off, telling myself that I still had more time. However, after repeating that action every day, the end of the week arrived and all I had done was write down half of my name. That day I had to pull an all-nighter but due to my lack of sleep and overworked brain, I handed in a less than satisfactory essay. By the time classes ended that next day, I knocked out straight away and had a very lethargic day, which only drained me more.”

For some though, their procrastination habit is manageable. 

“I always know that I will get the task done,” said Alia Ulanbek Kyzy ‘24. “Procrastination is just a way of me being lazy, but it doesn't stress me out too much because I trust myself enough to know that I will get the task done eventually, even if it's not right away.”

“Procrastinating does help me get my work done because time is ticking so it helps me actively think and be productive,” said Adriena Jiang ‘23. “If there isn’t a timer counting down, it feels like I could wait a few more minutes and there’s no rush or motivation to keep me focused.”

Leyli Zeynalova ‘23 said, “I have a love/hate relationship with procrastination because it does make me work more efficiently. However, it comes at the price of stress.” 

Of course, there’s a motive for everything, so what causes students to procrastinate the way they do? The top three reasons given on our poll were a lack of motivation (88%), laziness (71%), and a distracting environment (63%).

Those polled who said they were not procrastinators were asked to provide any tips they had for those who do procrastinate.

“Planning schedules and creating to-do lists helps a lot,” said Tiffany Lin ‘23. “I personally use Notion to help me plan and keep my workspace organized. Notion is a free app; you can have all sorts of calendars and decorate them and organize stuff on there. You can make to-do lists. It helps a lot with organization and work or school. Plus I find the act of checking off or crossing off my work for the day satisfying, and it motivates me to add more items onto it.”

Abrorbek Karimjonov ‘24 said, “Remove all distractions, completely if possible. When you have nothing better to do, you’ll feel more willing to do your work.”

Procrastinators hoping to overcome this issue, here are three steps you can follow. Step 1: Recognize that you are procrastinating. From there, you can move on to Step 2: Decide why you are procrastinating. Once you figure out the reason, attempt Step 3: Adopting anti-procrastination strategies. Besides minimizing surrounding distractions or limiting your activities to a to-do list, try promising yourself a reward at the end. By recognizing these patterns and attempting to change them, you could be well on your way to reducing your procrastination.