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Here’s how to break the procrastination cycle and improve your mood

Here's how to break the procrastination cycle and improve your mood

by | 26 Oct, 2022 | Blog, News

  • Procrastination is not a result of laziness or poor time management but it is linked to poor mood management, research shows.
  • Procrastination correlates with serious health and wellbeing problems, including higher levels of depression and anxiety.
  • Forgiving yourself, showing compassion and using evidence-based strategies to manage your tasks can help to reframe the procrastination cycle.

Do you ever beat yourself up for procrastinating? You might be composing that message to a friend who you have to let down, or writing a big report for school or work, and doing your best to avoid it but deep down knowing you should just get on with it.

Unfortunately, telling yourself off won't stop you procrastinating again. In fact, it's one of the worst things you can do. This matters because, as my research shows, procrastination isn't just a time-sapper but is actually linked to real problems.

Procrastination is not a result of laziness or poor time management. Scientific studies suggest procrastination is due to poor mood management.

This makes sense if we consider that people are more likely to put off starting or completing tasks that they feel aversion towards. If just thinking about the task makes you anxious or threatens your sense of self-worth, you will be more likely to put it off.

Research has found that regions of the brain linked to threat detection and emotion regulation are different in people who chronically procrastinate compared to those who don't procrastinate frequently.

When we avoid the unpleasant task, we also avoid the negative emotions associated with it. This is rewarding and conditions us to use procrastination to repair our mood. If we engage in more enjoyable tasks instead, we get another mood boost.

Tasks that are emotionally loaded or difficult, such as studying for an exam, or preparing for public speaking are prime candidates for procrastination. People with low self-esteem are more likely to procrastinate as are those with high levels of perfectionism Who worry about their work will be judged harshly by others. If you don't finish that report or complete those home repairs, then what you did can't be evaluated.

But guilt and shame often linger when people try to distract themselves with more pleasant activities.

In the long run, procrastination is not an effective way of managing emotions. The mood repair you experience is temporary. Afterwards, people tend to engage in self-critical ruminations that not only increases their negative mood, but also reinforces their tendency to procrastinate.

In the long run, procrastination isn’t an effective way of managing emotions.

In the long run, procrastination is not an effective way of managing emotions. Image: Unsplash/Magnet Me

How is procrastination harmful?

So why is this such a problem? When most people think of the costs of procrastination, they think of the toll on productivity. For example, studies have shown that academic procrastination Negatively impacts student performance.

But academic procrastination may affect other areas of students' lives. In one study of over 3,000 German students over a six month period, those who reported procrastinating on their academic work were also more likely to engage in academic misconduct, such as cheating and plagiarism. But the behavior procrastination was most closely linked with was using fraudulent excuses to get deadline extensions.

Other research shows employees on average spend almost a quarter of their workday procrastinating, and again this is linked with worse outcomes. In one US survey of over 22,000 employees, participants who said they regularly procrastinated had lower annual incomes and less job stability. For every one-point increase on a measure of chronic procrastination, salary decreased by US$15,000 (£12,450).

Procrastination also correlates with seriousness health and wellbeing problems. A tendency to procrastinate is linked to poor mental health, including higher levels of depression and anxiety.

Across numerous studies, I've found people who regularly procrastinate report a greater number of health issues, such as headaches, flu and colds, and digestive issues. They also experience higher levels of stress and poor sleep quality.

They were less likely to practice healthy behaviours, such as eating a healthy diet and regularly exercising, and use destructive coping strategies to manage their stress. In one study of over 700 people, I found people prone to procrastination had a 63% greater risk of poor heart health after accounting for other personality traits and demographics.

How to stop procrastinating

Learning not to procrastinate isn't going to solve all your problems. But finding better ways to regulate your emotions could be a way to improve your mental health and well-being.

An important first step is to manage your environment and how you view the task. There are a number of evidence-based strategies that can help you quarantine distractions, and set up your tasks so they provoke less anxiety and feel more meaningful. For example, remind yourself why the task is important and valuable so you can increase your positive feelings towards it.

Forgiving yourself and showing yourself compassion When you procrastinate it can help break the procrastination cycle. Admit you feel bad without judging yourself. Remind yourself that you're not the first person to procrastinate, nor will you be last.

Doing this can take the edge off the negative feelings we have about ourselves when we procrastinate. This can make it easier to get back on track.

What is procrastination? And how can get rid of it and improve the mood?

by | 26 Oct, 2022 | News, Blog

Have you ever chided yourself for your procrastination habit? Unfortunately, simply deciding to get rid of procrastination will not be enough, it is one of the worst things you can do. Studies have shown that procrastination is not the result of laziness or poor time management, but is linked to poor mood management. This makes sense if we consider that people are more likely to postpone tasks they hate. If the mere thought of a task makes you anxious, or threatens your sense of self-worth, you are likely to put it off. 

Numerous studies have found that the areas of the brain associated with identifying threats and regulating emotions differ in people who chronically procrastinate compared to those who complete their tasks on time. 

Procrastination also causes us to avoid negative emotions associated with annoying, difficult, or boring tasks, which is rewarding because it prompts us to postpone these tasks to improve our mood. If we engage in more enjoyable tasks instead, our mood will improve. 

People with low self-confidence are more likely to procrastinate, just like perfectionists who fear the opinions and judgments of others. For these people, procrastination acts as a defensive tool that makes them avoid undertaking tasks, and thus avoid opinions, judgments, and evaluations.

But procrastination is not an effective way to manage emotions in the long term. Maintaining the mood as a result of procrastination is temporary. After that, most people begin to enter a state of self-criticism, which exacerbates their negative mood and reinforces their tendency to procrastinate.

Disadvantages of procrastination

Studies have shown that academic procrastination negatively affects students' performance and other aspects of their academic performance. In one study of more than 3,000 German students over a six-month period, students who reported procrastinating on their academic work were more likely to engage in unethical academic behaviors, such as cheating and plagiarism.

Other studies have shown that employees spend, on average, a quarter of their day procrastinating while working, and this also has negative consequences. A US survey of more than 22,000 employees revealed that participants who said they regularly procrastinated also had lower annual income and less job stability.

In addition, procrastination is also linked to serious health problems, such as poor mental health and higher levels of depression and anxiety. Several studies have shown that people who procrastinate regularly suffer from a greater number of health problems, such as headaches, flu, colds, and digestive problems. They also experience higher levels of stress and poorer sleep quality. These people are less likely to practice healthy behaviors, such as following a healthy diet and exercising regularly, and tend to use negative coping strategies to cope with feelings of stress. One study of more than 700 people found that people who chronically postponed tasks had a 63% increased risk of heart disease; After taking into account personal traits and other demographic characteristics.

How to get rid of procrastination 

There's no foolproof way to get rid of procrastination, but finding better ways to regulate your emotions may help improve your life and mental health.

The most important step is to manage your environment and the way you view your business. There are a number of evidence-based strategies that can help you isolate distractions and prepare your tasks so that they can be completed contentedly without significant anxiety. For example, remind yourself of the importance and value of the task to you, and this will increase your positive feelings about it.

You can also make a list of the tasks that you must do in the near future and then arrange them according to the priorities for completing them. 

The issue that may be preventing you from completing your tasks on time and resorting to procrastination is your belief that it will require a very long time or that it is difficult, so you should divide the task that you think is large or difficult into a group of small tasks and complete each one of them separately.

The pursuit of idealism and perfection is the first thing that prevents us from progressing towards the future, so you must be fully aware of your human nature and that perfection is a goal that we cannot achieve, so there is no harm in completing tasks in the best possible way, and staying away from the trap of idealism as it is the first way that leads to procrastination.

Every time you find yourself procrastinating or thinking negatively, try to be more tolerant and compassionate with yourself, as this can help break the cycle of procrastination. Accept your negative feelings without judging yourself, and remind yourself that you are not the first person to procrastinate, and you will not be the last. This can help release the negative feelings you feel about yourself when you procrastinate, making it easier to get back on track.

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