Why do we procrastinate? And how can we beat it?

"The essay’s not due till Friday, that gives me the whole week to do it, if I write 200 words each day I’ll finish it no problem (spends two days watching Netflix) it’s totally fine, I’ll just do half today and half tomorrow (spends entire day watching videos on YouTube). Oh my god I can’t believe I only have a day left to finish! Why am I like this?!"Soooo ... Why are you like this? Well, let me first give you the answer that all procrastinators want to hear: It’s not your fault. That’s right, procrastination is hard wired into us and here’s why. Whenever you hear those dreaded words like ‘deadline’ or ‘responsibilities’ your limbic system attempts to come into play. This is the part of our brain that assists in forming new memories, regulates our emotions and causes us to avoid unpleasant situations (such as that essay). The limbic system is concerned primarily with immediate gratification, something that we don’t often receive instantaneously from the tasks we struggle to avoid.Conversely, the prefrontal cortex, a part of our brain that assists in planning, decision making and moderating our behaviour; is what drives us to carry out certain tasks, even though they may not be immediately rewarded. However, we must make a conscious decision to put this system into action. When we don’t, the limbic system takes over and we indulge in behaviours that we know will give us immediate pleasure (Netflix) and avoid those that trigger adverse feelings (your essay). So why don’t you just kick your prefrontal cortex into play? Well, while each person is different it appears that there are a few core reasons we opt for the (not so) easy way out.A study by Ferrari and Tice compared the behaviours of ‘chronic procrastinators’ to a group of ‘non-procrastinators’ under two circumstances. In the first, the groups were told they were to undertake a math test in which they would be evaluated on, in the second they were told the test was purely for fun. In both circumstances they were given 15 minutes to either prepare or engage in fun activities. Remarkably enough, the chronic procrastinators procrastinated more when the test was evaluative rather than fun. On this notion, procrastination is seen as a ‘self-handicapping’ technique as it is more appealing to do nothing and fail, than to try and fail, running the risk of seeming stupid.However, another study suggested that the opposite may also be true in those who acknowledge their desire to succeed but are immobilised by their perfectionistic attribute and fear of failure. These procrastinators take a long time to make decisions, seek out an array of information and delay the execution of their tasks due to the anxiety of feeling incapable of completing it to a high standard.So how do we beat procrastination? Well here are some tips:

1. Hold yourself accountable: Internalise the reality that you are responsible for your own actions. Nothing hits you more than the words ‘it’s your fault’. It’s your fault if you don’t complete your task and it’s also your fault if you do. Some ways in which you can further keep yourself accountable is by telling a family member or friend what you are going to do, scheduling an event in the future that requires the completion of your current task or writing down your long-term aspirations and having them easily accessible.
2. Change your concept of time: Instead of thinking in months, think in days, instead of thinking in days, think in hours. I bet five days seems a lot longer than 120 hours and there’s no better way to kick your pre-frontal cortex into action than with a looming deadline.
3. Make a realistic list: Many of us love writing lists and planning out our days, however ‘complete 3000 words of essay by tonight’ is broad and unspecific, leaving us confused, anxious and allowing our limbic system to take over. Instead, break your task down into smaller, specific step-by-step goals to form a more realistic plan.
4. Remove your obstacles: Switch off your mobile phone, disconnect yourself from the Internet (if you don’t need it) or go to a library. Find out what your distractions are and eliminate them from your environment.
5. Reward yourself: Book a massage, plan an outing with your friends or arrange a shopping day after your task is complete. Use this futuristic reward as a motivation to buckle down and get your work done in the present moment.