I must say, that after 10 years of helping people out with LENS for their mental health concerns. I’ve seen a rather lengthy list of the most common conditions that people come in for treatment. I have all new clients fill out an in depth evaluation form of their most problematic symptoms. Most people’s concerns deal with anxiety, cognition deficits, trauma, emotional and mood regulation difficulties. But lurking a little further down that list of noteworthy problem areas is; procrastination. It’s always in there somewhere, usually in the middle; right along side organizational difficulties.
In fact, procrastination is a very common problem for many people. Even the rich and famous. For instance, some notables include: Bill Clinton, Frank Lloyd Wright, J.K.Rowling, Leonardo da Vinci, Mozart and Steve Jobs.
This is how I see it.
Firstly, the word procrastinate comes from the Latin prefix, “pro” meaning “forward” and “crastinus”, “of tomorrow”. It means to move or act slowly so to fall behind. It carries a sense of blameworthy behavior attached to its meaning.
Procrastination is really a broader conversation about the internal affairs of the brain. Procrastination is an internal struggle of the limbic system (reward center) and the prefrontal cortex (planning and decision making center). Procrastination also involves the anterior cingulate cortex region, which calculates and evaluates the benefits to reward ratios. So, in many ways procrastination is part of one’s biology which feeds itself through rewarding the reoccurring maladaptive behavior with brain signaling that makes a person feel safe and happy.
Soo many people get caught up in this “cortical tug of war” starting from early childhood to highly educated and successful adults. I often wonder why that procrastination is not higher up that list of most problematic issues.
Procrastination is an emotional coping mechanism due to forgoing any task or event that brings about anxiety, fear or dread. It is always just a temporary fix that ends in a conscious effort to get preoccupied in a simpler and happier activity, like playing on your phone or watching TV.
The delayed task is often an important thing on the “to do” list. The brain in turn rewards the person who puts off the activity by releasing dopamine. Which is a pleasure based neurotransmitter which typically activates when you’re engaged in something that’s fun or pleasurable. But with procrastinators, dopamine is triggered when they avoid doing the very thing that makes them feel threatened, fearful, worried or uneasy.
Scientists have found that those who are procrastinators have larger amygdala’s than those who don’t. The higher amygdala volumes may have greater blood flow that could explain its size. It would also indicate an increase of fear and hesitation which is associated with procrastination.
This action is referred to as “amygdala hijack”. Where a person can’t control a healthy emotional response appropriate to the circumstance. Because they are caught up in a “fight or flight “ response as an emotional coping strategy to escape.
What happens to chronic procrastinators is that they develop depression, low energy and a reduction in confidence if not addressed.
People who procrastinate also report lower physical health grade scores and generally can get sick more than others. The chronic cycle of putting things off can stimulate higher rates of anxiety and poorer impulse control.
Four Consequences of Chronic Procrastination
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Worsening of academic scores or performance
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Lower financial status
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Interpersonal relationship difficulties
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Reduced physical and mental wellbeing
Procrastination should not be associated or related to laziness. In that someone who may not be lazy and is generally highly productive may keep putting something off due to not knowing where to begin.
Some of the worse procrastinators are over-thinkers. They get too caught up in the details of a decision and completely seeing the whole picture. The brainstorming creates overthinking which replaces the actual goal of action. Too much brainstorming eats up their momentum and leads to inactivity. At some point you need to decide, trust and act. It may just be a phone call. So make it!
Main Reasons for Procrastinators
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Perfectionism
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Low self esteem
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Fear of failure
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Fear of criticism
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Avoidance
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Depression
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Focus deficits
Helpful Tips to Stop Procrastination
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Identify the issues that prevent you from achieving your goals
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Make a list of goals that are attainable
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Make yourself accountable
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Identify distractions and avoid them
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Just get up and go !
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Narrow your focus by quit looking only at the big picture
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Reward yourself for small goals and give credit for incremental growth
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Stay on it and don’t lose momentum
How to Fix the Problem
The idea of procrastination and the behaviors that cause it can be defeated through a systematic approach. It can begin with tackling the inevitable issue that keeps being put off by making a decision to address it only 5 or 10 minutes at a time. Then stop. Go do something else. You’ll see after trying this you’ll be more motivated to do more. Take your sweet time and go as you please until you can handle more. By taking small bites and chewing really well, so to speak, will serve to activate a motivational response to get it done.
The sense of the passing of time is tricky in how fast it can appear to come and go. Especially, as we age. Everyone seems to have a list of daily things that need to be done. In order to keep up with it we need to prioritize that list of what are the most important. Then focus on those issues first. Even when the daily things get in our way. Remember, when dealing with procrastination, stay motivated by identifying your problem areas, narrow your focus, take small steps, give yourself credit when your achieve a goal and don’t lose your momentum once you begin.
-A Balanced Brain is a Better Brain for a Happier Life-