Procrastination and Emotional Management

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Procrastination and Emotional Management

Procrastination is a counterintuitive habit. Human beings are known to be rational beings. This means that when making decisions, we tend to evaluate the pros and cons of choices or actions. When the benefits outweigh the cons, we are likely to engage in the respective action or choice. On the other hand, when the negative consequences outweigh the benefits of a choice, we tend to avoid the action. The rationality of human beings is hard-wired for purposes of evolution to enhance survival through avoidance of potentially harmful actions. It is, therefore, irrational and counterintuitive for human beings to constantly engage in actions such as procrastination whereby the negative consequences outweigh the benefits. When individuals procrastinate, they place themselves in a situation whereby they will engage in negative feelings of self-doubt and self-criticism, only to end up with very little time to do a given task (Guo et al., 2019). Since the majority of people experience procrastination at one or more instances in their life, various studies have been done to try to discover the cause of procrastination, Contrary to popular belief whereby procrastination is perceived as a time-management problem, various researchers have defined procrastination as an emotional management problem. Since the source of procrastination is emotional management, its resolution can be achieved through the proper management of emotions.

Procrastination is always associated with being lazy and having poor time management skills. From an outsider’s perspective, this assumption is right since the perception of an alternative logical explanation may not make sense. However, it is merely an assumption. From an intrapersonal perspective, procrastination is more exhausting than it looks. A procrastinator is always aware of the schedule of tasks as well as their priority. A good example is when a student is planning between revising for an upcoming exam, and attending a party (Guo et al., 2019). Since the exam has greater importance, a rational person would prioritize an exam over a party. However, a procrastinator may end up looking for other things to do while still thing about the task they are avoiding to start (Aziz et al., 2016). In addition to being preoccupied by activities and thoughts even before starting the dreaded activity, they usually end up doing the task at the last minute in a hurry, thus being more taxing and not tantamount to being lazy.

The emotional mechanism that results in procrastination can be attributed to evolutionary biology. Human beings understand reality through shortcuts such as categories. For example, human beings understand the difference between a good experience and a bad experience. The emotional response develops positive and negative attitudes depending on whether the experience was good or bad respectively. For procrastination, negative attitudes have to be involved. It is the negative attitudes that make a procrastinator avoid a task that they predict is not going to result in a good experience (Guo et al., 2019). The specialized part of the brain that is tasked with the emotional response of associated feelings and experiences is referred to as the amygdala. It functions by prioritizing immediate gratification over the consciousness of a better future. In the case of procrastination, there is some immediate gratification that is achieved by avoiding doing a task, although it may be exceeded by the background noise of guilt for not being rational enough to prioritize a better future. Therefore, since procrastination initiates an emotional response, its origin can be deduced from inefficiencies in emotional management.

Since procrastination is an emotional challenge, its resolution requires an emotional solution. The first thing that can work is by being conscious when negative attitudes manifest. This identification will help individuals to investigate the origin of their negative attitudes. For example, when a task is perceived as boring, one can replace the negative attitude with a curiosity to learn from the experience. An important aspect of emotions is self-awareness. Therefore, activities that interfere with one’s self-image also affect emotions. Self-criticism, although intuitive when one finds themselves procrastinating, only adds to the negativity of the experience, and therefore, the formation of negative attitudes. Instead, self-compassion allows one to forgive themselves after procrastinating to avoid adding to the negativity of the experience. Additionally, techniques which help with emotional distress such as meditation may also be useful for resolving procrastination.

It is also possible to argue that procrastination is a social problem. Such an argument would propose that children are all born equal. As they grow and develop, they pick up the behaviors and habits of their caregivers. Some of the habits that they may pick up include procrastination. For example, if a child is educated on delaying immediate gratification, they will find it easier to engage in efforts that result in better long-term benefits instead of short-lived conveniences. However, even this social explanation has an emotional perspective (Aziz et al., 2016). The processing of emotional information and the initiation of an emotional response is done within the context of society. This can be evidenced by the difference in terms of how men and women are raised to process emotions. A masculine emotional response has to be a tough and obscure vulnerability. This shows that emotional well-being is crucial even for society members since it governs how meaning is conveyed and interpreted within society.

Procrastination is, therefore, a slippery slope. Once a person is in procrastination, they develop guilt which compounds the emotional burden they are experiencing. The slippery slope begins when it becomes logical to prioritize short-term gains over long-term benefits. As a result, individuals end up putting off tasks until the last minute. As an emotional factor, the challenge requires several emotional responses. For example, monitoring one’s attitude is important for emotional regulation. Such kind of acknowledgment makes people appear ready to confront their negative attitudes. Secondly, instead of referring to procrastination as a time management problem, acknowledgment of its emotional origin ensures a warm reception to the emotional responses of procrastination (Guo et al., 2019). The slippery slope only stops when one unlearns the negative attitudes acquired over time so that one is eager to develop a new understanding of reality out of curiosity, or is motivated by positive attitudes.

References

Aziz, N., Zain, Z., Mafuzi, R. M. Z. R., Mustapa, A. M., Najib, N. H. M., & Lah, N. F. N. (2016). Relative importance index (RII) in ranking of procrastination factors among university students. AIP Conference Proceedings. http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4960862

Guo, M., Yin, X., Wang, C., Nie, L., & Wang, G. (2019). Emotional intelligence a academic procrastination among junior college nursing students. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 75(11), 2710–2718. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14101

Horton, A. P. (2019, May 31). Procrastination is an emotional problem. Fast Company. https://www.fastcompany.com/90357248/procrastination-is-an-emotional-problem