The Psychology of Procrastination

It’s time to turn off Netflix, open up the laptop and buckle down. It’s time to set down the PS5 controller and open To Kill a Mockingbird and get through tonight's chapters before tomorrow’s quiz. It’s time to do laundry because you’re wearing your last pair of clean underwear.

So just get up and do it, yeah? How hard can it be?

We all struggle with procrastination from time to time. We don’t want to do the thing, and we put it off in favor of doing something more enjoyable. But as it turns out, procrastinating, or the intentional delaying of tasks, comes as a much higher hurdle from some people more than others. And some psychologists argue that there is a distinction between situational procrastination and chronic procrastination. Dr. Fuschia Sirois, a professor of psychology at Durham University in the United Kingdom, and author of the book Procrastination: What It Is, Why It’s a Problem and What You Can Do About it estimates that between 15%-25% of adults engage in procrastination of tasks they don’t want to complete on a consistent basis. She argues however that this is less about laziness and more to do with emotional dysregulation.

Chronic procrastinators tend to put off the tasks that lend themselves to negative emotions. Whether that negative emotion is boredom or gut wrenching anxiety, it’s unpleasant. And those who struggle with emotional dysregulation on a cognitive level aren’t necessarily avoiding the task itself, but rather the emotions associated with those tasks. In fact, procrastination in itself provides a temporary dose of relief that counteracts any motivation to complete the task.

Dopamine is the brain’s “reward chemical.” It plays a major role in motivation, pleasure, and the ability to feel satisfaction from completing tasks. People who struggle with chronic procrastination often don’t get an internal reward--or dopamine boost--from finishing something, so they’re brain doesn’t naturally push them to do it. This is especially common in those with ADHD, but it’s not exclusive to it. Dopamine dysregulation can come as a result of depression, anxiety, chronic stress, burnout, sleep deprivation, or even a poor diet. Certain nutrient deficiencies like low iron or magnesium for example reduce dopamine production, leading to low energy and motivation.

What this ultimately means is that chronic procrastinators with insufficient dopamine levels have little to no natural inclination to do unpleasant tasks unless there is an external pressure forcing the situation such as a messy shared space with a partner, an urgent deadline, or late payment penalties.

Often the chronic procrastinators don’t want to be chronic procrastinators. They go through random bursts of self-imposed systems of rewards for completing tasks or even internalized bullying. But according to Dr. Sirois, those things only treat the symptoms and not the cause. And those systems will inevitably break down until the real issues are addressed.

One way to stop the internal negative feedback loop and address the root issue is to practice self-compassion. Take the pressure off of yourself to get the whole thing done and just do what you can. Try telling yourself: “I’m not lazy, I’m struggling, and that’s okay. I’ll just take the smallest step forward and see where that goes.” When we practice self-compassion, we are more likely to come back to the task feeling more refreshed and ready to put in whatever amount of effort we can with a more positive energy rather than continuing to live in the cycle of shame and self-doubt.