We all procrastinate according to science

How to make it efficiently?

We all have written a final paper just a few hours before delivery. Postpone that trip to the supermarket until the shelves in the fridge are completely empty. What about watching one, two or even three more episodes of our favorite series before going to bed?

We all procrastinate in one way or another, giving priority to simple pleasures over more necessary or enriching tasks. We all convince ourselves that we will do it “tomorrow,” and tomorrow becomes the day after tomorrow, or the week after that.

Clearly this is not a very productive method, especially when all you have to do is “grab the bull by the horns” and conquer that dreaded task that has weeks on your to-do list.

In recent years, psychologists and researchers around the world have been asking themselves what in the human mind leads us to put off things that really matter. And as for everything, There are some psychological reasons why you become your own worst enemy when it comes to moving forward on very important projects, which I will try to sum-up in the following paragraphs, bear with me.

Some people are genetically predisposed to leave things to the last minute. Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder (Figure 1) have found that some people tend to take the bait more than others when presented with a temptation or distraction. Also, some people are more likely to develop impulsive tendencies. Those who act impulsively are easily distracted by the things that are most fun in the short term, causing them to postpone their long-term goals for later. Although there is no guarantee that a procrastinator is also an impulsive person, researchers found that there is a correlation between these two traits.

“Those who act impulsively are easily distracted by the things that are most fun in the short term”

1. Stress is sabotaging you

While the advice about taking a step back and taking a deep breath may sound cliché, it can actually be very helpful.

High levels of stress can destroy your productivity. As this Towers Watson study shows, 57% of employees who experience high levels of stress at work are less productive and even feel disconnected from their own work.

According to Towers Watson’s surveys, there are some surprising correlations between stress and productivity at work. Thus, high stress at work is related to absenteeism. So if you feel a knot in your stomach and you have the chills, don’t hesitate to give yourself a break for a few minutes. You can return to that overwhelming project with a clear focus, a cool head and definitely much less panic.

“57% of employees who experience high levels of stress at work are less productive and even feel disconnected from their own work”

2. The brain’s decision-making process is a constant struggle

The prefrontal cortex is the part of the brain responsible for assimilating information and making decisions. This is the part of the brain that really differentiates humans from the rest of the animals, since we know that the rest of the animal kingdoms tend to move by instinct.

Yet the decision-making process is voluntary. If we are not aware of the moment or we are not focused on the task at hand, our limbic system, one of the dominant regions of the brain which is in charge of controlling emotions, intervenes. The result is that in the end we let ourselves be carried away by what pleases us most, which is usually the dopamine impulse that accompanies procrastination.

“we let ourselves be carried away by what pleases us most, which is usually the dopamine impulse that accompanies procrastination”

3. It’s not a marathon, relax

When you have a deadline hanging over your head like a catchy but threatening song, it’s easy to think you should spend the day in front of your computer until you’re exhausted and your eyes water until the early hours of the morning.

However, as scientific findings indicate, it’s better to work for a while rather than in marathon-like sessions. In fact, working for a 52-minute period with a 17-minute break could be the ideal sprint to increase your productivity and stop procrastinating.

If you don’t like those rigid time limits, the Pomodoro technique is a 25 minute time management method that will help you take adequate breaks and give your brain room to breathe.

It seems counterproductive to take breaks when you want to hurry. But it can actually be a good thing for your sanity and your productivity. Besides, science supports it. Against intuition? Maybe. Productive? Definitely.

“working for a 52-minute period with a 17-minute break could be the ideal sprint to increase your productivity and stop procrastinating”

4. Fighting the forces of procrastination is in your hands

Those projects you’ve been putting off on your to-do list are enough to scare anyone into a sense of imminent terror. But you don’t need to hide under the desk until that huge task is gone. That will leave you with nothing but a backache.

Procrastination often stems from our conflicting or negative feelings about a particular task; perhaps it causes us to be intimidated, afraid of failure or lack of passion. As a result, we see it as something to be rid of, rather than something we will experience or achieve.

Time management experts are focusing more on a new strategy: helping procrastinators see how their attempts to change their moods are sabotaging their efforts, so they learn to regulate their emotions more productively. It is advised for procrastinators to engage in ‘time travel,’ projecting themselves into the future to imagine the good feelings they’ll have when they’ve finished an activity, or how bad they’ll feel if they don’t.