Why Procrastination is About Managing Emotions, Not Time

Have you ever been presented with a daunting task, and instead of doing the task on time you wait until it’s just an hour before its due date to start?

You’re not alone.

This is procrastination and it’s such a common thing for many people. Procrastination can exist in the form of doing other things to occupy oneself, whether it be watching random YouTube videos or cleaning impulsively. The stress is forgotten temporarily while there is a distraction further fuelling the mind.

There is a simple answer if someone is asked why they procrastinate. “Oh, I just don’t know how to manage time!”. Procrastination is thought of as simply being an irresponsible distraction, but what if it was more? What if there was another reason this procrastination is so popular.

The Short Term Effects of Procrastination

The idea of emotion-based procrastination began to formulate in the 2000s. Universities began studies on how emotional health correlates to procrastination and productivity, and they found predictable results.

After being upset by a sad story, people chose to do puzzles and play games rather than study for an intelligence test.

These distractions only work if they are fun and if people believe they can change their moods. If their moods are too low, then they will not bother indulging in activities.

People indulge in procrastination-based activities to forget about their personal problems and stressful work.

While I know I need to do an assignment, I am more compelled to do fun things like watching YouTube videos rather than actually working. This is because I crave a short-term positive ‘hedonic shift’.

Procrastination causes me to forget about its long-term effects of it. Fun activities are so compelling that the stress of the project is often forgotten about for a short amount of time, putting me back into a positive mood temporarily.

I do not procrastinate because I can not time manage, I procrastinate because a project is boring or stressful.

Looking at the emotional aspect of procrastination answers the question of why cat videos are so popular. A survey reported that thousands of people watch entertaining videos to satisfy their craving for procrastination. Entertaining YouTube videos get millions and billions of views, mostly from people procrastinating other projects to watch them.

It improves the person’s mood, and they are temporarily distracted from the impending assignment or task.

Long Term Effects of Procrastination

Of course, this is only a short-term solution. Guilt soon settles in after the distraction is removed.

Procrastination is an unhealthy emotional coping strategy, as it simply bottles up problems for later and causes even more problems in the future.

I get frustrated and guilty when I am done watching these videos. The stressor never truly goes away unless it is finished, so procrastination will always be a temporary solution.

I feel even more stressed once the relief of the distractions wears off, and deadlines are usually even closer by then.

On the other hand, it can also have a detrimental impact on your health. Chronic procrastination (when one procrastinates regularly) can cause you to forget to keep up with basic needs, such as eating, sleeping, going to the doctor, or exercising.

This ongoing poor self-care can end up in anxiety, depression, a lower immune system, and even cardiovascular disease.

Overcoming procrastination can have a bigger impact on your life than you think. It can drop your risk for any of the aforementioned illnesses and generally improve your mood and self-care.

Procrastination is an emotional health issue, so it must be approached as one in order to fix it. Therapy is the most effective if it is driven toward helping you achieve your goals and prioritizing healthy choices rather than using procrastination as a way out.

People are known to choose procrastination rather than facing problems head-on as this can cause mood swings and abrupt frustration or worry.

Limiting your emotions to tackle procrastination

Procrastination Therapy (ACT) can teach people to improve their psychological flexibility.

ACT is a therapy that promotes the prevention of procrastination through the teaching of positive emotional management skills, though the chances that there will be any procrastination therapy is low.

So the question arises, “What can you do?”. It all starts with little steps. Talk yourself through the simple steps of doing a task or project.

This strategy will distract you from stress in a positive way. Making choices that are good for emotional health will also calm the craving to procrastinate.

Procrastination happens to the best of us. Everyone becomes stubborn to complete work or do assignments. But this is more of an emotional issue rather than a time management issue, making it clear how to fix it.

Hopefully, ACT therapy will begin to arise, and the world can improve their tendencies. Just remember next time you go to click on a distracting video, focus on small steps to achieve the bigger goal.