Due tomorrow…

There’s nothing quite like realizing that a deadline that seemed months away has suddenly arrived. With a sinking feeling in your stomach, you frantically pull together a plan to meet the deadline – likely delaying other tasks and sacrificing precious sleep, nourishment, and leisure. Ultimately, you finish – mentally and physically drained, but it’s done. You swear to yourself that you’ll never let it happen again, but, almost inevitably, you find yourself in the same position a week or two later. We’ve all been there. But what is this pattern of behavior and why do we engage in it? More importantly, what can we do about it?

What is procrastination?

Procrastination is a perennial challenge for anyone who engages in effortful activity, especially graduate students who often experience overloaded schedules and long-term large-scale projects. In her classic article Clarry H. Lay (1986) defined procrastination as “the tendency to postpone that which is necessary to reach some goal,” though a more recent definition is to “voluntarily delay an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay” (Steel, 2007). These definitions imply that procrastination is related primarily to goal-oriented behavior and will result in a more negative outcome. Historically, procrastination has been conceptualized as a “self-regulatory failure” (Steel, 2007); however, some researchers have conceptualized it as “difficulties in goal pursuit” related to motivations tied to personal values and needs (e.g., Grund & Fries, 2018).

We all do it.

According to Piers Steel, author of The Procrastination Equation, about 95% of people admit to putting off work sometimes. Evidence suggests that around 40-60% of graduate students “always” or “nearly always” procrastinate on academic tasks, such as writing term papers and studying for exams (Rahimi & Hall, 2021; Onwuegbuzie, 2004). With increasing demands, expectations of maximal productivity and output, and limited time for self-care and personal pursuits, it is no surprise that procrastination is common among graduate students.

Why we do it.

Procrastination is associated with greater stress (Beheshtifar et al., 2011), in addition to poorer sleep (Sirois et al., 2015), mental health (Stead et al., 2010), and physical health (Johansson et al., 2023). So why do we do it?  Procrastination is a self-regulation strategy – and an effective one at that, albeit temporarily (Sirois, 2023). Multiple theories, using a variety of models, have been proposed on why we procrastinate, highlighting the complexity of this behavior (Rozental & Carlbring, 2014; Fernie et al., 2017; Sirois, 2023; Eckert et al., 2016; Pychyl & Sirois, 2016). The emotion-regulation model proposes that procrastination is a tool to avoid negative emotional states that may be triggered by the thought of engaging in a difficult task (Eckert et al., 2016; Pychyl & Sirois, 2016). Much like any other avoidance tactic, procrastination allows us to avoid feeling unpleasant and uncomfortable emotions that may be elicited by the task we’re dreading.

What can we do about it?

The majority of graduate student procrastinators desire to reduce their procrastinatory habits (Rahimi & Hall, 2021). Fortunately, psychological science has provided some evidence-based strategies and interventions to reduce procrastination:

1. Write about it. Journaling about procrastination to prompt self-reflection and increase awareness of procrastinatory behaviors may improve understanding of procrastination and promote present-moment awareness of procrastinatory behaviors to enact motivate change (Hensley & Munn, 2020).
2. Be kind to yourself. Self-compassion (Sirois, 2014) and self-forgiveness (Wohl et al., 2010) related to past procrastinatory behaviors can reduce future procrastination.
3. Participate in a writing group. Participating in a writing group may improve writing goal setting and provide social support, resulting in decreased academic procrastination (Patria & Laili, 2021).
4. Be wary of social media. For reasons not yet known, reducing social media use has been shown to reduce procrastination, and, as a bonus, improve life satisfaction (Hinsch & Sheldon, 2013).
5. Consider psychotherapy. Interestingly, both cognitive-behavioral therapy (van Eerde & Klingsieck, 2018) and acceptance-based behavioral interventions (Glick & Orsillo, 2015) have both been shown to reduce procrastination.

In addition to these evidence-based tips, we have found the following strategies helpful:

1. Time Blocking and the Pomodoro Technique (Matt). Time blocking is a time management method that involves dividing the day into blocks of time and dedicating each block to a discrete activity. The Pomodoro technique involved dividing time into a work period of 25 minutes and a rest period of 5 minutes (I double each of these using the customizable Tomato Timer). When other tasks like replying to an email or reading for class come to mind, I write them down on a notepad and decide how and when I will handle them during the next break. Coupled with predetermined incentives (e.g., going on a walk during a longer break, having a treat), these methods have helped me prioritize and focus better while procrastinating less.
2. Just do it (Kaley). I’ve noticed that the more time I spend thinking about starting a task, the less likely I am to actually start it. While by no means a foolproof strategy, I have experienced the most success with a “just do it” approach. Whether that is opening and a saving a new Word document, typing out the greeting of an email, or double-clicking the application checklist of a fellowship or grant – this seemingly simple act helps me get over that initial emotional hurdle of apprehension and guilt. And, before I know it, the dreaded task is underway.

Final Thoughts

Most of us procrastinate and most of us want to do it less. Getting started is hard, especially when environmental factors, anxiety, and imposter syndrome get in the way. Understanding what procrastination is, that it is common, and that there are strategies to combat it is a good place to start. Now, take a moment to reflect on your procrastinatory behaviors from a nonjudgmental and self-compassionate stance and take your first step toward completing your tasks and accomplishing your goals in less time with less stress. As the adage goes, the secret of getting ahead is getting started.

It took us about nine months to write this blog post due in part to procrastination.

References

Beheshtifar, M., Hoseinifar, H., & Moghadam, M. (2011). Effect procrastination on work-related stress. European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences, 38(38), 59-64.

Eckert, M., Ebert, D. D., Lehr, D., Sieland, B., & Berking, M. (2016). Overcome procrastination: Enhancing emotion regulation skills reduce procrastination. Learning and Individual Differences, 52, 10-18.

Fernie, B. A., Bharucha, Z., Nikčević, A. V., Marino, C., & Spada, M. M. (2017). A Metacognitive model of procrastination. Journal of affective disorders, 210, 196-203.

Glick, D. M., & Orsillo, S. M. (2015). An investigation of the efficacy of acceptance-based behavioral therapy for academic procrastination. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 144(2), 400.

Grund, A., & Fries, S. (2018). Understanding procrastination: A motivational approach. Personality and Individual Differences, 121, 120-130.

Hensley, L. C., & Munn, K. J. (2020). The power of writing about procrastination: Journaling as a tool for change. Journal of Further and Higher Education, 44(10), 1450-1465.

Hinsch, C., & Sheldon, K. M. (2013). The impact of frequent social Internet consumption: Increased procrastination and lower life satisfaction. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 12(6), 496-505.

Johansson, F., Rozental, A., Edlund, K., Côté, P., Sundberg, T., Onell, C., … & Skillgate, E. (2023). Associations between procrastination and subsequent health outcomes among university students in Sweden. JAMA network open, 6(1), e2249346-e2249346.

Lay, C. H. (1986). At last, my research article on procrastination. Journal of research in personality, 20(4), 474-495.

Onwuegbuzie, A. J. (2004). Academic procrastination and statistics anxiety. Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, 29(1), 3-19.

Patria, B., & Laili, L. (2021). Writing group program reduces academic procrastination: a quasi-experimental study. BMC psychology, 9, 1-7.

Pychyl, T. A., & Sirois, F. M. (2016). Procrastination, emotion regulation, and well-being. In Procrastination, health, and well-being (pp. 163-188). Academic Press.

Rahimi, S., & Hall, N. C. (2021). Why are you waiting? Procrastination on academic tasks among undergraduate and graduate students. Innovative Higher Education, 46, 759-776.

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Sirois, F. M. (2014). Procrastination and stress: Exploring the role of self-compassion. Self and Identity, 13(2), 128-145.

Sirois, F. M., van Eerde, W., & Argiropoulou, M. I. (2015). Is procrastination related to sleep quality? Testing an application of the procrastination–health model. Cogent Psychology, 2(1), 1074776.

Sirois, F. M. (2023). Procrastination and stress: A conceptual review of why context matters. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(6), 5031.

Stead, R., Shanahan, M. J., & Neufeld, R. W. (2010). “I’ll go to therapy, eventually”: Procrastination, stress and mental health. Personality and individual differences, 49(3), 175-180.

Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: a meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological bulletin, 133(1), 65.

Svartdal, F., Dahl, T. I., Gamst-Klaussen, T., Koppenborg, M., & Klingsieck, K. B. (2020). How study environments foster academic procrastination: Overview and recommendations. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 540910.van Eerde, W., & Klingsieck, K. B. (2018). Overcoming procrastination? A meta-analysis of intervention studies. Educational Research Review, 25, 73-85.

Wohl, M. J., Pychyl, T. A., & Bennett, S. H. (2010). I forgive myself, now I can study: How self-forgiveness for procrastinating can reduce future procrastination. Personality and individual differences, 48(7), 803-808.