This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Faced with a task or project, do you repeatedly tell yourself that you'll do it "tomorrow," "soon" or "after watching just a few more videos"? If so, as someone who has studied the science of procrastination for years, I can reassure you that you are not alone.
Around 20% of adults procrastinate regularly. Those of us who do this—myself included—may also experience a range of issues and outcomes that research shows are linked to procrastination, including worse exam grades, lower income, lack of sleep and poor mental and physical health. Procrastination can be painful and frustratingly difficult to deal with.
A key reason is that much of what we hear about this common behavior is wrong. Perhaps the biggest misconception is that it comes from not caring enough or from being lazy. By this false reading, people who procrastinate just need to "try harder." Such misperceptions can lead to feelings of guilt and shame.
In reality, procrastinators usually intend to work every bit as hard as their peers—if not harder. But a defining feature of procrastination is the gap between intentions and actions. Not only does "just trying harder" not work, it often backfires by sidetracking us from solutions that do.
Essentially, our brains are hardwired to prioritize what will make us feel better right now over what will make us feel better in the long term and overall. So, when we worry that doing something might be painful or difficult, our brains nudge us to put it off as a defense mechanism, postponing the pain we expect it to bring. This can happen when we feel that studying will be frustrating or an upcoming exam will be stressful.
Or we may be worried that our writing or presentation won't be perfect. Perfectionism can be especially problematic when we worry our work will be criticized by others—whether or not that's likely to happen in reality. Our brains can be further confused when we're faced with tempting alternatives that we know will be immediately gratifying, such as social media feeds that are hyperoptimized to capture our attention for as long as possible.
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