The Science Behind Procrastination
Procrastination is defined as the delay of an action, usually a duty you’re assigned. No matter how hard we try to think of ourselves as proactive, and organized, we all procrastinate at some point rather it’s due to time constraints or simply forgetting about the very existence of the work. According to UPMC, procrastination is “the battle between the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex” (Neurosurgery). Located in the relative center of the brain, the limbic system is commonly known to be the source of our impulsive temper, such as shopping unnecessary items. The part of the brain that does the rational thinking and regulates your impulsive is known as the prefrontal cortex, located near your forehead. How does this have to do with anything regarding procrastination? Because we procrastinate on things we won’t voluntarily do otherwise, our prefrontal cortex is losing the fight against the limbic system. This could also be seen as a defense mechanism of denial or repression as we’re simply putting aside what we fear to face. All this sounds like we’re losing control over our lives. But is this really bad?
Debunking the Negative Connotations of Procrastination
Similar to how good can’t exist without the presence of evil, we can’t procrastinate on things without a due date. Current society in both schools and workplaces view procrastination as a lack of responsibility, or simply being lazy. It’s true some case studies concluded procrastinating can have a negative impact in terms of stress, health; the main reason why people view procrastination as a bad habit is because it has the potential to lower performance. But what does this mean in our life as students? In the modern school system, an overwhelming majority of teachers perceive predictable as stable, and therefore more organized, which makes them believe setting small milestones let the student more accurately control their time and progress. Procrastinating absolutely destroys this “predictable” nature of progress. From an outsider’s point of view, a procrastinator will not will seem as if the student simply let go of his or her work. But this isn’t always the case.
There are two types of procrastination: active procrastination, and passive procrastination. Passive procrastination refers to the habit where the student doesn’t keep track of the original work and leaves it for later while an active procrastinator will set something aside, yet constantly remind himself/herself about the work. When comparing passive procrastinators to active procrastinators, active procrastinators performs better in terms of academics. The concept of mentally practicing something and gaining benefits is nothing new. A 1989 study showed how participants mentally rehearsing free throws improved just as much as participants who physically practiced their shots.
This shows how you don’t have to leave physical evidence behind to be productive. This is the fundamental principle behind utilizing procrastination as a tool. Organizing every event perfectly and constantly making progress on every single thing we have to do is near impossible. Maybe it’s time to take a different approach. As long as you don’t forget about it, it’s ok to put things besides.
(If you need a system to organize everything so that you don’t forget about it while procrastinating, stay tuned for next month’s article)
