Procrastination Research Starter
Procrastination is the practice or habit of completing low priority or unimportant tasks instead of high priority, important tasks that need to be done. It means doing pleasurable things in place of less pleasurable ones that need to be done. Such behavior results in putting off impending or priority tasks to a later time, sometimes to the last minute. While many people may do this from time to time, for others it can be persistent and tremendously disruptive to everyday life.
Procrastination does not mean doing nothing. It means the intentional delay of doing what needs to be done while doing preferred things instead. Such delays or mismanagement of time often comes at a great cost to the procrastinator. Waiting until the last minute and working under self-imposed pressure can result in stress, anxiety, a sense of guilt, health problems, it can create unrelated crises, or result in harming social relationships with others for not reliably meeting responsibilities and commitments. For children, adolescents, and adults alike, procrastination can result in many unwanted, negative consequences.
Procrastination is more widespread in students than in the general population. One study found that increasing academic procrastination increases the frequency of academic misconduct such as copying from someone else's exam, using forbidden means in an exam, plagiarism, using fraudulent excuses, copying parts of other's homework, the fabrication or falsification of data, and other types of academic misconduct. The study argues that academic misconduct is seen as a means for coping with the negative consequences of procrastination. In most cases procrastination is not a sign of a serious problem and can be overcome and avoided.
Rationalization and justification are defense mechanisms people use to diminish their uncomfortable feelings, such as stress and anxiety, feelings of inadequacy, and depression or self-doubt, when confronted with completing tasks on time. Examples of rationalizations and justifications for procrastinating include acting like the task is unclear, claiming to not be in the mood to do the task. needing time to think about the task. waiting for the right moment to get started, and being in the habit of waiting until the last minute. Believing such excuses can keep a person stuck in a negative cycle of procrastination.
Simply put, procrastination is an inability to self-regulate one's behavior when faced with tasks to complete by a certain deadline. Procrastination then leads to last minute cramming or push to complete important tasks at a high cost to an individual.
Not confronting one's fears about completing important tasks can lead to negative, untrue beliefs such as "I can't do this," "I don't have the skills to perform this task," or "I just don't do well on tests," or "I just can't concentrate long enough to learn all that is required for this exam." Some students are unrealistic and think studying comes easy for everyone else but is just too hard for them.
