It’s that time of the year again! School has started and students are constantly reminded to avoid procrastination, practice time management, and stop being lazy. For many, these practices are way easier said than done. We all know that we shouldn’t put off important tasks, yet we do anyway, and that is often followed by more stress and guilt. If you really think about it, procrastination is completely irrational. So why do we do it?

The cause of procrastination lies deeper than laziness and irresponsibility. It’s a coping mechanism for difficult emotions that arise. We often associate uncomfortable feelings, such as anxiety, self-doubt, and low confidence, with the task at hand. For some, the strive for perfection keeps us from starting tasks in fear of failure. Subconsciously, we question our ability to complete them. What if I’m not smart enough? What will people think of my work? Procrastination allows us to be temporarily relieved of these thoughts, which is why we continue to repeat our behavior, but it doesn’t take long for the cycle of anxiety and self-blame to continue all over again.

The reason it is so difficult for us to stop procrastinating is something known by researchers as the “amygdala hijack”. This innate mechanism causes us to recognize uncomfortable tasks as real threats that we must avoid. Thus, simply telling ourselves to not procrastinate will rarely help solve the problem.

That being said, there are a number of ways for us to effectively prevent procrastination. Whenever we find ourselves putting things off, we should not be too hard on ourselves. Through self-forgiveness, we are able to concentrate on future responsibilities rather than the burden of previous shortcomings. It can also be beneficial to be in tune with our feelings and notice why we are tempted to avoid a task. Then, we can remind ourselves of our values. What am I doing all of this for? What do I want my impact to be? By asking ourselves these questions, we are able to divert attention away from our emotions and focus on the bigger picture.