The Neuroscience Behind Procrastination: What it is + How to Combat it

July 2, 2023 By: The Neuro Nugget

We've all been there before; You have a project deadline coming up in the next week, and you know that you should begin working on it immediately as it's pivotal that your proposal is ready to be presented in the conference room by Friday, but for whatever reason you can't even bring yourself to open your laptop to get started.

It happens. We all find ourselves, more often than not, falling victim to the inescapable drag of procrastination. It's a nagging rut that we know we should get ourselves out of, but for some reason the more we try to fight against it, the stronger the feeling becomes. We go through periods of procrastination feeling helpless and frantic, but have you ever wondered what procrastination really is? How it works? Where it comes from? Why it makes us feel so unproductive?

What is Procrastination?

Definition:

pro·cras·ti·na·tion

proh-kras-tuh-ney-shuhn

noun

1. the action of delaying or postponing something; especially something requiring immediate attention

Often, we procrastinate a task to avoid a certain feeling we associate with the task whether that feeling is accurate or not. Essentially, procrastination can be described as a coping method in which we try to suppress feelings of fear, shame, anger, etc. by not allowing the initial onset of those feelings via avoiding the tasks that manifest the feelings.

Recognizing Procrastination Types

Procrastination isn't one size fits all. Procrastination can manifest in multiple different ways, supported by the fact that there are six different procrastination types, each with a unique, different trigger for their procrastination.

• The Perfectionist - doesn't start/finish tasks because they want every aspect of the work to be perfect

• The Overdoer - procrastinates their own tasks while busy helping everyone else with their tasks

• The Dreamer - To focused on their idea of a project to actually implement it

• The Worrier - Scared to start a task, could be fearful of judgement, failure, etc

• The Defier - Doesn't see the need to complete a task in the first place nor do they want to

• The Crisis-Maker - Believes they work better under pressure, waits till last minute

Procrastination Inside the Brain

There are two main parts of the brain that facilitate the procrastination struggle we all feel at times; the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex.

The limbic system is a well developed network in the brain involves several parts - the hypothalamus, thalamus, hippocampus, basal ganglia, amygdala, and cingulate gyrus - and is a major part of emotion regulation and humans’ innate flight or fight response. In a tough situation this is the part of the brain that will influence decisions in order to maximize what is best for individual survival. It is also an important factor in producing and moderating the feeling of enjoyment as it contains the pleasure center.

In contrast, the prefrontal cortex (PFC), is part of the frontal lobe in the brain which regulates higher-order thinking, complex decision making, personality and behavior; otherwise known as the section of the brain responsible for long-term planning and goals.

When these two sections are at odds with each other, procrastination is the result. Therefore, when we need to face a task, requiring the use of the prefrontal cortex, that we may deem scary, inconvenient, or uninteresting; feelings of fear, anger, and anxiety arise in us, which our limbic system wants to eliminate and turn into pleasure, causing us to turn towards activities like watching TV or scrolling on social media for to bring about a sense of enjoyment. In simpler terms the much older and more advanced limbic system overtakes the less developed prefrontal cortex, which results in us seeking pleasure rather than productivity, allowing us to effectively push important tasks to a later time.

Breaking the Constraints of Procrastination

Procrastination can be a huge obstacle to productivity in various aspects of life. Learning how procrastination works and ways you can manage its effects can be a huge relief of stress if you feel helpless about this habit. Here are a two simple ways you can combat procrastination

Practice Mindfulness

• Being aware of and acknowledging the onset of as well as the reasons behind your emotions when faced with a seemingly daunting task is the first step to minimizing the intensity of your feelings whether it be anger, anxiety, sadness, etc. Mindfulness can also help you to frame the task in a better mindset, causing you to realize the task is actually quite achievable with focus.

Aim to Break Habit Loops

• A habit loop is what makes habits just what they are, repetitive actions/behaviors. A habit loop consists of a cue, a response, and a reward. In the instance of procrastination the unpleasant task is the cue, the response is holding off that task to do something more entertaining, and the reward would be the good feelings arising from putting off the task causing us to put it off more.

• Breaking the habit loop starts with recognizing the cue and then taking a moment to actively decide what the response to that cue will be. Perhaps it’s putting your phone away, using a timer to break up chunks of work, or just deciding to jump right into the task before your mind takes over, whatever the case the integral step is to change the response in order to get a productive reward.

Conclusion

Procrastination isn't easy to deal with, however understanding the mechanism and science behind how and why it occurs can be helpful on your journey to overcoming it. If your struggling with procrastination try the helpful tips above and see if you notice any improvement in your productivity.

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