Procrastination: a common enemy

By: S. Costa Franco

The best way to defeat procrastination is to understand what it is first, so let's get into that. Do you remember that assignment you had to complete or test you had to study for which you postponed until the last possible second? And by the time you started it, you were already panicking, because you really would have to work hard to hand in the project on time? That is called procrastinating. And yes, we all do it. But we, as a community, do this with much more serious issues. Issues that involve our well-being, as well as the well-being of our planet. A lot of the time, the population postpones addressing serious issues that should have been addressed earlier so they could be better dealt with, just like many of you wait to do your homework the night before or even during the school day in which it is due. 
Procrastination can be seen in many other circumstances outside of schoolwork. There are many serious issues that we have all solely addressed long after they should have been talked about and actions should have been taken. These include social discrimination problems, economic complications, destruction of habitats, and ecological impacts that our actions have on the environment. The effects of this include global warming, climate change and pollution. Many less fortunate communities struggle every day and are not addressed until the problem becomes very concerning; one very relevant example is the citizens who reside in shanty towns here in Brazil and live without water, only being able to purchase one bar of soap for the entire family per month. This has been a problem for a very long time but was only broadcasted in the news recently due to the current Coronavirus outbreak. This situation has gotten much worse because of our current situation.  
Now that we have seen some examples and understood what procrastination is, it is fundamental that we understand why some of us do it. Understanding why this is an attitude that many of us adopt is crucial for us to find a way to put a stop to it. 

• Psychological studies prove that many people procrastinate because they are afraid that they will fail the tasks they should be doing or will not come up with a solution. As these serious issues cannot be solved easily, it is likely that because many of us fear we do not know and will not know the answer, we postpone taking action. 
  
• People are also most likely to procrastinate when they are not sure of what they must do to reach their goals, and their plan is quite vague. This can also be because they are unable to make decisions about what their course of action will be. More important choices can make it harder to decide, and this cause can be applied to the current situation as well. 
  
• Feeling overwhelmed or anxious about their future task is another common cause. Usually, when the task is very complicated or important, people tend to feel discomfort when thinking about it and postpone doing it. 
  

• Some procrastinate because the rewards they might receive for doing a task are long-term or will only be bequeathed far in the future. Many tend to depreciate value from rewards that will not come immediately, and act know as temporal discounting. This, however, can also apply to punishments. Some believe that since the punishments or consequences of not doing something will only affect them in the future, they do not feel an urgency to complete the task in the present. This can be described as feeling that one's future-self is disconnect from their present-self, known as temporal disjunction.  
  
• Several people experience a lack of motivation or self-control to bring themselves to do tasks. This can be because they have little hope or belief that they will succeed, which can come as a result of having to do long and complicated tasks. 
  
• Sometimes people are easily distracted or impulsive, so they end up doing things other than what they are supposed to do. However, some people simply like that rush they get when they must rapidly finish the assignment, as they work better under pressure or it adds excitement to the task. 
  
• Some can even procrastinate because there are overly optimistic or overestimate their abilities to complete a task in the future rather than the present.  
  
• One interesting potential cause is that some people procrastinate to be able to blame their lack of success on the procrastination, and some even procrastinate as an act or intentional self-sabotage. 
  

There are many issues with procrastinating because when issues are only addressed after they are developed, they tend to be much more challenging to deal with, and when no one discusses them, people, animals, and ecosystems can be severely hurt or damaged. Procrastination can also lead to higher levels of stress, as the anxiety felt when one knows they are expected to do a task but continue to not do it can be detrimental to mental health. 
Procrastination can lead to worse results because not only can problems become more complicated but because the span of time in which they can be solved becomes shorter, which can lead to poorly done work. It is possible that, at times, the procrastination of one can elevate the workload of another, as one has to delay their tasks to review or assist someone with theirs (such as your teachers), and even those who have to deal with the problem when you no longer can, may have a much more complicated situation to work out. Finally, procrastination leads to smaller and not very important tasks getting done first, which may give a false sense of accomplishment and takes time away from the most important tasks. 
Fear not, however. There are many ways to stop you from having the urge to put off certain tasks. To prevent procrastination when dealing with serious tasks, it is necessary to: 

• Find the root or cause of the procrastination and accept it to then overcome it. 
  
• Prioritize tasks based on urgency and level of importance. 
  
• Break large tasks into smaller pieces. 
  

• Avoid distractions. 
  
• Create goals and deadlines and focus on those rather than tasks. 
  
• Accept help and work together. 
  
• Accept that work will have flaws that can be improved. 
  
• Believe in the abilities of yourself and our community to work together and overcome procrastination. 
  

If we all address these issues and take action, we can work together to make our world a better place for all of us to live in and find solutions to benefit us and our planet (as well as stop being behind on our school work and reduce our stress levels). ​