Procrastination 101
Why It Took So Long to Start this Blog
Let me be the first to admit, this blog has been on my mind for over a month now. More than my own mind- it has been on my boyfriend’s mind. At least once a day, he has nagged me about when I plan to put out an article, why I have not started any writing. He has even tried bribery…if I finish this article, he will download 10 episodes of Chicago Med onto my computer.
So, finally caving to the nagging (and the desire to know whether Dr. Manning and Dr. Halstead will get back together this season on Chicago Med)- here I am. Welcome to my blog! My name is Brooke Stockhamer. I am a 3rd year undergraduate student at Wilfrid Laurier University studying Psychology, with a minor in Human Relationships. I am fascinated by people- what makes them tick, what makes them feel afraid, what makes them feel secure. I hope to utilize this blog as a means to explore my interest in the psychology field with all of you!
Why did it take me so long to start this blog? When faced with an opportunity to complete a task, there are four main factors that impact how much work we will put into it- self control, motivation, demotivating factors and hindering factors. My self control to stay off of Instagram has been particularly low these days.
Motivation is the drive to act in accordance with one’s goals. For me, the motivation to start this blog is being able to create an online presence, feeling a sense of accomplishment and helping readers like you engage with content that will make them think.
Demotivating factors will have the opposite effect- they will tell us we should not complete a goal. I would say that my demotivating factor to start this blog is the fear that no one will read it- better described by that voice in my head as “FAILURE- you will be a failure!!!”
Hindering factors are things that may not be directly related to the goal, but can make a person more susceptible to procrastination, such as other commitments. My hindering factors would include feeling overwhelmed by school work and exhaustion from Zoom University.
When the self control and motivation outweigh the demotivating and hindering factors- boom! You’ve got yourself a task completed! But, when the negative factors outweigh- we’ve got a problem on our hands. Taking on a task that you are already dreading activates 2 parts of your brain- the limbic system (which deals with pleasure) and the prefrontal cortex (which deals with logical thinking and reasoned intelligence). The limbic system is automatically on all the time, and works to do whatever it is that will make you happy. Dr. Timothy A. Pychyl from Carleton University calls the limbic system an “immediate mood repair” to whatever you are facing. In my case, procrastinating something that I consider to be dreadful would be my mood repair. The prefrontal cortex on the other hand, is often overtaken by the limbic system, since the prefrontal cortex takes a more conscious effort to ‘turn on’. That is why you might find that procrastination takes the win more often than you’d like to admit.
So what can you do when your demotivating and hindering factors outweigh your motivation, and your limbic system takes over?
- Reflect on the nature of your reasons for procrastination. Maybe it is out of exhaustion, or because the task’s length seems daunting.
- Create and implement a plan of action that will combat the reason for your procrastination. Having a stricter bedtime, breaking up a task into smaller portions, studying in the morning to avoid burnout, etc.
- Be realistic about your goals. Hold yourself accountable. Have a friend hold Chicago Med over your head.
When you identify your reasons for procrastination, you can help yourself gain control over them. I’m trying to control my own procrastination. If you’re reading this, it means that my prefrontal cortex has won this round! Chicago Med- here I come!
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