All of us have moments when we find it practically impossible to deal with important and urgent tasks due to distractions. However, according to psychologists, some people are deliberately looking for distractions that prevent them from getting things done. Procrastinators, as psychologists call them, are people who constantly make decisions that interfere with their overall performance and that have a negative impact on their lives. Without further ado, let’s review both the positive and negative effects of procrastination, in no particular order by looking at facts about this lazy activity!
1. Procrastination is a lifestyle
Procrastination can be viewed as a lifestyle mainly because the behaviors it determines in people take over all aspects of their life. To put it simply, procrastinators do not notice any negative consequence of performing tasks at the last minute and perhaps this is why they continue to do so. This is one of the reasons why they are actively looking for distractions that do not require a high level of commitment from their part. And, distractions these days are extremely easy to find, especially when you have a computer connected to the internet.
2. Procrastination is strongly related to self-regulation abilities
Even though procrastination can be linked to poor time management and planning skills, in reality it refers to a problem of self-regulation. In other words, the procrastinator does not perceive time any differently from others, but he is just more optimistic than the rest of us. Add the fact that procrastination is seen as a lifestyle and you will understand the futility of asking these individuals to create a weekly planner and stick to it.
3. Procrastinators are prone to substance abuse
The substance abuse among procrastinators is usually higher and it is a consequence of the individual’s inability of self-regulation. The low performance in life that is determined by the lack of serious engagement in various activities practically activates the avoidant coping mechanisms and makes them drink/utilize recreational drugs more often than they intend to. This can be perceived as a vicious circle since you do not like the way things are going, yet you do nothing serious about it.
4. Procrastinators often lie to themselves
Procrastinators are very likely to lie to themselves: essentially, they are convinced that they work very well under pressure and that they can finish all tasks on the next day, when they will surely feel up to it. Obviously, the urge to finish those charts tomorrow is usually absent that day and most of them do not perform well under pressure. When this happens, the coping mechanisms become active again and this is the moment when the procrastinator begins to believe the task is not really that important after all.
5. Procrastination has health consequences
Studies performed on procrastinating college students underlined several health problems for people in this demographic. Research shows that procrastinators have a weakened immune system, meaning that they are more prone to develop gastrointestinal problems and suffer from colds as well as flu more frequently. In addition, since they are not really using their internal resources, procrastinators are more likely to experience sleep disorders such as insomnia.