This article will cover the following points: 

• What is Procrastination? Are there different types of procrastinators?
• Why do people procrastinate? Who is more inclined to procrastinate?
• Finally, What can be done to prevent procrastination?

What is Procrastination? Are there different types of Procrastinators?

Procrastination is the tendency to voluntarily, yet irrationally[5] ,delay initiating or completing important courses of action to the point of discomfort.[2] It can be viewed as a failure of self-regulation, which is the ability to modulate and direct your thoughts and behaviour in relations to the environment. It is very hard to resist procrastinating because it is a source of immediate gratification that as humans we are extremely drawn towards. In fact, studies in neurobiology show that it is easy for long-term intentions, which are activated in the prefrontal cortex (front area of the brain), to be suppressed by impulses in the limbic system, which is extremely responsive to concrete stimuli that elicit immediate gratification.[5]

Researchers have for long asked themselves whether people differ in the type of procrastination they engage in. In 1992, researcher Ferrari[1]  proposed three major categories of procrastinators: 

1. Arousal Procrastinators - these are people who appear to need the thrill and stress to start engaging in an activity
2. Avoidance Procrastinators - people who put off initiating tasks because they fear failure and want to protect their self-esteem
3. Decisional Procrastinators - finally, these individuals procrastinate in taking particular decisions possibly because they are unsure of what to do. [1] 

Although this theory appears to make logical sense it hasn’t really received much empirical support. No matter the type, procrastinators are people who engage in a sort of self-defeating behaviour to gain short-term benefits which ultimately leads to long-term costs[6] 

In case you were wondering there is no such thing as a non procrastinator. Everyone procrastinates on certain actions, some even as simple, yet very common, as going to bed. Estimates show that 80%–95% of college students engage in academic procrastination and more than 50% claim to do so consistently and consider it problematic. [4]

Causes: Why do people Procrastinate? Who is more inclined to Procrastinate? 

As briefly mentioned previously, one of the main reasons for procrastination is our tendency to undermine the value of rewards that will occur in the more distant future. This mechanism is known as temporal discounting[2] . It is very common in academic procrastination: the value of an exam or completing an assignment (e.g. getting a good grade) appears to be very small to us when we are far away from the deadline and it increases when we are closer to it because it is a more imminent reward. A recent study examining academic procrastination over time provided support to the idea of temporal discounting by showing the rapid acceleration in submissions of assignment only a few hours before the deadline creating a proper hyperbolic pattern[3]. 

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However, some people seem to be more inclined to procrastinate than others and this can be related to differences in personality. Firstly, intelligence has no relationship with the level of procrastination[6] . There appears to be a biological or genetic component to procrastination, but this claim requires further research to be fully supported. What we know up to date is that low procrastination highly overlaps with the trait of conscientiousness. Being conscientious means having an achievement orientation and a certain thoroughness and organization when approaching duties. People who are conscientious are usually also considered to be quite good at controlling impulses. This trait is, therefore, related to low levels of procrastination[4].
Various studies show very distinct clustering of traits (e.g. lack of persistence, lack of work discipline, lack of time management skill,inability to work methodically…)  but they generally all seem to be related to low conscientiousness. Still, this does not mean that if you procrastinate you are not a conscientious person. Another trait-like characteristic is a person’s sensitivity to delay, so how much they will be affected by a task that will only reward after some delay. This is highly influenced by distractibility and impulsiveness. The more distractible and impulsive you are the more sensitive you will be to delay[4]. 

   The Temporal Motivation Theory (TMT), which has obtained quite some support in recent years, summarizes the factors that interplay in procrastination in the formula below: 

!! Don’t freak out, it’s much easier than it looks. 

Utility is how desirable a task appears to be for a given person. As seen in the numerator, activities that are high in expectancy (E), meaning that you are confident you will be able to succeed, and value (V), which is highly influenced by low task aversiveness (i.e. how unpleasant a task is) should appear to be more desirable. In the denominator, the D refers to delay. Sources of immediate gratification, with a short delay, should appear more desirable hence as D increases utility decreases. The reversed L indicates the individual’s sensitivity to delay, measured through distractibility and impulsiveness. Ultimately, the more a person views the task as desirable and high in utility the less likely they will be in engaging in procrastination[4].

Other factors proposed include, the Say-do correspondence, or the extent to which people adhere to what they say will do and perceived academic control, meaning the beliefs a student has about their ability to exert control on their academic success[4].

Solutions? What can be done to prevent Procrastination?

The TMT framework provides important implications for solutions for procrastination: one must increase the value of a task and expectancy of succeeding and decrease sensitivity to delay and, if possible the delay itself. Bandura (1997) proposed that efficacy expectancy can be increased through modelling, hence learning through observation, and actual performance accomplishments. Surround yourself with people you perceive as non-procrastinators and observe them at work, if they can do it so can you! Focus on the accomplishments that you have had in your work or study life, if you succeed once you can do it twice! You have to have faith that you will succeed in order to interrupt the procrastination cycle[4]. 

To increase the value of your work your tasks or plan have to be constructed so that they are challenging but still achievable. Set goals that motivate you to do more, but not too hard to make you feel discouraged. Another strategy is known as impulse pairing or fusing. It refers to the idea that you can satisfy numerous needs in one. Pair your work sessions with things that you find rewarding e.g. if you enjoy socializing, study in groups[4]. 

Lastly, Stimulus control helps decrease sensitivity to delay. Research shows that choosing an environment which stimulates you to achieve your goals and resist temptations can be extremely effective[4]. 

Here are some other solutions we can personally suggest: 

1. Try the Pomodoro Technique: evidence shows our concentration span is much shorter than we think. Here is a video explaining what it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1l4w7uHdNaQ

And this is a website with the timer: https://pomofocus.io

2. Study with me videos on Youtube: studying with others is a good solution, however, it is not always easy these days. Study with me videos show people who study in real time with you. They usually implement the pomodoro technique and just seeing another person studying can be a source of motivation. An example of one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8S4GDVF2klk&t=986s
3. Website Freedom: this website blocks websites and apps that you find to be extremely distracting https://freedom.to/dashboard
4. Enough with the planning and to-do lists:  to-do lists can be very useful at the beginning to list down what you have to do and have a clear picture. However, continuously planning and over-extensive to-do lists are another form of procrastination. Stop planning, just get started. 

We are curious to know what your experience with procrastination is! Do you have other strategies to stop procrastinating? Share them with us!! :)

References 

1. Ferrari, J. R., & Emmons, R. A. (1995). Methods of procrastination and their relation to self-control or self- reinforcement. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 10, 135–142.
2. Howell, A. J., Watson, D. C., Powell, R. A., & Buro, K. (2006). Academic procrastination: The pattern and correlates of behavioural postponement. Personality and Individual Differences, 40(8), 1519-1530. Doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2005.11.023
3. Lay, C. H., & Schouwenburg, H. C. (1993). Trait Procrastination, Time Management. Journal of social Behavior and personality, 8(4), 647-662. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Clarry_Lay/publication/209836122_Trait_procrastination_time_management_and_academic_behavior/links/54ef949f0cf2495330e27c1a/Trait-procrastination-time-management-and-academic-behavior.pdf
4. Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological bulletin, 133(1), 65. Doi: https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.65
5. Steel, P. (2010). Arousal, avoidant and decisional procrastinators: Do they exist?. Personality and Individual Differences, 48(8), 926-934. Doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.02.025
6. Tice, D. M., & Baumeister, R. F. (1997). Longitudinal study of procrastination, performance, stress, and health: The costs and benefits of dawdling. Psychological science, 8(6), 454-458.https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.1997.tb00460.x