Procrastination: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

Putting off work, such as the unpopular tax return, is a familiar everyday phenomenon. However, if the completion of unpleasant but necessary work is chronically postponed, procrastination is a work disorder that must be taken seriously. Those affected often end up in a vicious circle of self-doubt, pressure and fear of failure, while outsiders misinterpret the symptoms as laziness. Because of the severe professional and personal consequences for sufferers, it is important to take early steps toward treatment. Other synonyms include: Procrastination behavior, completion block, excitement procrastination, action procrastination, procrastinationitis, or dawdling.

What is procrastination?

Procrastination refers to the regular and counterproductive postponement of work that necessarily needs to be done. The word is a compound of the Latin ‘pro’ (for) and ‘cras’ (tomorrow). Chronic procrastination is to be distinguished as a serious work disorder from everyday phenomena such as laziness or personal weakness of will. Those affected usually suffer considerably from procrastination and from its consequences, such as dropping out of training or studies. Moreover, they are usually aware of the negative effects, but do not see themselves as capable of solving the problem or getting the work done. Procrastination is a severe self-direction disorder that must be taken seriously as such and treated specifically. It can affect school, academic, professional, as well as personal activities, insofar as they are perceived as unpleasant.

Causes

Procrastination can be caused or encouraged by a variety of factors, such as an unwillingness to complete tasks, faulty prioritization, unrealistic project planning, and poor time management. Lack of ability to perform or concentrate, such as due to an illness or disorder, can also promote procrastination. The size of the aversion to the work to be done and the temptation of alternative actions also play a role, as does the fear of failure or criticism, as well as exceeding self-expectations to perfectionism, impulsivity and boredom. Often the various factors reinforce each other or cause them in a kind of vicious circle. Developing feelings of inferiority or shame reinforce avoidance behavior as a consequence. Serious psychological disorders such as depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity and anxiety disorders can also cause procrastination. Conversely, chronic procrastination can also lead to these mental disorders in the first place.

Diagnosis and course of the disease

There is no universal rule for when procrastination is such a big problem that it should be treated. According to surveys, almost everyone occasionally puts off unpleasant activities. There is a reason for treatment when procrastination leads to impairment of the person concerned, for example in studies or at work, but also in other areas of life. Individual factors that lead to or maintain procrastination must therefore be taken into account. According to the various causal factors, other diagnosed mental disorders as well as the concrete work behavior, the effects of procrastination and the degree of awareness of the affected person about these are of interest. Self-observation by the affected person and standardized questionnaires by experts can provide information about this. Common questions include: How often is the start of important work put off until the last moment? Is working on important work often unpleasant or leads to discomfort beforehand? Are other less important tasks pursued instead and perceived as more attractive at the moment of starting work?

Complications

Procrastination can bring a whole range of complications for sufferers, which are physically, psychologically and socially stressful. Due to the fact that pathological procrastination is the normal state for severely affected persons, the complications usually occur when the balance between the work that has yet to be done and the person’s expectations of himself, or those of his environment, is no longer correct.Then, if the drop in performance is accompanied by a drop in quality or if the performance is to be considered consistently unsatisfactory – where we are talking about required and not actual performance – problems can arise in the area of professional life. Missed deadlines and unfulfilled tasks may eventually lead to the loss of a job, a place at university, or the like. Opportunities may also be missed or social life severely disrupted. Due to the fact that for the affected persons themselves there is a pressure of suffering, which is fed by the devaluation of their own person due to the non-performance, the symptoms of stress and depression appear. There may be heart problems, metabolic problems, weight gain, a deteriorated skin condition, and much more. These complications are exacerbated by negative consequences that have resulted from procrastination. Complications can also result from underlying psychological conditions. These include, for example, an increased propensity for self-injurious behavior in depression or incipient delusions of grandeur in narcissistic personality disorders.

When should you see a doctor?

It is difficult to assess when a visit to the doctor is necessary in the case of procrastination. In any case, a presentation is necessary when the affected person feels that procrastination has a strong impact on his life and he is no longer able to organize himself independently. In case of such an impairment of everyday life, it is advisable to seek appropriate help. However, a visit to the doctor may also be advisable at an earlier stage. In order to prevent the affected person from getting into a difficult life situation, early treatment is helpful. The earlier the problem is recognized, the more likely it is that strategies can be worked out in the course of therapy to help the person cope with procrastination. At the latest when the affected person has the feeling of losing control over his life, it is urgently necessary to see a doctor. However, it is important that the affected person is aware of the disorder. Therapy is only useful if the patient recognizes that he needs help and if he wants to accept it.

Treatment and therapy

There have been few systematic treatment approaches for procrastination. If procrastination has developed as part of a mental disorder, for example, if it is a consequence of depression, the depression should be treated. For the treatment of a procrastination symptomatology, factors that are important for progress, such as starting with pinpoint accuracy, setting realistic goals and time management, are usually promoted manually and recorded in a work diary for self-observation. Since people affected by procrastination in particular have difficulty estimating their workload, it can help to subtract about half from the actual work goal to escape the cycle of disappointment and shame. Likewise, breaks and rewards are elementary in order to stay focused and to be able to enjoy work successes. Working in a team or voluntary supervision by others, for example through evening conversations with friends, also makes it easier to overcome one’s “inner pig”. Sharing with others can also take the pressure off and provide a forum for praise, positive thoughts and support. Breaking up larger tasks into small steps, refraining from multitasking and setting clear priorities usually makes it easier to get work done. Here, too, a work diary combined with group or individual therapy can help improve work scheduling and structure.

Prevention

As a preventive measure, it can be recommended to be aware of important and urgent tasks and to structure one’s daily or weekly routine accordingly. Unimportant and non-urgent tasks can often be ignored or not done at all without significant consequences, making room for the important tasks or rest. A fixed ratio of breaks and free time to working hours, and thus a work-life balance, also helps protect against feelings of being overwhelmed and a cycle of fear of failure and procrastination.

Aftercare

In the course of postanamnesis for procrastination, it is necessary to analyze the extent to which too intense accumulations can be unwound. A positive course in the further should be achieved.Excessive agglomerations in the scheduling (“agenda storming”) must be fanned out again, and a stretching must be brought into the overall mesh. In addition, it is a matter of making the days concretely non-repetetive. On the one hand. But on the other hand, at the same time, to put less into ‘them’ (creating modulation and variety). ‘Cras’ and ‘crassare’ are irretrievably to be associated both with the “morning” and with the “voluminous”. And so it is a matter of: To gain distance from things, but at the same time to ‘attack’ them non-adipos. This is the social secret. Procrastination also has the meaning in the aftercare that the social status can change. Procrastination during studies is bad if one resumes a desk job afterwards. However, it can have a beneficial effect if one moves from an urban to a rural area. To fully understand the various aspects of the aftercare of procrastination, one must consider temporal, causal, local, and physical-psychological factors. The principle of contiguity is also important in this context.

Here’s what you can do yourself

There exist a great many possible self-help measures that procrastinating people can take. Based on the observation that procrastination mainly affects people who suddenly have to structure their daily routine themselves, self-imposed schedules can help. This way, times for work and free time can be defined, providing guidance. It can also help to start immediately with tasks that come up – regardless of how difficult or urgent they are. This reduces the chance of putting off a task for a long time. At the same time, sufferers should set themselves a time limit for each task that is not too generous. It can also be helpful to pay attention to your own bio-rhythm. There are people who are not efficient in the morning. If the possibility exists, tasks should be started correspondingly later, with the working time then being extended. It is also true for all work steps that dividing into small partial steps is better than seeing large tasks. Small sub-steps provide a greater sense of achievement and are more manageable. Self-discipline is also more important for people who suffer from procrastination. This starts with removing all disruptive factors from their work environment. Emerging thoughts that are meant to justify procrastination must be questioned. Motivating thoughts should always be repeated and manifested.