Neuroscience Says — “Procrastination Is Not Your Fault”
Role of our Brain in Procrastination
I am a person who works well under pressure. In fact, I work so well under pressure that I will procrastinate in order to create this pressure.
―Stephanie Pearl-McPhee
This is a quote that got me to chuckle. It’s funny because it’s so (freaking) true. There have been so many instances where I have planned the “perfect day” but I find a million other things to do. And let my bad habits consume me.
We’d like to be more productive in our lives. But how often do we keep our word? It takes only an hour to drift away. And procrastinate.
So why does it all go wrong despite knowing what to do? Why do we procrastinate day in and day out? Well, for that science says — it’s only a natural tendency for humans to stall.
Here’s why —
Our brain has three major regions responsible for survival: Brain stem, Limbic system, and Neocortex (Frontal cortex). Don’t worry about the jargon, all you need to know is that the brain divides the decision-making process by immediate and future needs. The limbic system satisfies our short-term goals desires. For simplicity, we can call it the ‘here and now’ model. Neurologists recognize it to be the most primitive part of our brain.
On other hand, the Neocortex meets all our future desires. It’s relatively new compared to the limbic system. And it makes us unique because most animals don’t develop in this region. In human beings, both regions work together, making us the most intelligent and productive organisms in the world.
However, it has a loophole. Paradox. Procrastination. You name it.
The answer to why we postpone lies in the reward mechanism of these two regions.
Every decision has a reward attached to it. The only thing that matters is how long we wait for it. Just take a moment to think about our daily routines. They are just short-term goals. Brushing our teeth, bathing, and eating — all give immediate feedback. However, long-term goals reward us differently. For instance, attending school and colleges only reward you after a long time. Accounting to why we children hate attending schools and colleges.
Logically we’d think that achieving the first rank in class would be more rewarding than eating cake. But here’s the fascinating bit, our brain doesn’t differentiate between the two. Whether you achieve a high mount or low, our brain produces the same hormone (dopamine aka the happy hormone) to celebrate it. Therefore, it becomes very difficult for us to decide on what to do.
Often we get caught up in a dilemma — either work or surf through the internet. Even though the answer seems to be obvious, our brain perceives it differently. Let’s be honest, most of us choose to surf through the internet because — it’s highly rewarding. The likes, the updates, and the content all amount to instant gratification which is hard to say no to.
Suddenly work seems less important. And we end up wasting our time. Even though consciously we perceive it as wasting time, our brain looks at it differently. Subconsciously, we enjoy it. Slowly this process becomes habitual as the limbic system takes control. And we can’t stop.
All defects aside, we complete our tasks after hours of procrastination. Mainly because of the stress and fear that kicks in as the time constraint reduces and the immediacy of the work increases. Finally, our brain understands the gravity of the situation. And takes action.
So it is not our fault, it’s only a human thing. Despite our ability to plan for the future, our need to satisfy the present is greater. This roots back to genetics and how we have developed as human beings. According to Neurologists, the limbic system will always override the Neocortex. There’s nothing we can do about it.
The only difference between the people who procrastinate and those who don’t — is how they perceive the world. If you develop more pride in working on the process, you can negate instant gratification. The key is to make your future goals more rewarding than the daily pleasure of life.
However, this era has made it very difficult to achieve the feat. With the rise of technology, our lives have become a click too easy. Everything we want is only fingertips away. Making it easy for our brain to find joy. Just think about it communication, ordering food, or traveling from point A to B has become so smooth, it’s simply effortless.
On the contrary, our brain has become lazy. Putting effort and grinding at work doesn’t seem to excite our brain as it does with other tasks. And this is the paradox we live in. We all want to achieve a noble name and recognition, but we also want instant gratification. The age of instant gratification is truly horrifying. And it’s going to be one of the biggest challenges for this generation to battle.
If you want a more detailed understanding through video—
How to reduce procrastination?
There’s no way to stop procrastination but we can hack our brain to reduce it.
#1 Reward yourself
If you find it difficult to concentrate and get distracted easily. Don’t worry, it’s only because our brain finds joy putting no effort. So the goal is to keep your distractions alive. Not immediate, but delay it. For instance, if you need to finish a task in 10 hours, try completing the task quickly. So that you can enjoy the distraction afterward. Simply put, hack your brain by rewarding your behavior. You can begin this behavior by setting up short-term goals. If you need to complete a book, start by reading a page/chapter. After completion, reward yourself by watching something you enjoy. Hence, your brain receives positive feedback for its efforts. By doing so, we convert delayed gratification into intervals of instant gratification.
#2 Keep yourself busy
It may sound absurd, but keeping yourself busy can reduce procrastination. By busy I mean fill your day with multiple activities you enjoy. This will keep your distractions in check, as you need to complete multiple tasks. The main reason the process works is that distractions come our way when we have to complete a particular task. But if we have a lot on our plate, we can’t afford to get distracted. The more hectic our days are, the more focused we are.
So ideally we must find a balance to enforce multiple habits in a day. And there’s no better way to implement it than by setting a timetable. Timetables outsource reminders from our brain to a piece of paper or tablet. Our brain processes so much information that we often forget our to-do list. By setting up a timetable, we learn to recognize our goals better on a busy day. Thus, allowing our brains to cool off.
#3 Minimize the distraction
It’s okay to be distracted, but we must learn to minimize the time spent on it. Let’s first acknowledge the fact we all get distracted. Everyone from Bill Gates to you. The only difference is that Bill Gates has organized a system where he can choose and control the distraction wisely.
For example, if you need to watch something after a long day of work. Don’t stop the desire. Just minimize the time spent on it. Whether you watch a show for 1 hour or 4 hours, the reward is the same. If you find it difficult to resist, try to focus on the feeling of regret you get after wasting your time. Remember, the stronger the feeling appears; the stronger the desire to stop it.
#4 Practicing mindfulness
This is one of the most effective ways to tackle procrastination. Now you may think, what has mindfulness got to do with procrastination? In fact, it has everything to do with it. Let me elaborate — A distraction always starts small. But over the years we get distracted frequently. And before we know it, it goes off our conscious control and these distractions become habitual. At such stages, it is very difficult to build self-control.
At such stages, yoga and meditation help in bringing back our self-awareness. By practicing it regularly, we can master the art of self-regulation (self-control).
