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Understanding Procrastination: Causes and Solutions
The interesting thing about overthinking and procrastination is sometimes they can actually evolve into innovation and creativity in the short term. Letting an idea grow in your mind in the short term with a deadline and a plan can actually lead to innovation and creativity. — Jay Shetty
Procrastination, broadly defined as the voluntary delay of an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay, remains a pervasive issue that plagues students, professionals, and homemakers alike (Steel, 2007). Despite the frequency of its occurrence, procrastination is not simply a product of laziness or a lack of time-management skills; rather, research points to a complex interplay of emotional, cognitive, and motivational factors, which work in concert to perpetuate the habit of putting things off (Tice & Baumeister, 1997). In many instances, procrastination represents a form of self-regulatory breakdown, where the individual is unable to align intentions with behaviors, often due to underlying fears of failure, perfectionism, or low self-efficacy (Bandura, 1986). The detrimental consequences associated with chronic procrastination are well-documented, ranging from diminished academic and professional performance to heightened stress, anxiety, and even decreased physical health (Sirois, 2014). As such, understanding the intricacies of…
