How to overcome procrastination following the holiday season - opinion

Every year, we plan to start eating healthy, engaging in sports, saving money, or learning to play the piano after Passover and the holidays. However, reality often paints a different picture, especially in our constant market environment, encouraging us to buy more clothes and order more food.

Committing to future-beneficial goals is challenging. According to Freud’s Pleasure Principle, it’s more tempting to stay home in air-conditioned comfort, providing immediate pleasure, rather than stepping out in the heat to exercise at the park, as we naturally try to avoid pain. Similarly, we prefer buying a lovely dress over saving money or tasting the cheesecake we baked rather than sticking to a diet.

That phenomenon is called procrastination, and we all suffer from it. For one in five people (20% of us), it’s a chronic issue. Procrastination occurs when we set a goal but are too lazy to complete it, unlike the state laziness, which occurs without target. We suffer from procrastination on all levels, leading to increased likelihood of illness by delaying doctor visits and periodic health screenings like mammograms and colonoscopies.

Medical procrastination can stem from fear of examination or lack of awareness – for example, the need for adults and pregnant women to get vaccinated against pertussis, as they could infect infants. Procrastinators are also less efficient at work; a recent study found that at least 88% of employees tend to procrastinate for at least one hour a day. Our procrastination can also lead to financial losses, such as late payments on bills.

Unpacking the three types of procrastinators 

Understanding the root of our procrastination is critical to overcoming it. According to Dr. Ellen Hendriksen from Boston University, three distinct types of procrastinators exist.

Anxiety procrastinators are driven by fear or stress from the task, often delaying due to the possibility of failure. Optimistic procrastinators, on the other hand, are confident they will finish the task quickly or believe they have plenty of time, feeling comfortable postponing it. Lastly, pleasure-seeking procrastinators only engage in tasks they enjoy and lack patience for anything else. Identifying which type resonates with you can be the first step toward managing your procrastination tendencies.

So, how do we cope with procrastination?

In cases of fear of failure, inability to meet goals, losing weight, eating healthy, or playing a complete Bach piece on the piano, the solution might be to break the goal down into smaller, more manageable tasks. For instance, if the goal is to submit an academic paper by the end of the semester, we can decide to work on a different part of the paper each week. We could start with parts we like less, such as gathering reading materials at the library, and proceed to more enjoyable sections. We can also join a silent writing group on Zoom to meet goals, where we commit weekly to our targets.

If we successfully meet the weekly goal, we can reward ourselves by having coffee with a friend. Alternatively, we could impose a penalty if we fail, like an additional hour of work each week. Choosing a topic we love is not just advisable, but crucial, as successfully completing a task often comes through finding value and enjoyment in it, making the process more engaging and less daunting.

Meeting short-term goals strengthens confidence and self-belief and brings a sense of accomplishment that can inspire and motivate us in other tasks. This process, known as the “success spiral,” Is a powerful tool for overcoming procrastination.

Dr. Piers Steel from the University of Calgary proposes the “Procrastination Equation” to predict the chances of overcoming procrastination. According to him, the primary predictive variable is distractibility, meaning people genetically inclined to distractions are more prone to procrastinate. In today’s era, where technology causes distractions, it may be necessary to enlist artificial intelligence to enhance productivity.

The writer is a lecturer and researcher in behavioral design and persuasion at Reichman University, and a member of the Midaat association.