Science: The real reasons you procrastinate – and how to stop

Faced with a task or project, do you repeatedly tell yourself that you’ll do it “tomorrow”, “soon”, or “after watching just a few more videos”?

If so, as someone who has studied the science of procrastination for years, I can reassure you that you are not alone. Around 20% of adults procrastinate regularly.

Those of us who do this – myself included – may also experience a range of issues and outcomes that research shows are linked to procrastination, including worse exam grades, lower income, lack of sleep, and poor mental and physical health.

Procrastination can be painful and frustratingly difficult to deal with. A key reason is that a lot of what we hear about this common behaviour is wrong.

Perhaps the biggest misconception is that it comes from not caring enough, or from being lazy. By this false reading, people who procrastinate just need to “try harder”. Such misperceptions can lead to feelings of guilt and shame.

In reality, procrastinators usually intend to work every bit as hard as their peers – if not harder. But a defining feature of procrastination is the gap between intentions and actions. Not only does “just trying harder” not work, it often backfires by sidetracking us from solutions that do.

What really causes procrastination?

Essentially, our brains are hardwired to prioritise what will make us feel better right now, over what will make us feel better in the long term and overall.