Professor Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist at the University of Pennsylvania, argues that procrastination can be beneficial for both productivity and creativity. Procrastination is the behavioral tendency to delay tasks, even if it may have negative consequences. Some people find that waiting until the last minute can boost creativity, as the pressure of an impending deadline leads to leaps of thought that traditional approaches would not.
Conventional, passive procrastination can lead to poor performance and undesirable mental and physical health effects. However, active procrastination may not be bad, as many time-wasting activities may offer the optimal level of distraction for greater creativity. Procrastination can complement efficiency, limit time spent in distress related to the task, and force motivation.
Fuschia Sirois, PhD, of Durham University, discusses why procrastination is an emotion regulation problem rather than laziness or poor time management skills. It can harm mental and physical health. Procrastination can improve concentration, creativity, and cognitive function, but it can also cause distress if it becomes routine and causes distress.
Procrastination is a common and innate response to tasks, such as studying, working, or doing chores. Some people find procrastination a tool to create better work, while others only produce work they are proud of when they procrastinate. Medical research has shown that procrastination can lead to higher levels of stress, anxiety, fatigue, and depression.
In conclusion, procrastination can be both beneficial and detrimental to productivity and creativity. By recognizing its potential benefits, individuals can make informed decisions about their procrastination habits.
📹 What Procrastination Looks Like from the Inside
What exactly is procrastination? Let’s explore it and what it really looks like from the inside. Support us on Patreon: …
Is procrastination a good or bad thing?
Procrastination can, on occasion, prove advantageous; however, it can also result in feelings of anxiety, panic, and self-doubt. To mitigate the effects of procrastination, it is imperative to discern the underlying causes and implement proactive measures to alter maladaptive behaviors. This can be accomplished by conducting an inventory of one’s procrastination habits and identifying the underlying causes.
Is procrastination a health behavior?
Procrastination is not a sign of laziness but is linked to mental health challenges such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, ADHD, and OCD. Studies have shown that procrastination can also contribute to other conditions like ADHD and OCD. It’s difficult to determine which mental health issue comes first, as symptoms of mental illness can make tasks difficult to complete, while procrastination can create stress and lead to mental health issues. Therefore, it’s crucial to address and manage procrastination effectively.
What kind of person is least likely to procrastinate?
Individuals who are highly observant tend to excel in situations requiring the completion of tasks, and they are less likely to procrastinate. They are characterized by rationality, impartiality, and intellectual excellence. Other personality types include Architect, Logician, Commander, Debater, and Intuitive (N). Individuals with feeling personalities are distinguished by their capacity for empathy, diplomatic skills, and passionate idealism.
Is procrastination linked to creativity?
Procrastination, often seen as a negative habit, can actually stimulate creative thinking when the conditions are right. It stems from the desire to avoid discomfort from an unwanted task, which is a battle between the logical prefrontal cortex and the hasty, pleasure-seeking limbic system in the brain. When the limbic system wins, we rebel against the undesirable task and choose the temporary dopamine hit of procrastination instead. Techniques to turn procrastination into a creative habit can help overcome this mental hurdle.
Are procrastinators happier?
The recent meta-analytic study by Steel revealed that procrastination not only predicted diminished performance and well-being but also predicted overall performance, indicating that it is not a pathway to happiness.
What is the psychology behind procrastination?
Psychologists have identified various reasons for procrastination, including low self-confidence, anxiety, and low self-esteem. The key factor is emotion and mood regulation. Sapadin identifies six types of procrastinators, based on two behavior types: the first three are motivated by anxiety, while the last three are driven by boredom and frustration. Procrastinators who avoid tasks due to anxiety are more likely to avoid completing the activity.
Do smart people procrastinate?
Procrastination is a common issue among intelligent individuals, according to a study by Dr. Joseph Ferrari. Motivators for procrastination include fear of failure, perfectionism, and having too many choices. These factors can lead to distractions and hinder progress on tasks. Additionally, intelligent individuals may overthink and analyze situations, resulting in indecision and inaction. The pressure to produce high-quality work can also contribute to procrastination. However, it’s important to note that intelligence does not directly cause procrastination; it’s a combination of emotional and psychological factors.
What personality type is procrastination?
The study reveals that individuals with the INTP type exhibit the highest average procrastination score, indicating the most pronounced symptoms. Conversely, the ENFJ type has the lowest average score, indicating the least apparent procrastination symptoms. Procrastination is a detrimental habit that significantly impacts college students’ lives. Previous research has primarily focused on physiological and environmental factors influencing procrastination.
Poor sleep quality has become a pressing public issue among Chinese college students, with an increasing incidence rate in recent years. While some studies have shown that anxiety is related to sleep quality, the relationship between time anxiety, a more concrete manifestation of anxiety in the temporal dimension, remains unclear. The study highlights the importance of understanding the relationship between anxiety and sleep quality in college students.
What type of people are more likely to procrastinate?
Procrastination is a common issue among individuals, with a weak positive correlation between gender and procrastination (. 08). Men are slightly more likely to procrastinate than women, with about 54 procrastinators. Procrastinators are more likely to be single than married and are also more likely to get divorced or separated than remain married. They can be divided into five major subgroups: mild, average, severe, primarily depressed, and well-adjusted.
The personality trait most strongly associated with procrastination is conscientiousness, with a strong negative correlation between procrastination and conscientiousness (-. 62). Procrastinators are more prone to perceiving tasks as aversive, which may be one of the drivers behind their procrastination. People generally characterize procrastination as a negative behavior, and over 95 of procrastinators wish to reduce it.
There is a positive correlation between trait procrastination and task aversiveness (. 40), suggesting that procrastinators are more prone to perceiving tasks as unpleasant or boring. Over 95 of procrastinators wish to reduce it. For more information on procrastination, see the dedicated article on the topic.
Which type of people procrastinate?
The phenomenon of procrastination can be observed in individuals exhibiting distinct behavioral patterns. These patterns can be classified into six distinct types: The six distinct types of procrastinators are as follows: the Perfectionist, the Dreamer, the Worrier, the Defier, the Crisis-Maker, and the Over-doer.
Who is more prone to procrastination?
A study conducted on procrastination across the lifespan of 14 to 94 years found that it was highest in the youngest cohort (14-29 years). Men procrastinated more than women in the youngest group, possibly due to different age compositions in different samples. Procrastination was also higher among singles, unemployed individuals, and students. It was associated with high levels of perceived stress, depressiveness, anxiety, fatigue, and reduced life satisfaction across various domains.
In a multiple regression model, lack of a partnership was a predictor of procrastination, along with unemployment, depression, perceived stress, and fatigue. The negative association of procrastination and age can be explained by the development of personality, time perception, coping styles over the life span, and cohort effects.
📹 Can Procrastination Be a Good Thing?
New research suggests that some people need to procrastinate in order to get things done. Could this be a good or bad thing?
My ADHD “procrastinate then do it later with the time pressure motivation” very frequently gets sabotaged my anxious depression “you’ll fail anyway so don’t bother.” So I end up worrying about it the entire time the deadline is coming, feeling just as bad as if I’d already failed, while still being unable to actually start it. It’s so frustrating when the positive, superpower parts of ADHD get hijacked by the comorbidities.
Thank you for this. Tears in my eyes, seeing myself in every word. Procrastination is literally a part of my every day life😔 Both active and passive. The hardest part is doing the daily tasks that will obviously change your future, like writing that book, or starting that business, or taking that course… but what do you do when you have no deadline to Make you finally start? What can you use for motivation?🥺
What about when you keep procrastinating on things (even things you like and get pleasure out of) because you feel stuck and your brain keeps getting drawn to faster and easier dopamine-giving sources? I don’t feel like it feels quite like passive anxiety-perfectionism driven procrastination, but doesn’t feel like active deliberate procrastination either.
The Tim Urban Ted Talk “inside the mind of a master procrastinator” is also really good. Procrastination regarding Tasks with deadlines, which usually result in at least something being achieved, even if not best work; As opposed to a life-ruining, procrastination over your own life goals. No deadline, won’t even *try*. It never happens, tragic.
That was so wholesome! I tend to get confused over how long things actually take in general, and procrastination is a big issue in it as well, as it’s hard for me to hit the sweet spot of „close enough to get into the hyperfocus zone” and not slide into „oh dang, now I’m totally stressed out because the pressure is too high”.
Awesome work. I’m in the process of getting diagnosed after seeing your article on “tell me you have ADHD without telling me you have ADHD” it started off a funny similarity but quickly dropped into “Oh…. oh no. This hit way too close to home to be a coincidence.” Thank you for your articles! They’ve been a great help! P.s. I’m also missing a tooth because I procrastinated on going to the dentist.
Watching this as I lie in bed avoiding returning the phone call I missed this morning. 😂 I’m definitely a passive procrastinator. I’ve known for years that my procrastinating is a response to anxiety and overwhelm. If I even start to think about a task or project that causes anxiety, my brain changes the subject. It happens so automatically that it can be hard to catch myself doing it. Sometimes I can be quite productive and do tons of other tasks, but I still haven’t found a great way to just make myself do the thing.
The problem with actively putting something off until the last minute is that it’s usually accompanied by a wildly over-optimistic concept of how much time it will take to complete the task, and a complete disregard for anything else that could come up (or already has come up) to make that last-minute rush futile. An example: I successfully started most of my college papers the night before, but I had no idea that a 20 page paper (for an 8 a.m. class, of course 🙂 ) would take so much longer than a 3-page paper, especially when using an old manual typewriter…LOL! 🙂
this was sooo helpful. now i know i am the worst kind. i got over it in college but now that i’m 75 and have adhd it is horrible. i think i’ve figured out that if i perceive a possible negative outcome in handling an issue then i keep putting if off. if i had someone to ‘hold my hand’ and talk me through it with encouragement then i think i could do it. i used to call a friend to be with me on the phone while i opened an envelope that i just looked at for over a week because i was nervous about what was inside.
Does anyone else have an issue with procrastinating even with activities that you love? I don’t just procrastinate to put off deadlines and work, I do it with hobbies that I want to practise, friends I want to see, replying to messages from people I love, going for a walk etc. Of course, having GAD does not help with motivation because it makes you scared of everything 😅😑
I’m definitely a passive procastinator and I feel exactly how you mentioned… I experience myself doing it both to reduce anxiety and because I don’t feel confident that I can do the task. I end up doing the task eventually feeling really bad about my performance, not doing it at all (if it is really bad) or feeling VERY tired. Even finishing the task seems harder than if I had just faced it head on, from the beginning. Though sometimes I procrastinate accidentally because I forget what I am supposed to do
I used to do a lot of active procrastination when I was in university and I didn’t understand why I had to clean my entire house before I did any schoolwork. The benefit was my house was clean but I would leave my work to the last possible minute. I just went with it and accepted that I had to do this, but I deeply wish I knew I had ADHD earlier (I was diagnosed at age 31, many years past university). Sigh! Thanks for the article ☺️
Definitely am an active procrastinator. I spend an excessive amount of time thinking about and sorting out a project in my head. Usually the project is so fine tuned before I ever begin the actual work that the whole task can be completed without backtracking or redoing parts as those who just jump in and start “doing something” will experience.
“Which makes us lose a tooth” man I have lost 3 teeth since covid started-_- its nice to see I’m not the only one who has dental issues. My favourite thing about this website is how you make me feel like I am not alone anymore ♡♡ Oh also icklenellierose did a parady song called procrastination about 10 years ago and it is still one of my favourite songs haha
Procrastination is the bane of my existence! There are times that I procrastinate so much that I forget the task completely and end up with real consequences. 🤦♀ This website has truly taught me so much. I’ve made so many changes from the advice given here that I have so many people tell me that I’ve come so far in my journey with learning to live with ADHD, but I don’t feel like I’ve gotten anywhere. 😔 I know that the journey is never ending, and I only started my path in January 2022, but It feels like a hopeless battle. I’m hopeful that continuing to watch these articles will help me become a functioning member of society in an easier, more comfortable way, or at least make it easier to understand (and explain to others) why I am the way I am. I can’t begin to put into words the impact this website has had on my life. Thank you so much Jess for all that you do for your website! 🥰💚🖤
I’ve found that fighting my procrastination urges is counterproductive, resulting in a lot of self-criticism and self-hatred but not much productivity. So instead, I worked out a way to leverage my procrastination tendencies. Whenever I encounter something I want to do instead of what I should be doing, I can procrastinate doing the thing I want to do and put off procrastinating the thing I should do. This will transform something I’m very adept at (procrastination) from a liability into an asset by procrastinating my procrastination. It’s the perfect solution because it plays to my strengths! At least, that’s the theory. I’ll get around to testing it out one of these days.
I feel like sometimes I procrastinate because the thing I have to do bores me to tears. I don’t really want to do it, so I don’t. Other times, I procrastinate because it is complex and I need to get some kind of actionable plan together that I can act on. Typically, for me, the act of putting together the plan is exciting and I do not procrastinate that once I have a good starting point. But, I will get bored with actually implementing the plan. I would rather delegate that to someone else so I can go back to planning the next big thing. One of my old co-workers called me the ‘Idea Man’. I came up with the ideas, the rest of the team implemented them. It was a good fit for my brain.
I always prograstinate when packing my stuff for school or for holidays. I always do this last minute or day. The fact that I’m the complite opposite of my dad when it comes to this. He is always pissed when we start a trip. Furthermore he often says to me (and my brother too, he has the same problems as me) that I always forget something at home, only because he would forget things at home if he would pack his stuff last minute.
Damn I used to be an active procrastinator and I never knew what it was, or how to put words on it, or why my current procrastination felt like it was very different both in feeling and outcomes even though it looked the same. Turns out I changed from an active to a passive procrastination style. This is soo eye opening
I’m actively procrastinating now by perusal this article, and then leaving this comment. Its something that ive always done, and its how ive managed to get to this point in my life and career. I have recently been diagnosed wit ADHD (im 38 years old), and this was discussed during my psychology sessions, made me feel better about it. To me, the most damaging component with undiagnosed ADHD is the development of Maladaptive Schemas and the subsequent unhealthy coping mechanisms that come along with it (from constantly letting people down by not living up to your “potential” and then feeling like you are lazy and useless, Also feeling like something going to go wrong because you make too many mistakes). I’m wondering if this is something you have discussed in your articles anywhere? If not it might be something worth looking into. Happy to give advice and my personal experience, just email me anytime.
This is incredibly relatable, but figuring out if it’s active or passive procrastination doesn’t really help me with the initial problem of – how to stay on top of my life and actually get things done on time. Because to your point, once you need to involve other people and tasks start getting more complex, you can’t just actively procrastinate and expect to succeed anymore. 😫
The active procrastinating I’ve been doing a lot more lately. I actually have been switching it out with some of the passive procrastinating. It’s helped me a lot actually. I can actually get things done and also when I want them to be done. Learning how to deal with ADHD has been quite the journey but I’m finally starting to find my way
What about procrastinating planning doing things that are fun, because you know you’re such a procrastinator and you feel the back log of all the things you need to have been doing, that you know you don’t have time to stop and have fun, so you just work more? Been in a loop like that for years. Feel so aware of my long undone todo list that I can’t expend more spoons to make myself coordinate having fun. Also the shame of not getting stuff done is a huge block for allowing fun time… PS I love love love your website, been following it for years
There have been times when procrastinating actually worked in my favor; such as something comes along where my peers urge me to ‘get on-board’ with something trendy; or with investing time or money into something. The procrastinating side of me would keep delaying ‘getting on-board.’ Days, weeks, or months later those same peers would lament and regret the actions they took, as it turned out to be wasteful or detrimental for them. But I avoided the waste and personal detriment as a result of procrastinating with ‘getting on-board.’
Wow, I really love the article game style graphic of the Wall of Awful growing! It really captures how fast tasks grow out of proportion in our minds and also get “stale” as we lose any initial motivation we had. So certain tasks I try to do asap, like calling people back, because for some reason I hate doing that — so I have to do it BEFORE I THINK ABOUT IT. Like don’t give myself a chance to get anxious about it, because that wall grows QUICK!
Hi there. I just wanted to come and say that this website really pushed me to get diagnosed finally. I was 32 and decided to do medication because of your articles. You changed the stigma around medication for me and ultimately changed my life. I didn’t know how bad my adhd was until those symptoms were lifted. The brain fog, sluggishness, fatigue, insomnia, difficulty waking up, losing train of thought in conversation, overstimulation, sensory issues, emotional dysregulation, executive dysfunction and on and on and on. Getting diagnosed, getting on meds has truly changed my life. I’m less anxious and show up as a better mom and partner and now I even text people back gasp! I’ve been busy building a business and did more in the first month on meds than I’ve done in 10 years. My sincere gratitude for your informative articles. I didn’t watch because I suspected I was but because my nephew presents typical adhd symptoms and your articles on the inattentive type and that girls present different really struck a cord and I recognized things within me. I am so thankful and grateful for your help. It’s changed my life. ♥️ And I’m sure so many more lives xx
I wish i had found you earlier, i am so stuck right now, surrounded by people but nobody willing to talk with me, im a talker thinker and cant get it out so dont know what to do about stuff unless i talk about it, i struggle with adhd and my partner doesnt care to much about what would help me, so alone sometimes, wish i could just chat about stuff and move on
I struggle with being able to “Actively procrastinate” because it’s nearly an impossible task for me to not feel the dread of knowing I’m not getting the thing done. So I’ve actually told people DO NOT GIVE ME S*#@ tones of time to complete a task, the does NOT help. Tell me last second, or ** looks both ways ** pretend it’s last second. I don’t want the thing to take up brain space any longer than it needs to!
Procrastinating on difficult work projects as an adult is what made me get depressed. I kept passively procrastinating on everything. Sometimes the deadline was within hours! And every time I did less and less and later and later until I just didn’t even cared anymore. The urgency kick never arrived. That’s when I knew something was wrong! I’m now doing better, back to actively procrastinating! 😅
Active procrastination is great until you have a task that needs to get done, but doesn’t have a clear and obvious deadline. I’ll get my resume updated eventually, and send it out. Definitely going to happen while the post-covid hiring craze is still going strong. Oh, no that passed. well I’ll definitely get it sent out before the coming recession makes escaping my current workplace nearly impossible, right?
im an active procrastinator, i get really good grades most of the time and i barely get any work done because i always do everything last minute, so everytime my friends ask me how i get good grades, I usually dont know how to answer and I just tell them that i use my phone most of the time, they never believe me !
The word Procrastinate has lost all meaning to me now, lol. I’m definitely a passive procrastinator…this is something I struggle with everyday, I have things that I really need to get done, and it’s been on my plate for months now, and I just can’t get to the point of actually doing it, even when I do get the motivation to actually start working on it, I lose interest right away and go back to procrastinating.
Great article! I was actually recently thinking that it was a mix of anxiety and perfectionism that was causing my terrible procrastination on my dissertation. Knowing that there a 2 main types of procrastination and which one I suffer from is great to know. Hopefully after I get help for my anxiety, passive procrastination will happen less often. Maybe I could learn to try active procrastination for smaller tasks/projects, but ideally if I were to do that I should plan out a generous guesstimate as to how long the task would take (maybe put the estimate time on trello or my calender or other productivity/planning app?).
Amazing article—this content was totally different from what I was expecting!! Thank you! This actually let me cut myself a break. I’ve always been a chronic procrastinator, but I believe it was more of the active kind. I’ve gotten a little better over the years but sometimes i still choose procrastination on purpose, much like you describe here. Thanks again, awesome article 🙂
I’m on the path to being diagnosed, after being labeled a problem child back in the 70s. Many traumatic years later, I’m now 48 yo and perusal these articles I’m like woah. Thanks so much for your hard work getting this out there, also you have the brightest most sincere eyes I’ve ever seen, like an angel. The wonderfulness of your inner self really shines through. 🤩
I saw this article when you upload it and didn’t get in ‘couse I wanted to do other thing and I knew that if I come to this article before that, then I wouldn’t want do the other thing anymore. So I said that I would see this article just after that other thing, now, 8 hours later, YouTube remembered me this article existed by puting it in the first page, thanks YouTube
That tooth moment was comedy gold haha. I learned much more than I expected to from this article, such as that my entire experience of education to MSc level I was actively procrastinating. Can I actively procrastinate a PhD thesis? Probably not but we’ll see XD My favourite way to procrastinate is by doing housework. If I’m struggling to sit still and focus on something it’s a good way to get moving and do something more practical, but it also feels very productive. Doing housework usually feels like a chore and can be quite draining but if I feel like I’m doing it instead of other work it can actually feel enjoyable. Plus, when my space is cleaner I tend to focus a lot better on other things and feel more motivation to start difficult tasks. So it’s kind of a win-win.
Sometimes (idk if this is autism exclusive) I have this moment or … five minutes where my brain has to hit hard reset and I forget how to do a task until I remember the first step. Like I start to brush my teeth and freeze at the sink. But picking up the toothbrush gets me going. I know there’s a term or phrase for it, but it escapes me.
“Wanna know more about procrastination?” For a second there my mind replied “I’m already really good at it.” I laughed a little at my own joke, but it’s so true it’s not funny. I’m supposed to download new programs on my computer for my next project at work but i’m just perusal cooking shows on youtube and opened this when the notification came.
i had a huge project…okay a 15 page assignment…due last sunday. i started off with active procrastination, confident in my abilities and knowing i work best under pressure. but once i tried actually starting the assignment 4 days before the deadline i realized i wasnt as “skilled” as i thought. the task was so overwhelming and complex but also important, i couldnt figure out the hows and whens etc and it drained me so much. i ended up thinking about it constantly while doing nothing actually productive (actually writing the thing). i literally spent the next days sitting in front of my computer thinking about how i really have to start writing…but never actually did, i was almost like frozen? it was only the day before the deadline that sense of urgency kicked in in a way that got me panicking and ahaking constantly. got really anxious about failing, worked 23 hours straight (i literally started at 1am because i couldnt sleep because of the assignment) and handed in a half way done assignment…mental note to self: never do that again. ever. (thats what i said the last times thats happened too)
During the last months I cried multiple times because of my teeth… Thank you for sharing that you struggle with that as well! I haven’t lost one so far but used to be bulimic and still can’t stop smoking, also it was sooo harddd to start taking good care of my teeth and also learn what type of food or drinks are good / bad for your teeth and when to brush etc. Sadly, my parents didn’t teach me much about dental hygiene and I am still learning about this as an adult woman
I paid a huge ADHD tax recently after I hugely misjudged when my “panic motivation” would kick in to enable me to finish packing up my apartment. Out kicked in much later than I needed it to, so I wasn’t finished packing when my movers arrived, and I had to schedule additional last-minute movers the next day for $$$. Totally sucked. Very expensive lesson to learn.
Really nice and neat explainer! Got me thinking about the relation between procrastination and PREcrastination (i e doing things unnecessarily early ). Quite an interesting phenomenon, too. I saw someone else mention Tim Urban’s ted talk, and I highly recommend both that talk and his articles on the same subject, over at Wait But Why?
Both types sum me up to whether it just opening a letter, making a call or doing a task that seems really challenging and nnot knowing where to start . I find that with depression and anxiety thrown in the last couple of years procrastination has been way worse, and has a lot of people with ADHD knows we can finally get round to doing a task but even when we are doing it we get distracted by somethinig else thats more interesting or needs doing to and that becomes the dominant thing in our mind so it has to be done their and then and then something else comes along and we do that cause we have/am quessing am not alone in this for forget togo back to the task we have been putting off for ages……
Feel so heard and seen when i watch your website! That wall that keeps adding up was something I visualized as a kid and it made me anxious but I couldn’t share with anybody. Still officially undiagnosed at 35 but I know ADHD is what I and my daughter have and we are constantly labeled clumsy, chaotic, lazy indecisive etc. The struggle is real!
I’ve had adhd my entire life and lots of things thruout school got complicated because of it especially the procrastination and the constant “YOU NEED TO GET THIS DONE, YOU NEED TO DO THIS, THAT, BLAH BLAH BLAH” didn’t help one bit. Actually it made things alot worse. So much so that during my HS graduation, in from of 600kids and there parents, I was the only person to receive a “BEST PROCRASTINATOR” award….never been back to school since
In my case, idk if it was ever a choice but now it’s almost certainly not. This summer, for example, I had to do two academic papers due in early September and tried (really tried!) to start working on them early August. However, I found myself unable to concentrate and made very little progress (10%) until 3 days before the deadline (90%). I guess I need to finally make peace with the fact that I’ll never be able to finish anything ahead of time because my brain simply doesn’t work that way.
Actually I’m not procrastinating rn, I made food which I’m eating and I accidentally failed at procrastinating perusal this article cause I didn’t click the 3 dots and instead opened the article so I might as well watch it. I’m planning on doing my schoolwork later and write on my story, but this is not procrastinating, just planning. Although I could’ve done the school work every past day too so maybe it is… I STILL HAVE ENOUGH TIME >:(
It feels like I “shouldn’t” start doing it, because I won’t do it perfectly enough, so I’m “waiting” for the time to feel righter(?) somehow but I don’t know exactly when this would be, I’m just waiting for something to change, but not doing anything to change, because I feel like time will change it and whatever I do it’s gonna be the same if time doesn’t pass. And also I’m kinda afraid to start doing it before it’s “ready enough” because I’m afraid I’m gonna watch it failing and I’m gonna hurt myself
HOW TO ADHD!!! I love that website name. Im both ADHD and I procrastinate ALOT. My whole life literally revolves around procrastination. Almost everything is procrastinated that can possible be. Im the king of procrastination. Im a pro procrastinator! I would have written this sooner but Im just now getting to it. lol :face-green-smiling:
I like that– “Procrastinate Mindfully” 😅😂 This reminds me of me putting on hold the box I promised to ship to my family back home since June. Until now I haven’t finished it. Because in my mind I know once I finished it, I have to call the shipping company to pick it up and make arrangements. Which I am procrastinating because I dislike phonecalls. 😅😂😂
Okay so would perusal this article less than 2 hours before a huge deadline be active or passive procrastination?😭what about me typing the comment and reading other comments even though I told myself “it will just be a 5 min article then I’ll start working”😭trying to figure it out help. But also, lowkey just … procrastinating😅😅😅😅
Ah, yes. Like that huge late fee that got tacked on my tiny credit card bill, that I paid only TWO DAYS late! I need to write the company to the get the fee reduced, because it’s ridiculous…. But it’s scary to stand up for myself, wheel and deal, and basically be on top of things. I’ve been thrift shopping and participating with Halloween activities a lot this week. So much more important! 😬
this makes me feel better about certain times I procrastinate so thank you! Though others (hello doctors appointment I haven’t made yet even though I’ve had new insurance for 6 months and hello to you as well dentist appointment that I’ve been putting off for 3 years) still linger in my subconscious. I like what you said about them still taking up energy because we’re always thinking about them.. yeah. Yep. Executive dysfunction is a b!$@&
Midway through the article I was thinking “huh I’m a passive procrastinator now but back in high school I was an active procrastinator” and then you just said how teenagers are more likely to be active procrastinators and I’m just sitting here like wth lol you’re a mind reader! Throughout middle school and high school, I was known to my friends and classmates as someone who procrastinates but still gets good grades all while being in honors/AP classes. Now I’m a 7th year undergrad student with barely passing grades and a ton of failed classes. This article really enlightened me because I didn’t even know there were different “types” of procrastination! All this time, in my college career, I’ve just been thinking about how I can’t study and do assignments the way I used to before and I get so hellbent upset with myself over it especially since everyone I’ve reached out to basically says “just don’t procrastinate.” I started to lightly think I had ADHD like 4 years ago but never really acted on it. Just last week, I finally saw a therapist and she scheduled me to have an ADHD assessment tomorrow! Overall, thank you for creating an educational website on ADHD. It really pushed me to finally get help 🙂
Well this is insane. So I was an active procrastinator in high school and for my first college degree. And then somehow the rest of my adult life has been passive procrastination. I’m so glad I now have a name for all of the anxiety and overwhelming feeling that I have that makes me put off everything that I put off. Like cleaning my house. That’s insane I feel so much relief just knowing there’s a name for it and I am not just weak person
Just started a 4 year study, mostly from at home. First two months succes = acces to the entire program. I am 1 month in and did nothing yet (well…reading the wrong pages in the book with the nice diagrams…). It eats me up, but I just can’t start. Which leads to my “see, you can’t do it -so it’s pointless anyway” kicking in. I feel like I am going to fail, unless the switch “switches”. But I can’t “make it switch”. It probably will. But it might not…
Omg omg!!!!!! I just watched your Ted talk and I’m here! 48 and diagnosed as a kid but I’ve hit so many issues I’ve said I just can’t do life’s business and have kinda been hidden. Failed. Scored super high testing as a kid but failed like made a 40 how do u do that? Got suspended for falling asleep reading behind school in grass haha no-one believed me but so many stories. My 20 yo daughter moved out and I realized she kept me in a somewhat functional place. Like not spending 4 hours in grocery but meeting a rea
Hmm, to me, there’s this weird third type of procrastinating that might not actually be procrastinating? And that third type is slowing down the work flow by adding multitasking. But I also can’t focus well without some kind of sound or other stimulus to take some of my attention (barring hyperfocus). I would love a article exploring helpful vs unhelpful multitasking 🤔
The issue is my active procrastination works seamlessly until there is the slightest hiccup in my plans… then suddenly becomes passive procrastination as my brain can’t handle the situation. I’m at university so juggling like 18 different assailments at once so the second I either underestimate the amount of time or effort a project is going to take me causing me to realise the amount of time for everything else just shifted, or if I catch a bug or anything else. In other words when you leave yourself literally the exact amount of time to do a project and not a second more the moment you are thrown off course enough to have it be a problem suddenly not even the ADHD panic superproductiviy boost is enough to get you back on track.
Does any of this relate to what I refer to as “task initiation failure”, where you know what you need to do, want to do it, try to do it, but can’t just get started? It feels like i almost physically can’t start the thing, even though I know it isn’t physical. It’s just like whatever part of my brain is responsible for initiating tasks just decided “Nope!”. Like that part of the brain just shut down. On the outside, it LOOKS like procrastination, but on the inside, you are about ready to cry because you’ve been trying to start for like 3 hours. I don’t feel like it’s procrastination, or the wall of awful, but something else, that I don’t understand, but is likely to be DEEPLY relatable to anyone with ADHD. Anyone know what this is?
In school they are working way to slow for me. So ich just learn a few minutes the day before. 2 Weeks of stuff cramped in 1 hour. And it works. So I have more free time. My IQ is around 145 and most stuff is just to easy for me to learnt. I burn out if I try to be as slow as the other. 8 hours a day and 5 days a week. I could do so much more than listen to stuff I already know.
I’ve been taking Wellbutrin for 8 months and I really wanted to change the meds. My doctor told me that my problem with time, procrastination and the frozen moments are normal for ADHD. I’m healthy and the meds are working, I just need to accept that I’ll never be what I thought I would and deal with it. Anyway, I’ll start therapy with a woman that also has ADHD and I hope it gets better…
Question for brains not related to article: what’s it like on medication? How do you know it’s working or if it’s working enough? I started 5 days ago on the weekend. Small dose of standard Ritalin. I haven’t been able to test my ability to do work yet because circumstances moved my workload to later in the day and the short release pills don’t work that long. But I have noticed that I’m calmer and dramatically less likely to reach for my phone while out shopping with my partner. “Shopping” (vs getting what i need from the shop) would agitate me to no end, but this time, on day 1 of medication, it didn’t. Still, back to normal by 5 hours or so after the pill…
Iktsuarpok – the Inuit word iktsuarpok (pronounced eek-soow-uhr-pohk) translates as the feeling of anticipation – or even frustration – when you’re waiting for someone to turn up. I’ve dealt with this form of procrastination productivity boost since my childhood. Usually I use it for last minute chores like trash, since I’ll be heading out the door when they arrive or organizing / stashing clutter before they show up if they’re coming over for a visit. Gotta website that nervous energy somewhere.
I managed to write my 5k dissertation in 8 hours and get an A, which, gave me far too much confidence. Bc knocking out an essay is one thing, but attempting to do 340 hours of course work in a 30 hour stint is another. I managed to average a C overall, but like, I kind of wish I didn’t have that option, bc it definitely made me complacent (and is def not healthy 😅)
My ADHD and being drunk is preventing me from being able to pay enough attention to this article. I don’t know the difference between active and passive procrastination at this point. Whoops. Also does anyone else get to a point while you’re getting drunk where your executive dysfunction just goes away? It’s like “okay yeah of course I can wash a sinkful of dishes or clean the toilet”. Otherwise it’s an uphill battle.
I have this awful feeling of dread to start a project that neeeeds to be done. My brain goes into a fear driven avoidance… probably cuz of the way I was raised so I’m working on it with therapy. I do find that the Rocketbook planner works amazing for me. It’s reusable, so no guilt when I put it off to the side for weeks or months. It breaks everything down from Month, weekly, and daily planning. I can save it to my G drive then erase the page when I need it. It’s been helpful breaking down big things into micro tasks. Highly recommend!
Honestly it’s crazy, whenever I watch these articles with hardly any previous knowledge beyond just “I have adhd”, how much it feels like they’re talking directly about me. I always actively procrastinate and I’m good at it too. My mom never understands and has paper bones so even when I get all the stuff that she wanted done within 10 minutes of her returning home, she’s angry for the rest of the night, horribly emotional that woman is.
I’ve learnt the technique of active procrastination recently, but also learnt that I’ve become over reliant on it and projects that have no deadlines will take FOREVER. Sometimes I’ll make up artificial deadlines to help combat this but it’s still very difficult to maintain those deadlines consistently, and in my mind I know that it’s not actually a deadline and I lose the sense of urgancey.
Putting off cleaning my apartment until guests are on their way is very familiar. Though, I usually fail to estimate how much time it will take, and always end up with half-assed cleaning. Other days, I will have a sudden burst of energy and willpower, and actually get things done even without a motivator. Can’t explain it.
I probably have ADHD but of course I’m not sure and I don’t know if I’ll ever be diagnosed anyway cause the culture I come from they will see it as an abnormality or they won’t believe. But in the meantime I lost two years of high school. I live in Italy so we have five years of higher school I should be at my fourth year in high school yet I’m still in second year for the third time. But this time I literally studied with so much effort that I can’t believe that I failed. Now I’m loosing years of my life just because I can’t get diagnosed. The weirdest thing is that I was one of the best in middle school though I studied very little but in high school everything fall apart and it’s being very exhausting. I think if I have ADHD probably I’m the inattentive type because I’m not hyperactive at all. And also I think I’m a passive procrastinator most of the time, while my elder sister (who probably has ADHD too but not diagnosed) has active procrastinator infact she has graduated with the highest grade. I don’t know what will have in future with me. I don’t know if anyone can relate and sorry for the long post
I have an overdue assignment, it’s 4am, and it’s 3 days overdue. I should be doing it, I know I should. I just can not seem to start, like a chemical reaction that does not get activation energy. so… deadline mode activated…. after this article, and maybe something else… sigh ok… procrastination research rabbit hole, or actually doing the thing I should be doing?
I barely active procrastinate, I normally avoid the things I have to do mostly bcause they give me anxiety,,,,,, Also my brain is the worst at calculating consequences so I end up not feeling pressured to do somethings when it’s time and feeling worst later, it is like I unlearned how to active procrastinate ??? 😃👈
i’m still not diagnosed but hearing about passive and active procastination is interesting. Right now I’m trying to do my homework that doesn’t have a deadline so it feels like I’m doing a little bit of both passive and active. There is no deadline but what if it’s tomorrow??? so I just cram then… I take a break and it turns into a youtube article about procastinating and now I’m passively procastinating… but srsly, professors should give a deadline :<
In collage I wrote a paper on how to procrastinate and still succeed, the night before it was due. The art of it definitely revolves around truly knowing how long a thing will actually take, so that you CAN leave it until the last possible minute. speaking of procrastination, I’m perusal/commenting on a article about procrastination instead of just doing my work…
I was a passiv procrastinator for a long time, now a days if I feel that I m not getting myself to do what I planned to do, I switch to my “do something mode”, it does not matter what I do as long as I do something, and that’s works for me. It helps to overcome self doubts and works against the feeling that I lost a day
Active procrastination is actually just called planning 😅😅 This was however a big deal when I still went to school because teachers wouldn’t plan in my tests because they didn’t see I was working on it, but I’m not going to work on it, if I don’t know when it’s due, or when all this information needs to come out again. Well, he was too late planning in one of my final exams so it had to happen in the new school year, and while all of my classmates were getting their diploma, I just sat there, numb. I’m still (over 9 years later) pretty pissed about it.
I had no idea about the two types of procrastination! I used active procrastination ALOT in High School…. and College. If I had a paper, I would try to start and stay with the class, but then I’d find myself just staring at a blank document or unable to focus on finding and reading my resources, until I was a week or less from the deadline. I’d usually end up with a high C or better (though this has bitten me several times) and it felt good. I also never actually learned how to study in early Elementary, I already knew or was easily able to understand most of the material so I saw no point in adopting the strategies they were teaching (I had other things to do) However, I also do a lot of passive procrastination. Especially when I am already overwhelmed or stressed.
It is funny how i never get to see articles like this one until the end, because when they start saying “Oh, procrastination is when you do something instead of what you should be doing”, then i realize that is EXACTLY what is happening now, so i close the article and go do the thing (or at least try it)….
Glad to know I’m not the only one who has lost a tooth because of procrastination! Me: “this crown on my tooth is awfully loose, I don’t think that’s right… but I hate the dentist, so…” Also me: proceeds to do nothing for an entire year until crown pops off and tooth underneath can’t be saved 🙂 🙂 🙂
Ok so what I do is when I get home I go to my room to basically take a breath after school get on my phone and is stuck there for hours I recognize the problem but at that point my body and especially my brain feel dead and not able to move. At school whenever I am done with an assignment I get on my phone and that just goes on throughout the rest of the day. So what do I do to get up and actually get stuff done and not feel exhausted and lazy.
I was gonna go do the dishes, but then this was recommended to me… Now I’m writing this comment inorder to prolong my engagement with the article… If I stop typing I have to do the dishes, and I really don’t want to…. There is a character limit on these, right? I mean I can’t just keep on writing, can I…? If you are reading this, this was the end for me. I eventually had to go do the dishes, but I did spend a bit of extra time rereading my own comment just to make sure it was legible. I even googled legible. What good times I had, way back before the dishes. Those were the days…
Cut it owwwt! Stahp making articles about my private life, Jessica! I put “Tooth Dr.” on the to do list that I put on one of the beautiful frosted tempered glass shelves I upcycled this week into wet/dry erase boards because making beautiful task lists is more fun than the tasks. looks furtively at tooth on the coffee table I have never lost an adult tooth, before. Please don’t tell me yours already had a root canal 15 yrs ago and never got around to getting a proper crown too.
So basically if we accept our procrastination we will feel better about it and succeed in life. Makes sense. Being in a state of avoidance, denial or fear is a recipe for unhappiness. I’m procrastinating my entire life until probably 3 days before company comes over…. so I should probably just stop hating myself for it and accept it.
I am currently experiencing really bad anxiety and heat flushes that I don’t know the cause of and one of the potential causes is procrastinating. Others being autistic burn out, sensory overload, gut issues, covid, adjusting to changes in both my stimulants and ending use of sertraline (with doctors approval of course) so please send help.
Hi, was wondering about ADD i know it is similar to ADHD minus the hyper part. is there any way you could do a article talking about ADD. I know there isnt a lot of articles about it because is similar to ADHD but some people might just have ADD and I plan to speak to someone about it im just really worried.
I’m frustrated because my doctor said I did too well on the cognitive test to be diagnosed with ADHD. I do well in testing situations and i’m competitive, so of course I did well. It’s the procrastination and my behaviors that give me away. So frustrated that my masking has gotten in the way of finding solutions. I never thought I would be misdiagnosed.
My second semester at uni we had a major assessment which required a journal entry and a whole heap of other stuff each week for 10 weeks worth 80% of the final grade. Of course I started it at 10pm the night before. An hour to go until class and I took off and somehow made it on time. I got a HD and the head lecturer asked if he could make a copy to show other lecturers as he said it was a “remarkable effort. I remember thinking to myself when he said it “Mate, you will never know just how remarkable.”
At one of my jobs, I was actively procrastinating doing these training courses that were required, but the deadline to have them done was MONTHS away. My boss was harping on me to get them done right away. When I pointed out I still had months to do the lessons, she point blank told me I had to do them within the week. Needless to say, I didn’t do the lessons for another two weeks because my boss was being a pain about them.