Irma Romero
Staff Reporter
What is procrastination? Procrastination is the act of casually delaying decisions or actions. For example, suppose you need to write an essay but instead you spend time on social media, even though you know you should be working on assignments or other things. In that case, you are procrastinating and almost everyone does it.
We all put off our responsibilities for an extended period. Some causes of that are more acceptable than others—for example, family events, deaths, and much more. There are also several less obvious reasons why we procrastinate. Feelings of incompetence, low self-esteem, guilt, depression, anxiety, or even an unconscious need to punish or destroy ourselves can all play a significant role. These mental health factors can be dull and are often hard to identify.
One of the leading causes of procrastination is the human brain being consumed by their task while doing something else. According to Quora, "Science explains procrastination as the fight sparked between two parts of the brain when it is facing an unpleasant activity or assignment." "It is a battle of the limbic system (the unconscious zone that includes the pleasure center) and the prefrontal cortex (a much more recently evolved part of the brain that is basically your internal "planner")." There is no need to be embarrassed by the action of postponing; it is natural. However, this natural occurrence is not helpful to you.
Now, there are many ways to help you stop the cycle of procrastination. One way is to grab a piece of paper and write down the number of things you have to get done. Another way is to get the most challenging task at hand done first. For example, tell yourself that you will work for 10 minutes and then permit yourself to stop. You will most likely find that not only is committing to 10 minutes easier than half a day, but you also will see that it is much easier to continue once you get over the bump of starting.
Lastly, rest and refueling are essential when it comes to overcoming the challenge of procrastination. Everyone tends to procrastinate one way or another, but the variation of handling the thought of postponing our tasks is different for every individual. Working through your own procrastination will probably look different than everyone else's.
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