... like I'm 5 years old
We all know how it feels to put off a task that we don't want to do. Maybe it's a report for work, a chore at home, or a phone call we're dreading. This is called procrastination. It's when we delay or postpone something that needs to be done. Often, we replace it with a less important task, like scrolling through social media or watching TV. It's like when you know you have to clean your room, but you decide to play video games instead. You're still doing something, but it's not what you're supposed to be doing.
Imagine you're at a restaurant. You need to choose what to order, but you can't decide. So, you start looking at the decorations, the other customers, anything but the menu. That's procrastination - avoiding the thing you need to do.
... like I'm in College
Procrastination isn't just about laziness. It's more complicated than that. Psychologists believe it's linked to our emotions and the way our brains work. To understand procrastination, you need to know about the two parts of your brain that are involved: the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. The limbic system is the part of your brain that controls your emotions. It's always active and reacts to immediate pleasure and pain. The prefrontal cortex is like your brain's manager. It helps you plan and make decisions.
When you procrastinate, your limbic system is overpowering your prefrontal cortex. It's choosing immediate pleasure (like watching TV) over the pain of a difficult task (like writing a report). However, this can lead to stress and guilt later when the task is still not done.
Imagine you're building a Lego tower. The tower represents your task or goal. Each brick is a step towards completing that task. Now, imagine there's a pile of shiny, colorful Lego bricks nearby. These represent distractions or easier tasks.
When you procrastinate, instead of adding bricks to your tower, you start playing with the shiny, colorful bricks. You're still building something, but it's not helping you reach your goal. The more you play with these distractions, the more your tower gets delayed.
In the end, procrastination is like building with the wrong Lego bricks. You're still doing something, but it's not what you're supposed to be doing. Instead of making progress on your tower, you're just creating more work for yourself in the future.
... like I'm an expert
The cognitive model of procrastination provides a more detailed explanation. It suggests that procrastination is caused by a conflict between two cognitive processes: the "intention-action gap" and "time inconsistency".
The "intention-action gap" refers to the difference between intending to do something and actually doing it. This gap is often due to a failure in self-regulation, influenced by factors such as self-efficacy beliefs and task aversion.
"Time inconsistency" refers to the tendency of our brains to value immediate rewards more highly than future rewards. This is also known as hyperbolic discounting. When a deadline is far away, it's easy to put off a task. But as the deadline approaches, the impending consequences become more immediate and compelling, prompting action.
In essence, procrastination can be seen as a failure of self-regulation and an overvaluation of immediate rewards at the expense of long-term outcomes.