The Reason Why Psychologists Think It’s Okay to Procrastinate
Dedicated to all of the perfectionists…
The way you learn to deal with stress in childhood is likely how you handle stressors today. We are creatures of habit.
To break habits that we’ve learned over the years, it’s helpful to first identify how you deal with stress.
One common way to deal with stress is through avoidance, or in other words, procrastination.
Procrastination has been widely studied. Research tells us that procrastination is a form of task avoidance. Putting things off until the last minute helps us feel less stressed in the short-term. We’ve all been guilty of it. Procrastination has a bad reputation. The only people who supposedly procrastinate are slackers and losers.
But while procrastination is a vice for productivity, I’ve learned — against my natural inclinations — that it’s a virtue for creativity. — Adam Grant
What if procrastination doesn’t quite live up to its bad reputation? Research shows that there’s another way of dealing with stress that may be worse.
Downfalls of Doing Too Much Too Soon
Do you tackle things at work quickly and way before they’re due?
Are you doing these tasks even if you have to work harder or expend extra effort?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may be a precrastinator!
“Pre-crastination is the urge to start a task immediately and finish it as soon as possible. If you’re a serious pre-crastinator, progress is like oxygen and postponement is agony.” — Adam Grant
Precrastinators are people who tackle things early on, even if they have to work harder.
Adam Grant often speaks about his tendency to precrastinate. He submitted his dissertation two years before it was due. Imagine the extra stress and effort it would take to finish such a huge project years before his classmates. Even though it seems like a good idea to tackle things early on, it may not be worth the extra trouble in the end. After all, his dissertation would have been completed regardless.
Hi, I’m a recovering precrastinator
I’ve been guilty of being a precrastinator, myself. I was training as a psychologist for 13 consecutive years, from undergrad to my doctorate, and beyond. I took extra credits to graduate early from my master’s program years ago. I’ve seen my classmates finish a year (or years) after I graduated.
When I was younger, I believed I couldn’t take a break. I didn’t want to be set back. I couldn’t stop pushing forward. However, completing things faster may have actually hindered my growth. What if I considered other possibilities? Now that I’m older and wiser, I realize there are other roads I could’ve traveled.
I thought overworking and procrastinating was taking initiative. Precrastinating just caused me to feel tired and burned out.
Here, you’ll find reasons why precrastination isn’t helpful and what to do about it.
Overworked and Burned Out
How long can a precrastinator keep it up? Precrasination may be great in the short-term. But, it’s only a matter of time before this behavior leads to burnout. Long-term precrastination may do more harm than good. It’s okay to complete your tasks in a timely manner. It’s also okay to find a balance between productivity and self-care.
Precrastination is a form of control
Overachievers and perfectionists often want to feel in control of their outcomes. Craving too much control may lead to extra stress and internal turmoil. As we learned from Frozen, it’s okay to let it go. Let go of the urge to control what happens. Can you delegate that task to someone else? Are you able to finish that task tomorrow and do something you enjoy instead? If your deadline is far away, tell yourself that it’s okay to take care of yourself in the process of getting it done.
Precrastination Stifles Creativity
I’ve found that some of my best writing comes from an idea that I’ve been mulling over for a few days or weeks. What would have happened if I published the article as soon as I had the idea? I would’ve missed out on the many ideas and concepts that I thought up over time.
The beauty in creativity is the process, being able to create something out of nothing. Precrastination hinders this process. After all, the Mona Lisa took 20 years to complete. I’m sure it wouldn’t have had it’s the same appeal if Leonardo da Vinci decided to rush the process.
Some tasks have deadlines. I get that. But, not all of them. With those projects and tasks that may need some time to flesh out, enjoy the creative process. You don’t have to rush. Whether that means rethinking a pitch or brainstorming your next article, your best ideas may come with time.
Main Points to Remember:
Procrastination is avoidance and decreases stress in the short-term.
Precrastination is the urge to finish things early even if it requires extra effort.
Precrastination can lead to burn out.
Precrastination is a form of control.
Precrastination stifles creativity. With creative tasks, some of the best ideas come to you over time.
Until next time,
— Dr. Brittney Jones, Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Founder of Today’s Psychologist, LLC | Virtual Psychology Practice
