Don’t delay in battling procrastination

David McRaney, author of “You Are Not So Smart,” a book on psychology, insists that procrastination is, in fact, not the result of laziness or lack of time management skills, but rather that, “procrastination is fueled by weakness in the face of impulse and a failure to think about thinking.” In addition to love, fear and other familiar emotions I am utterly convinced that procrastination is yet another common denominator of humankind. It plagues both the young and the old, the student and the employee, the homeless and the housewife. But, of course, we all know this.
The fact that those most acquainted with procrastination are able, willing and sometimes even eager to admit this frustrating shortcoming, is an encouraging step. However, there does not seem to be a cure. That, however, is a result of the belief that procrastination is caused by laziness. Which, according to many psychologists, it is not.
In a CNN article titled, “How to Stop Procrastinating on Diet, Exercise,” behavioral economist Dan Ariely stated that, “the world is designed to create procrastination problems. Our emotions get the better of us, and we tend to forsake our longterm goals in favor of shortterm desires. It’s a major source of human misery.”
The key to overcoming procrastination is not to overcome laziness. It is to overcome temptation. This makes this “major source of human misery” almost controllable, instead of searching for that elusive factor that will create motivation in lieu of laziness.
In fact, McRaney and Ariely posit that defeating procrastination is like playing a game against yourself.
McRaney makes the cogent point that in dealing with procrastination you must consider both the “future” you and the “now” you. This correlates with Ariely’s supposition that shortterm desires trump longterm goals.
For instance, even if “now” you think that it would be prudent to finish that project, “future” you might not. Emotions change.
There is no way around this. But what there is, is the ability to predict what your emotions will change to. This is where one commences the game against themselves.
You know yourself better than anyone else does. You know what time your favorite television show is on. You know which fast food restaurants you love. You know when your projects are due, what your weaknesses are and you should be able to foretell the way in which these factors will intersect.
If the “now” you truly wants to tackle procrastination and fulfill longterm goals, it can do multiple things to make it impossible for “future” you to wander off track.
I’ve heard of students deleting their Facebook accounts before finals. Cancel your subscription to that magazine or cable channel. Remove anything that could potentially impede your success. Play the game.
Myriad of researchers have documented through a vast number of experiments the human tendency to seek pleasure, whether practical or not, in the moment and pursue practicality over the longterm. In an analogy likening most procrastination debacles to the choice of carrot sticks or cake, now or later, McRaney states, “When you are making plans, your better angels point to the nourishing choices, but in the moment you go for what tastes good.”
I do not doubt that these psychological tips are difficult to apply, and that many have always been vaguely, or more than vaguely, aware of what is necessary for them to do in order to get something done.
Think of this as a friendly reminder for the New Year, in hopes that a new and slightly more aggressive tactic will help fulfill our resolutions.
As McRaney so bluntly says, “Your effort is better spent outsmarting yourself than making empty promises through plugging dates into a calendar or setting deadlines for push-ups.”
Sabrina Werts is a senior at Ann Sobrato High School. In addition to writing, she enjoys piano and dance. She can be reached at

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