Chapter 3

Chapter 3

SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS and RECOMMENDATIONS

SUMMARY

This paper attempts to prove that procrastination is neither a habit nor a phase but procrastination is a disorder people tend to overlook. To understand that procrastination cannot be fixed like a common problem because procrastination actually involves the brain.

The research design used in this study is the descriptive research method wherein data from documents, articles and books found in in the internet were used to answer the research question posed. The research findings are the following:

1.       A lot of people mistake procrastination for a bad habit and tend to overlook that it is actually a disorder.

2.       Procrastination is an infamous act a lot of stressed people mostly the youth know about.

3.       Procrastination is a result from either emotional or mental disorders.

CONCLUSION

Based on the findings of this study, the following conclusions are drawn:

1.       Procrastination cannot be cured or fixed for it is a problem within parts of the brain.

2.       Procrastination does not only affect the work capacity of a person but it can also affect the mental and the emotional state of a person.

3.       Procrastination is a disorder that can be both biological and psychological.

RECOMMENDATIONS

After drawing the conclusions of the study, the researcher hereby make the following suggestions/recommendations:

1.       People should actually take consideration for procrastinators and how they do their work and or how they function.

2.       People should put themselves in a procrastinator’s point of view to get better understanding and ideas on how a procrastinator deals with life.

REFERENCES

A.      Electronic Media

Students of the University of Cambridge. (2014). Self-Help Leaflet - What is Procrastination?. Retrieved March 30, 2014 from http://www.counselling.cam.ac.uk/selfhelp/leaflets/procrastination
Reichelt, A. (2013, November 18). Putting it off: Why do we Procrastinate?. Retrieved March 30, 2014 from http://thenewdaily.com.au/life/2013/11/18/why-do-we-procrastinate/
Cherry, K. (2012). What is a Psychological Disorder?. Retrieved April 15, 2014 from http://psychology.about.com/od/psychotherapy/tp/psychological-disorders.htm
Spencer, A. (2012). The Science behind Procrastination. Retrieved January 26, 2014 from http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/procrastination-00000000055281/
Serendip, S. (2002). Procrastination: Habit or Disorder?. Retrieved April 15, 2014 from http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web1/jmaryasis.html

Chapter 2

CHAPTER 2

DEFINITION

I.                    Definition of Procrastination and Disorder

Procrastination

Procrastination according to the Oxford Dictionary means - The action of delaying or postponing something. 

Procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in favour of doing more urgent ones first. Doing more pleasurable things instead of the less pleasurable ones, thus putting off impending tasks to a later time and sometimes even to the last minute.

Amy Spencer wrote the article, "The Science behind Procrastination." In that article it was mentioned that procrastination can be related to Charlie Brown's Seesaw Sensibility, between two parts of the mind when it’s faced with a boring task: a battle of the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex; whereas the limbic system is connected to our pleasure and entertainment zone and the prefrontal cortex is associated with our internal “planner” or the logical part of our brain.

Spencer says, "The moment you’re not consciously engaged in a task, your limbic system takes over. You give in to what feels good—you procrastinate" (http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/procrastination-00000000055281/) Well that is how man was perceived and probably how it will always be.

It is the chronic habit of illegitimately justifying to oneself that a task does not, should not, or cannot be started now. It is putting off that which should be done now.

Disorder

A mental disorder, also called a mental illness or psychiatric disorder is a mental or behavioural pattern that prohibits a person to act normally or freely without causing harm to themselves or to the people around them.

According to Psychology.about.com – A disorder is a “psychological symptom that impacts multiple life areas and/or creates distress for the person experiencing these symptoms.”
A disorder is a disturbance or derangement that affects the function of mind or body.

II.                  Factors Why Procrastination is a Disorder

A.      Mental

As much as people believe that procrastination is only a habit it can actually be considered as a disorder not a habit. Procrastination- this isn't a nuance, but a perpetual occurrence - no longer qualifying for the term "habit." Procrastination is not a habit, it may be a result of something that happened to the person and it’s their way to overcome or ignore their problems. (http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web1/jmaryasis.html)

Disorders like this and other mental disorders cannot be cured but you learn to manage it more effectively. As said by the article “How Do You Cure Mental Illness?”  By John M. Grohol, Psy.D.  

Taking in that the limbic system is wired with our pleasure zone, once the brain feels bored on the given subject; distractions are everywhere just to keep you from doing work. A lot of people believe that procrastination is only a habit or a phase. They tend to think that someone procrastinating can overcome or outgrow this phase because it’s only temporary.

B.      Emotional

Procrastination has been linked to a number of negative associations, such as depression, irrational behaviour, low self-esteem, anxiety, poor study habits, and neurological disorders such as ADHD. Others have found relationships with guilt and stress.

“Behavioural procrastination is equated with self-handicap. Essentially, this self-handicap provides a means for further blame shifting, as could be seen in an example of a student doing poorly on an exam and using procrastination as an excuse.” (http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web1/jmaryasis.html)

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

A.      Background of the Study

The general idea of procrastination is "The action of delaying something" might be because we're lazy and just want to laze about all day and not finish any work. Procrastination is an infamous act most people generally the teenage youth are familiar about. Procrastination is often believed to be a habit just because people do it when they have a load of work to do or just because they do it when there's is work to be done. In the article “What is Procrastination?” which was written by the Students of the University of Cambridge; People often preoccupy ourselves with something a bit more interesting and probably useful but not towards the subject that is required doing.

“The avoidance of doing a task which needs to be done – postponing until tomorrow what can be done today. Procrastination not only affects a person’s work, but also commonly involves feelings such as guilt, inadequacy, self-disgust, stress and depression” (http://www.counselling.cam.ac.uk/selfhelp/leaflets/procrastination).

It's an act of escape from reality and responsibilities, it's a way to take a break or let loose the pent up stress you gain from working and or thinking about your welfare.

Procrastination; humans procrastinate in everything they do even in the littlest ways possible, it's inevitable but why? According to an article that was written by Amy Reichelt; Procrastination is a practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in preference to urgent ones. People often do the fun things first before any other things mostly when it regards school or just plain work.

"When deadlines loom, mundane tasks suddenly become more appealing – tidying your office area as opposed to writing a report, or cleaning the car instead of revising for an exam" (http://thenewdaily.com.au/life/2013/11/18/why-do-we-procrastinate/).

How do people procrastinate? People often procrastinate just like any other man there is, they do the same things everyday even without noticing just to avoid doing work. According to an article which was written by The Staff of CyberParent.com; people procrastinate in their own ways but somehow they tend to follow a specific pattern of procrastination. But somehow the way people procrastinate is in regards with some psychological disorders. It just depends on what you are diagnosed with.

“Procrastination is my sin. It brings me naught but sorrow. I know that I should stop it. In fact, I will--tomorrow” (http://www.cyberparent.com/you/procrastinates.html)

However, based on the information the researcher has gathered, a lot of people think or claim that procrastination is a habit. But in reality, procrastination isn’t a habit or a phase. Procrastination is associated with a person’s brain and personality. The scientific fact is that, the brain or parts of the brain are the reason why people procrastinate. Normally shows when a person is stressed, depressed, anxious and even people with low self-esteem. Procrastination is a disorder that can be both biological and psychological.

A problem that the researcher foresees is that some people are really narrowed minded that they can’t even give a chance to understand why other people or their children procrastinate. Parents judge their kids because they procrastinate which leads to broken self-esteem or self-worth. They hurt their children based on verbal abuse and bring them down. Therefore, having background knowledge in procrastination, will help people understand procrastinators and how they do their work and or how they function. People will now understand what and why most of the population procrastinates.

Instead of describing what procrastination is and how it's a habit, this paper focuses on explaining the truth behind procrastination and why it isn't a habit.

 B.      Statement of the Problem
This study aims to answer the following questions:

1.  How is procrastination a disorder?
 

C.      Significance of the Study

Parents: To enlighten uptight parents about the real reason why their kids procrastinate so that they can understand and help their children better than ever instead of just scolding them and making them feel worse about themselves.

Teenagers: To give knowledge to the youth about why they really procrastinate so that they can stop spouting crap like, “It’s in our genes” or “I was born with it.”

D.      Scope and Delimitation

The purpose of the paper is to prove that procrastination isn’t only a habit or a phase. It’s a lifestyle that’s inevitable for some people. Procrastination is a disorder some people have and they don’t know about it. Procrastination is a way people can express and forget about their conditions and or problems. It is associated with the person’s brain and how they think. Normally shows when a person is stressed, depressed, anxious and even people with low self-esteem. Procrastination is a disorder that can be both biological and psychological.

E.       Materials and Methods

Information and data that are relevant to the study were gathered from a variety of articles from different sites on the internet, such as http://serendip.brynmawr.edu , www.realsimple.com  and www.personal-growth-programs.com .

The researcher will explain how procrastination can be a disorder and how it’s associated with a person’s brain, by the methods of reading articles related to the subject, and watching videos of doctors and professionals talk about procrastination. The researcher will establish a connection between procrastination and it’s relationship with humans.

F.       Definitions of Terms

1.       Procrastination: The action of delaying or postponing something.

2.       Habit: A settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.

3.       Phase: A distinct period or stage in a process of change or forming part of something's development.

Chapter 1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

A.      Background of the Study

Procrastination is the practice of carrying out less urgent tasks in favor of doing more urgent ones first. Doing more pleasurable things instead of the less pleasurable ones, thus putting off impending tasks to a later time and sometimes even to the last minute.

Amy Spencer wrote the article, "The Science behind Procrastination." In that article it was mentioned that procrastination can be related to Charlie Brown's Seesaw Sensibility, between two parts of the mind when it’s faced with a boring task: a battle of the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex; where as the limbic system is connected to our pleasure and entertainment zone and the prefrontal cortex is associated with our internal “planner” or the logical part of our brain.

Spencer says, "The moment you’re not consciously engaged in a task, your limbic system takes over. You give in to what feels good—you procrastinate" (http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/procrastination-00000000055281/) Well that is how man was perceived and probably how it will always be.

Procrastination can be a form of rebellion as parents say. But they don’t know that it’s not really a form of rebellion towards them, but a form of rebellion with one’s inner self. According to the article “Procrastination as an Inner Rebellion” which was written by Jay Earley, Ph.D.; procrastination as an Inner Rebellion; disobeying the urge to do what is right and just put off things and do the pleasurable things first before doing the appointed tasks at hand. Basically we are talking about one’s conscience here and the weight of priorities for a person.  Somehow or in some ways people procrastinate when they feel afraid of failure or success that is why it’s labeled as Inner Procrastination.

“A common reason that we procrastinate is fear of failure. Another is fear of success. However, another interesting dynamics goes as follows: It is fairly common for Procrastination to be at least partly motivated by a desire to fight against a part of you that is pushing you to work hard.”
(http://personal-growth-programs.com/procrastination-as-an-inner-rebellion/)

There is no wrong in trying; the way people push themselves to attain goals in their agenda. There is a saying; Try and try until you succeed … there is no great achievement without failure.

As much as people believe that procrastination is only a habit it can actually be considered as a disorder not a habit. Procrastination- this isn't a nuance, but a perpetual occurrence - no longer qualifying for the term "habit." Procrastination has been linked to a number of negative associations, such as depression, irrational behaviour, low self-esteem, anxiety, poor study habits, and neurological disorders such as ADHD. Others have found relationships with guilt and stress. Procrastination is not a habit, it may be a result of something that happened to the person and it’s their way to overcome or ignore their problems.

“Behavioral procrastination is equated with self-handicap. Essentially, this self-handicap provides a means for further blame shifting, as could be seen in an example of a student doing poorly on an exam and using procrastination as an excuse.” (http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro02/web1/jmaryasis.html)

Taking in that the limbic system is wired with our pleasure zone, once the brain feels bored on the given subject; distractions are everywhere just to keep you from doing work. A lot of people believe that procrastination is only a habit or a phase. They tend to think that someone procrastinating can overcome or outgrow this phase because it’s only temporary.

However, based on the information the researcher has gathered, procrastination isn’t a habit or a phase. Procrastination is associated with a person’s brain and personality. The scientific fact is that, the brain or parts of the brain are the reason why people procrastinate. Normally shows when a person is stressed, depressed, anxious and even people with low self-esteem. Procrastination is a disorder that can be both biological and psychological.

A problem that the researcher foresees is that some people are really narrowed minded that they can’t even give a chance to understand why other people or their children procrastinate. Parents judge their kids because they procrastinate which leads to broken self-esteem or self-worth. They hurt their children based on verbal abuse and bring them down. Therefore, having background knowledge in procrastination, people will now understand what and why most of the population procrastinates.
 

B.      Statement of the Problem

This study aims to answer the following questions:

1.  Is procrastination a disorder?

2.  Can it be an outlet for people to express what they feel?

3. Why do people with disorder generally turn to procrastination?

 

C.      Significance of the Study

Parents: To enlighten uptight parents about the real reason why their kids procrastinate so that they can understand and help their children better than ever instead of just scolding them and making them feel worse about themselves.

Teenagers: To give knowledge to the youth about why they really procrastinate so that they can stop spouting crap like, “It’s in our genes” or “I was born with it.”

D.      Scope and Delimitation

The purpose of the paper is to prove that procrastination isn’t only a habit or a phase. It’s a lifestyle that’s inevitable for some people. Procrastination is a disorder some people have and they don’t know about it. Procrastination is a way people can express and forget about their conditions and or problems. It is associated with the person’s brain and how they think. Normally shows when a person is stressed, depressed, anxious and even people with low self-esteem. Procrastination is a disorder that can be both biological and psychological.

E.       Materials and Methods

Information and data that are relevant to the study were gathered from a variety of articles from different sites on the internet, such as http://serendip.brynmawr.edu , www.realsimple.com  and www.personal-growth-programs.com .

The researcher will explain how procrastination can be a disorder and how it’s associated with a person’s brain, by the methods of reading articles related to the subject, and watching videos of doctors and professionals talk about procrastination. The researcher will establish a connection between procrastination and it’s relationship with humans.

F.       Definitions of Terms

1.       Procrastination: The action of delaying or postponing something.

2.       Habit: A settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.

3.       Phase: A distinct period or stage in a process of change or forming part of something's development.

Blogpost 7: Beat it

Overcoming an obstacle is the greatest step on moving forward and facing your fears. Procrastination is inevitable but overcoming it isn't. Have you found yourself putting off important tasks over and over again? Because you’re not alone, procrastination is in all of us; whoever you are and in whatever tasks you do.

Beating procrastination might be a long process but self-trickery is the thing. You need to trick your body and mind to remember to change in subtle ways not full on 'Here I am! I'm a changed man' kind of way.

Hang in there.

I've read an article named, "Overcoming Procrastination: Manage Your Time. Get It All Done." which was written by MindTools; the key to stop procrastination is realize when you do it and when it happens. Do you have a work pattern that just makes you procrastinate - get rid of it. Putting off  important tasks isn't necessarily procrastination: you just need to learn good prioritization. Work out why you're procrastinating; what's the reason your procrastinating - being bored, tired or even being hungry are simple yet the frequent reasons why people procrastinate.

As said and I quote, "To have a good chance of conquering procrastination, you need to spot straight away that you're doing it. Then, you need to identify why you're procrastinating and taken appropriate steps to overcome the block."

Well what they said was quite true, change begins by knowing what's wrong and facing it with your head held high. You need to look for the things that make you procrastinate and get rid of it by making a note and trick yourself into believing your doing the right thing - which is of course the real deal; you are doing the right thing. We have our times where we procrastinate and I admit that but if you want to stop procrastinating, refrain from putting other things at your desk that may cause you to procrastinate; a clean desk will motivate you and get the job done.

Now who doesn't procrastinate? Because I know that everyone and I mean every one of us procrastinate. I've read an article named, "Overcoming Procrastination: Behaviour Pattern" which was written by Steve Pavlina; behaviour patterns of procrastinators may be triggered in different ways, so you won't always procrastinate for the same reasons but that doesn't mean you wont because it just depends. If you have a valid reason why you're putting off a task aside then you're not really considered procrastinating but if you're simply making an excuse to avoid the task because you don't feel like doing it, then you are procrastinating. The key is knowing and acceptance and that logic applies to most of the things around us.

Steve said and I quote, "Finding your purpose is a powerful way to defeat procrastination problems because you won't procrastinate on what you love to do. You're going the wrong way. Take a different path"

Yep, finding your purpose will actually motivate you into doing and finishing things. Also 'What will it get me' attitude is efficient and inefficient at the same time because sometimes that attitude will lead you to your downfall a.k.a procrastinating. Now For a person who doesn't accept things without a fight means that accepting shit for me isn't easy but it's the most efficient way to bet procrastination. You need to know why and how you're procrastinating so you won't repeat the same mistakes and commit and have the habits again. The key to controlling this destructive habit is to recognize when you start procrastinating and understand why it happens. Look for the answers within yourself because you're the only one that can really help resolve your problems regarding procrastination.

Blogpost 6: Structured Procrastination

Art ... can procrastination be called art? Usually we think of procrastination as a bad habit to kick or a personal flaw that needs to be overcome with will power and some convincing and self-trickery. You probably know what procrastination is, but have you heard about "structured procrastination"? Structured procrastination is an act where you do put off the main tasks aside and don't get those finished but you actually accomplish a lot by procrastinating because you make do of your time with something else.

Structured procrastination is the art of making this negative trait work for you. The process in which a ton of work unrelated to what you're supposed to be doing gets done. It may sound counterintuitive, but you can accomplish a lot by putting things off.

I've read an article named, "Structured Procrastination" written by John Perry; you need to bend your time and knowledge to get things done even though you're procrastinating the big projects. By procrastinating the big projects, you procrastinate it with smaller tasks that needs to be done with a little bit of self-trickery and concentration. Leaving things until the last minute is a way of budgeting your time. You should make sure a task is really necessary before committing yourself to doing it. Most the people who stick their nose in your office to ask how some overdue task is coming, are just procrastinators themselves, tending to your business as a way of not tending to their own.

As John said, "I believe that productivity and "getting a lot done" are overrated, in fact. The list of tasks one has in mind will be ordered by importance. Tasks that seem most urgent and important are on top. But there are also worthwhile tasks to perform lower down on the list. Doing these tasks becomes a way of not doing the things higher up on the list. With this sort of appropriate task structure, the procrastinator becomes a useful citizen. Indeed, the procrastinator can even acquire, as I have, a reputation for getting a lot done."

I have to agree with John whole heartedly because for the fact that I also think productivity is overrated. I'm a lazy person by choice and by habits so really getting something done should depend on my mood and what will it get me when I do it. Doing tasks for me is a pain in the arse and doing it depends on how important it is for me; school work is shit that's why it's in the low priority check list for me, catching up on shows, working on some WIPs ( artworks that are Work In Progress ) and insulting rude-ass b*tches on Facebook are much more important. Unless the school work that requires doing is really important, that's what I'll do first. It all just depends.

Now procrastination can be called a form of art; the art of putting things off until tomorrow that is. This led me to finding an article named, "The Art of Procrastination" which was written by Mathilda Mottet; nobody’s perfect, 'Nothing' isn’t really the exact word, because procrastinators always find something more appealing and stupid in most cases than what he or she should actually do and procrastination is the witness of a society ruled by irksome people ignoring the pleasures of life. Every human behaviour occurs for a reason because iy depends on how the person is and what are their habits or views in life.

Mathilda said and I quote, "Our generation is victim of a particular disease that slows millions of people down against their weak wills : procrastination. Procrastination is the art of putting things off until tomorrow, and there is no need to tell you how good I am at that."

I can't tell you how much I agree with her because I too am proud to say that I'm really good at procrastinating. Procrastination has provided me with skills like multitasking and cramming at the last minute and even if those things happen I still get an A* or a first in the things I procrastinate on. It just comes to show that practice actually makes do.

Blogpost 5: The CONSEQUENCES

We procrastinate, all of us do. It's a daily part of our lives and it'll stick with us for the coming years or so. Our children will procrastinate, our grandchildren, our grandchildren's children basically what I'm trying to say is that, procrastination is inevitable but what will it lead to?

Procrastination isn't all that great other than the fact that it'll make us happy for a moment but we need to face the real picture here; the work. When we procrastinate we just put off tasks and it lengthens our work load and decreases our to time to do the task.
 
I read an article named, "The Negative Consequences Of Procrastination" which was written by Bill Anderson, Matthew Long-Middleton and Sydney Llewellyn - Bruce Liese; parenting as these people suggest can even have an impact on the procrastinating habits of children. Because of strict parents sometimes children can not fully develop their sense of independence and self-control. Not just the parents can affect our personality but also our friends for you actually want to fit in and be in the cool crowd as they say and for a fact, people actually get most of their work habits inspired by the people around them be it good or bad; depends on the people you hang out with.

What I look like when Mum won't stop nagging

As stated by Bruce, "Lives can be ruined by procrastination. Certain kinds of procrastination have severely negative consequences if we don't take care of the tasks now." I have to agree with him for procrastination has almost destroyed my life in ways you can't imagine. It got me into trouble with my mum more times than I can count. It's not that it's really bad to procrastinate but too much procrastination may cause you your grades. That's something you want your mum to find out that'll result her to nagging you 'till your ears bleed now do you? I wouldn't want that ever in my life but I still get nagged almost every other day for procrastinating and in my opinion, that's the only bad side to procrastinating.

Another article that I've read was named, "Effects of Procrastination", written by DISQUS; procrastinating results in task being put off until the very last minute because we get some sort of nervous feeling come over our body and as a reflex we try to overcome that feeling by procrastinating but in reality we're just postponing that feeling for later, where we might be prepared and or not.

The article also states that, "If you are not careful, the effects of procrastination can have damaging consequences on your life. It is very unhealthy to continue to put your body through this type of stress, not only is it unhealthy for you, it puts unnecessary strain on your relationships."

I agree with this statement. Firstly procrastination surely has effects that affect our mental and emotional stability. Yeah procrastinating is fun I get it but have you ever felt the feeling of dying? Where you feel you're only minutes away from the due date given and you haven't even started or that you haven't finished the task given. Procrastination makes your blood pump and you get that adrenaline rush at the very last moment before the due date to do your work but that just makes you more stressed than before where you had all that time where you could've finished the work with ease and relaxation.

Let's get this straight, I'm a procrastinator and I actually hate cramming but I'm good at it. It's bad, yeah I know but I still get the job done and what's so bad about that? It just depends on how you take your work priorities and that do you have skill in the project you're procrastinating on.