Procrastination: Gateway To Failure Essay

We all have a choice when writing to not complete the task. But is it really going to kill us? We build up this wall and have all of these excuses because we are scared of failing. I believe it’s the end of the world when I’m writing. My palms become sweaty; I look for all types of excuses to procrastinate. After reading this article, I have learned that I’m not by alone. Feeling this way is normal and I can learn to be a better writer. I will take some of Anne’s suggestions and try to quiet the voices in my head. I will begin to write down my ideas as they pop into my head because no one will see all of my rough drafts. This will allow me to take the time to review my work with a clear

     Procrastination is something that you don’t naturally have an innate ability to do. It is often brought on by finding ways

The research article titled “Procrastination, Deadlines and Performance: Self-Control by Precomittment,” authored by psychologists Dan Ariely and Klaus Wertenbroch, aimed to figure out the reasoning behind procrastination. A study was conducted to answer three questions all posed from the central thesis of procrastination. The first question the studies sought to answer was whether people are willing to impose deadlines, with substantial consequences if they are not met, on themselves. The second question whether these self-imposed deadlines were actually helpful in improving overall performance. Lastly, the third question aimed to determine if the deadlines people imposed on themselves, were done so to achieve their best results. It was

6.      Another symptom of procrastination is stress. What this is, is the way you react physically, mentally, and emotionally to the various conditions, changes, and demands in

People procrastinate because they are afraid to fail, they have poor time management, they avoid things that seem difficult or they feel depressed or they feel guilty. Some people believe that other procrastinate out of laziness or lack of discipline, but I know there are perfectionists that often procrastinate as well. For example, a perfectionist may put off writing a paper until the night before it is due and then they will have an excuse saying, “I restarted because I didn’t like what I had written.”. Another example is that some philosophers and scientists, such that Aristotle questioned if time even exists, and Einstein believed that time was a muddle in which the past, present and future were only illusions.

Thesis: Procrastination is the main result of disorganization whether it’s at home, work or school.

There have been various studies which have attempted to investigate whether brain dysfunction can lead to certain defects, and damage to the prefrontal cortex is an area of research that over the years has shown to have negative effects on behaviour, cognition and emotions. The prefrontal cortex is situated on the frontal lobes of the brain and the frontal lobes are generally concerned with discouraging unsuitable and inapt behaviours. The prefrontal cortex usually play a fundamental role in one’s decision making, organisation of information and planning. Hence, any damage to the prefrontal cortex leads to a lack in decision making and an inability to plan.

Need(the Problem): According to an article from Psychology Today, “20 percent of people chronically avoid difficult tasks and deliberately look for distractions” (2) and According to recent research “Procrastination has more than quadrupled in the last 30

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-5) by the American Psychiatric Association, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is “characterized by a pattern of behavior, present in multiple settings (e.g., school and home), that can result in performance issues in social, educational, or work settings” (American Psychiatric Publishing, 2013). ADHD is further divided into two subcategories including primarily inattentive and primarily hyperactive and impulsive. While the exact physiology of ADHD is unknown, the current research indicates that there is impairment of a variety of executive functions that are regulated in the prefrontal cortex of the brain. It is generally understood that

Transition: After learning about the science behind procrastination, I want to talk about why we procrastinate.

Procrastination is the act or habit of putting tasks on hold. It is the unnecessary postponement of starting or finishing an undertaking, which eventually leads to distress (Solomon & Rothblum, 1984). The intentional delay of due tasks is very common among students and lately, it has become prevalent in college settings (Rabin, Fogel & Nutter-Upham, 2011).

Procrastinating is a minor reinforcer and provides immediate reinforcement. It has negative short-term consequences e.g. stress, regret, academic failure and fatigue. The benefits attained from are

“Procrastination is a common form of self-regulatory failure with substantive connections” where the tendency is to put off tasks. (Steel, Farrari, 2013)

Piers Steel (2007) described it best when he stated that to procrastinate is to voluntarily delay an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay. Procrastination is a universally experienced action to which many people can relate. There are many different facets of life where people find reasons to delay and postpone actions and tasks, whether it is academically, in the workplace or in personal life. The statistical data is steep and demonstrates how serious the problem of procrastination is for so many individuals both within and outside the academic world. Piers Steel (2007) stated that 80-95% of college students engage in procrastination. Many studies have shown how procrastination in students results in lower grades and well-being. Tice and Baumeister (1997) reported that university students who rated high on procrastination not only received low grades but also reported a high level of stress along with poor self-rated health (Choi and Chu, 2005). Over 80% of Americans put off funding a personal retirement plan for the future (Byrne, et al., 2006; O’Donoghue & Rabin, 1999; Venti, 2006, as cited by Ferrari, Ngyen & Steel, 2013). Additionally, 25% of the adult population identify with being a procrastinator and state that it is a defining personality trait (Ferrari, et al., 2007; Steel, 2007, as cited by Ferrari, Ngyen & Steel, 2013). The percentage of people who have identified with procrastination quadrupled between 1978 and 2002

Susan Wyche explained procrastination and how it has good and bad sides. What I can add to the conversation of the writing process is that procrastination has no sides but bad. Although it gives me time to figure out what I would like to say, I cannot think of a worse thing to do than procrastinate. During my process of writing essay one I attempted to squeeze 2-3 days of work into 1 night and it all backfired. From prewriting like crap to a sloppy performance actually writing, I knew I had a bad habit to break. I must prepare and prewrite to have a better outcome for my essays rather than just produce words that sound good.