What is procrastination? Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something. Why would I write a blog about procrastination? Well it's simple I had all year to write this blog and here I am 5 days before I have to turn this in. Almost everyday for the past year I’ve had this blog on my mind asking myself “when do I want to work on this?” This might just be me, but It’s the worst having the same thing to worry about for months on end. It makes it even worse knowing that you're the reason why this thing isn’t getting done or that you're the reason why you're stressing so much about it. If I think about it, I’ve made it worse for myself just by delaying it. At the beginning of the year I said to myself I have 9 months until this is due so I can just wait till the last minute. That was the worst decision I’ve made this year. Everyday after I get back from school my brain has a reminder telling me to work on this blog, and who would’ve guessed ... I said “I’ll do it tomorrow” every time. This isn't the only thing I’ve procrastinated on and it definitely won’t be the last. I promise you everyone has procrastinated. No one has never not procrastinated. Have you ever been asked by your parents to clean your room and instead of doing it, you just said “I’ll do it later”. That right there is procrastination. Or have you ever been so tired lying in bed and you tell yourself “5 more minutes'' instead of getting up? That also is procrastination. I believe that there are two types of procrastination. This idea I actually got from a Ted Talk I saw about Procrastination by Tim Urban. It's a great Ted Talk and it’s funny at the same time while you learn about procrastination. Tim Urban explains that the two types of procrastination are the “Deadline Procrastination” and the “No Deadline Procrastination.” Now the deadline procrastination is a lot harder to deal with because it’s on your mind a lot and you know you need to do whatever it is you need to do. But you're always holding it off. But with the non-deadline procrastination, you don’t ever have that worry because there is no deadline so you always just keep holding it off forever and ever until there is one. Tim Urban explained the deadline procrastination like this. In our brain we have two things: “Rational Decision Maker” and the “Instant Gratification Monkey.” The Rational Decision Maker part of our brain always knows what needs to be done but whenever you decide to do whatever it is you need to do, the Instant Gratification Monkey takes over and says, “hey let's do this instead.” An easier way of understanding this is to imagine it like two sides: the Rational Decision Maker has a side called “whatever makes sense,” and the Instant Gratification Monkey has a side called “easy and fun.” Sometimes these two sides overlap and the two agree sort of like a Ying and Yang. But sometimes there's a conflict and the procrastinator just wants to do whatever is easy and fun and lets the monkey take over. Later when the deadline is closer, the procrastinator realizes it and all of a sudden the Panic Monster wakes up. Keep in mind the Panic Monster is always dormant until he has to wake up to yell at you “Hey the deadline is soon. You have to do something.” The monkey is also scared of the monster and runs away when he wakes up. Normally the Panic Monster and the Rational Decision Maker work together but sometimes usually when the Panic Monster takes over, you generally can’t seem to get any work done and usually just sit staring at a blank page. But the Rational Decision Maker will make sure the work gets done now that the monkey is gone. And once the work is gone, the Panic Monster goes back to sleep because there's nothing to panic about. For the non deadline procrastination there is no Panic Monster because there is no deadline to worry about. And generally you have the Instant Gratification Monkey that takes over for the most part but once he gets bored and goes off to do whatever he wants, the Rational Decision Maker will take over. However sometimes though, that might be too late and whatever you want to get done just goes away and you can’t do it anymore. That’s not a deadline, it's just forgetting about the thing you want done, or it’s just not important anymore and doesn’t need to be done.
Now I never thought of procrastination like this until I saw that Ted Talk. It actually really helped me open my eyes to different things. I now know that whenever I’m about to procrastinate or that I am procrastinating, I’ll remember the Ted Talk or even this blog. And instead of waiting to do something and making it worse for myself, next time I’ll get it done sooner. I’m not the only one who should be doing this though. I hope that this blog helped you get a better understanding of procrastination as much as It did for me. Just know that the next time you get a deadline for something, it’ll be best to do it sooner rather than later. Austin M Tim Urban's Ted Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator
10 Comments
Nyah Gentry
5/13/2021 02:21:42 pm
As someone who would describe themselves as driven, dedicated and motivated, I, like most of the population of the world, falls into the sad loop of procrastination. I have this mindset that thinks that when the time to do something comes up, I will know it’s time. Although in my mind I get things done fast and efficiently, but in reality I find myself waiting around until the “time feels right”, which out loud sounds ridiculous.
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Riley Matthews
5/13/2021 07:04:43 pm
Austin this is such a relatable blog that so many of us can touch base on. I have also watched the ted talk and it is a great eye opener to what our brains filter through as urgent and what we can push to the side. I feel a lot of people make sure to eat, sleep and make their bed, those things are managable. Then there are deadlines that the monkey in my brain telling me to go watch Netflix instead! I think the best I can do for myself is to pretend something is due sooner than it actually is so that the rational part of my brain and instant gratification monkey in my brain can realx a little. This was a great blog and you did a great way of introducing visuals in how people procrastinate.
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kaya
5/14/2021 11:03:40 am
This is something I most definitely relate to, I always end up procrastinating a little and put off my work for later. It's worse especially when I have field hockey, claiming I'll do it after practice and not realizing I won't be home till late and will be too exhausted to actually do any work. I end up doing work but staying up late to do and being really tired the next day. Not the best schedule ever. You are right about the part of your brain that just wants to do something fun and not work. But nothing is worse than feeling the dread of having something due really soon knowing you procrastinated. I thought you explained this important topic really well and showed that you even connected with it in a personal way.
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Jenna
5/14/2021 12:09:21 pm
This blog is one that literally anyone can relate to I feel the same with deadlines that are super far away I always put them off until at least a few weeks before which is bad. I like the research and thought that you put into this blog incorporating the tedtalk and the psychological explanation of what is happening in your brain while you procrastinate followed by panic.
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Avery
5/14/2021 12:59:17 pm
Hey Austin, I remember seeing this ted talk a while back and it is by far the best one i've ever seen. I relate a lot to this blog post and I think that procrastination is the biggest challenge I face daily, which I'm sure most people can agree on. I enjoyed hearing your insight and it's comforting to know there are many other people going through it as well. I also liked the fact that you mentioned this blog post would not be the last time you procrastinate. I think its funny how we acknowledge its a bad habit but that doesn't stop us from doing it. Good blog!
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kaysey
5/14/2021 01:41:24 pm
lol this was so much to take in. Too many monsters to process at once. Anyways thanks for further clarifying how procrastination works.I've always thought about how it is that in moments when I want to get work done but can't, but i guess it is cuz of the panic monster. I relate to the whole struggle of procrastinating as well, and I continue to do it because I always seem to pull it off anyways lol
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Tyler Lenton
5/17/2021 03:33:15 pm
I relate to this blog on a very big level which might not be the best thing. I have recently been reminding myself on all the schoolwork that I have to start doing since the year is coming somewhat to an end, while studying for things on and off school I tend to push things back and say "I'll do it later". Reading this blog reminded me on how many things I need to get done and I feel like if I make the change now that I will feel like there's not as much on my shoulders and I will start to pick up better work habits instead of continuing on with procrastinating. Thank you for writing this blog and attaching the Ted Talk because I feel like people are going to really want to watch this video since it's something very relatable.
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Kiana Birk
5/22/2021 01:25:43 pm
Thank you so much for sharing! I can absolutely agree that procrastinating does not take the task away, but in fact makes you think about it more. I definitely find myself in the position of procrastinating when doing homework. Instead I set the tasks aside and gravitate towards things that are “easier and fun” my brain says “hey let’s do this instead.” I appreciate you going into details about the different types of procrastination as it has helped me a lot! Thank you.
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Anooj
9/16/2022 01:56:57 pm
Insightful and accurate, explains the idea of procrastination in a way that is simple, yet effective.
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Lucas
9/16/2022 02:21:37 pm
I can completely relate with the message you are portraying. The metaphors and imagery you displayed helps me understand what's going on in my brain much easier now. I'm constantly procrastinating when it comes to so many things. I take an extra half hour to get out of bed. Hopefully your blog will help me get better so I can actually not rush in the morning.
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