Procrastination is not just about the lack of will power or the result of poor time management. However, that is the biggest misconception about procratination because research says that procrastination is, in fact, an emotional issue.
A UCLA Anderson research done by social psychologist Hal Hershfield revealed that people experience an emotional disconnect when it comes to their future selves. One example Hershfield gave was the reason why people indulge in unhealthy activities and don't save enough for retirement while they were still young.
He added that although people are aware of what will happen in the future and suffer bad consequences for every bad decision they will make, they still make them. That is because they feel a sense of emotional disconnect with their future selves.
That is also the reason why people procrastinate says psychologist Tim Pychyl, an expert on procrastination from Carleton University. He said that procrastination is the result of a "misregulated" emotion. To further explain this and the misconception about procrastination, he cited an example where a person needs to do something but he doesn't feel like it. Therefore, he avoids this negative emotion by putting it off for the future until he cannot avoid it any longer.
When a person feels negative emotions like shame or guilt, these are problems they need to deal with in the present. However, instead of confronting it, they put it off because it's the easiest route possible. When people procrastinate, little do they know that they are heaping the responsibility to their future selves.
They believe it will make them feel better but it comes back at you and eats you up. Take for example the daily chores people keep putting off because they are boring. However, procrastinating makes it much worse for their future selves as the burdens and responsibilities pile up.
To avoid procrastinating, Pych yl said that people should have the mindset that doing so will burden another person. However, they have to remember that the person they are putting the burden on is also themselves.
