By Mina Milosavljevic

Procrastination. Everyone knows what it is, and even if you don’t, you have probably done it at some point in your life. The textbook definition of procrastination is “the action of delaying or postponing something”. From putting off your chores to ignoring your culminating assignment, it can be anything from a minor inconvenience to the cause of your stress and anxiety. Procrastination affects us all.

A TED talk describes procrastination as “the three people that reside in your brain”, otherwise known as The Rational Decision Maker, the Instant Gratification Monkey, and the Panic Monster. A procrastinator’s brain works like so: the rational decision maker is at the wheel, getting a person to make rational decisions. For example, working on homework or doing research for a project. As many of us know, these things aren’t very enjoyable, so this is where the Instant Gratification Monkey comes in. The only thing the Instant Gratification Monkey cares about is fun. It solely lives in the present, with no care of the past or future. The following proceeds to happen: The Rational Decision Maker is minding their own business, making rational decisions such as starting projects early and doing chores. The monkey then enters, grabs the wheel, and decides that scrolling through TikTok or rewatching the Office takes priority over the assignment due at midnight.

Hours later, the monkey is having the time of its life learning about Norse mythology when it hears a deafening growl in the distance. Here is when the Panic Monster appears. It’s 10 pm and the only thing that can scare the monkey has woken from its slumber: The Panic Monster. It comes flailing in, having realized that an upcoming deadline has come too close for comfort, and chases the Instant Gratification Monkey away allowing the Rational Decision Maker to take the wheel, all with only two hours to write an assignment.

The Rational Decision Maker will finish the assignment with barely any time to spare and with an insane amount of stress. What happens after is always the same: the Rational Decision Maker swears to never let the monkey take the wheel so he’ll never have to go through something like this again.

This, of course, doesn’t happen, and the process repeats itself indefinitely.

Procrastinating like this can undeniably lead to many negative side effects, much worse than an unchecked to-do list or a missed deadline. Some side effects include: stress, anxiety, sleep deprivation, and diminished quality of work.

So why do so many people do it? In reality, there are many reasons, but the most common ones are having a fear of failure, a task seeming too daunting, or having a perfectionist mindset which all lead to avoidance. Lacking goals and poor time management are also two major contributing factors. Distractions like social media, TV shows, books and even other household chores seem to offer an “escape” from an unpleasant task. Another reason we procrastinate is because, like our good friend the Instant Gratification Monkey, we love immediate comfort over long-term benefits.

We can easily trick ourselves into thinking that we’ll have more time later and get stuck in an endless cycle of instant gratification and extreme stress.

But fret not dear readers, as there still are ways to break the cycle. Breaking tasks into smaller pieces, making a study schedule beforehand, and most importantly ignoring the Instant Gratification Monkey can be incredibly helpful. Now I won’t lie and say that these things are easy. A person cannot stop a bad habit overnight, but persevering will eventually result in positive change.

Although procrastination seems like a harmless habit, its consequences are extensive. By learning about it and reminding yourself of the negative thought patterns that come with it, you can regain your control of productivity, and improve your overall mental health and well-being.