At one point or another, we’ve all been victims of Procrastination. We receive our assignment, we glance at it, and confidently say, “I’ll do it later.” Then, instead of working, we proceed to zone out in class or scroll through our phones. Or we tell ourselves that we have enough time to study for an exam until the night before the test, where we’re cramming the material and panicking.
We know procrastination makes things more difficult in the long run, yet we still continue to make the same mistakes and put things off.
We’ve repeated the act of procrastinating on assignments and studying for exams, but we haven’t really questioned why this is something we do or what is really going on in our brains when we procrastinate. This is something that is extremely important to keep in mind since these behaviors not only impact our performance, but also our mental health.
So why do teenagers procrastinate? Lack of motivation, poor time management, distractions, feeling overwhelmed, and overconfidence. In the moment we’re given a specific task, we can often lack motivation to even begin the task, which leads us to push the date of when we begin and not use our time wisely.
Poor time management can often lead to difficulty in prioritizing important tasks and limiting our distractions to the best of our abilities. While being confident in yourself and your abilities is generally a good thing, overconfidence can definitely have its consequences and lead to underestimating important deadlines until it’s too late.
But Procrastination isn’t solely about poor time management or bad habits, it is very much rooted in the chemistry of our brains. More of the neuropsychological reasons why procrastinate stem from a battle between the Limbic System and the Prefrontal Cortex in our brains.
The Limbic System, which is involved in seeking pleasure and gratification, often clashes with the Prefrontal Cortex, which is responsible for decision-making and rational thinking. When faced with an unpleasant task, the Limbic system can override the Prefrontal Cortex, leading to procrastination as a way to avoid discomfort.
The fun activities we do release high levels of dopamine, making them more appealing and as a result, our brains choose instant gratification since our other tasks may feel less rewarding. Since the Prefrontal Cortex isn’t yet fully developed in teenagers, it then becomes difficult for us to resist distractions and prioritize long-term goals over short-term pleasure.
Procrastination isn’t just about laziness; it is heavily influenced by our brain activity. Understanding procrastination is important since the tendency we have to delay our important tasks comes from how the Limbic System and Prefrontal Cortex interact.
By becoming aware of this, we can recognize why we struggle with procrastination and take steps to break the cycle. When reflecting on why we procrastinate, we have the ability to reflect on our negative habits and plan ways to improve things like time management and productivity, which are skills important not only in our high school years, but for the rest of our lives.
