To gain a better understanding of why we procrastinate, I started to delve into the science behind this issue. During my research, I got a bit distracted and watched Netflix for half an hour straight, thinking I’d finish my research later, but that’s not the point.
In our brain, there’s a section called the limbic system. This part of the brain is largely responsible for emotion, behavior, and motivation, which then translates into procrastination. Because its actions are automatic, this dominant region of the brain tells us to pull our hand away from something hot, to catch ourselves if we fall, or to flee from unpleasant, tedious tasks. Essentially, the limbic system is trying to lead us into opting out of the task and into immediate satisfaction.
Another weaker section of our brain, the prefrontal cortex, is a region that allows us to make rational decisions based on analysed information. However, the prefrontal cortex does not act automatically, we have to engage it. And once we’re not actively engaged in a task, our limbic system takes over again.
This constant, never-ending tug-of-war between the impulsive and rational parts of our brain often ends up with us giving in to what we like better, which is notdoing the difficult task, so we then procrastinate.
Remember, procrastination is something we can all control in our own minds. We choose to do things later. We choose to avoid difficult tasks. Instead, we have to choose to do things now. Choose the hard path. To overcome the power of procrastination, we must be stronger than the temptation of our own minds.
To read Part 3, click here