Procrastination is roughly described as the putting off of some task that would best be worked on now, in favor of a more enjoyable or gratifying task. While it's not considered a psychiatric condition, it is an abnormal response to tasks we don't wish to tackle, which generally produces undesirable outcomes. Studies show around a quarter of adults and up to 95 percent of university students around the world procrastinate regularly, with little difference between the genders.

anything done within a constrained time will likely be completed under stress

There are numerous reasons why we delay tasks. The most common include perfectionism, the fear of failure, low self-efficacy, task aversion, the desire to do something more immediately gratifying or pleasurable, perceived low value of the task, impulsivity, ingrained habits, blaming external factors, stress, anxiety or outright work avoidance.

Most researchers agree that no matter which way you turn it, procrastination is a negative activity that is best avoided. At work, it can result in lower salaries, limited opportunities, even retrenchment. At school or university, it means late submissions, lower grades, postponed graduation or dropping out. In life we see higher debt, loneliness or poor health and well-being. And in general, people who procrastinate are more likely to suffer from higher stress, anxiety, debt, lost time, regret, lower self-esteem and underachievement.

Some studies found a positive strand of it, namely active or strategic procrastination, based on academically sound or successful university students. These students delay tasks because they believe they work better under pressure, the task is easy or that it would be more exciting or challenging under pressure. However, active procrastination hasn't been strongly linked to higher GPAs or high quality output. Because active procrastination requires expert forecasting of required effort, it may only benefit tasks outside of the academic sphere where the procrastinator has ample experience completing similar tasks.

Furthermore - and this is an issue of procrastination in general - anything done within a constrained or restricted time will likely be completed under stress. Stress leads to human error, feelings of being overwhelmed, having to slow down, delaying the current task further and ultimately procrastinating other tasks as a flow-on effect.

Additionally, until a successful result is confirmed, it's difficult to distinguish between a task that was traditionally procrastinated versus actively procrastinated. Thus, to successfully procrastinate actively in any domain, it’s clear that one should have expert skills or knowledge about the task, which makes it incompatible with unfamiliar tasks.

If we pivot back to procrastination as a negative activity, we see that it has been strongly associated with an external locus of control – the belief one has that outcomes depend on external or third-party factors as opposed to one’s actions. In a study on students' locus of control, those that had an internal locus were more likely to begin, complete and submit assignments earlier than students with an external locus. In a sense this is similar to studies that found extrinsically motivated tasks were more likely to be procrastinated as they were deemed low in value, because they were seen as irrelevant or of no benefit in future.

On the other hand, perfectionism and a fear of failure sees tasks delayed due to an unrealistic belief in one’s abilities or because they have high expectations of themselves, so much so that what they want to achieve on a task is unrealistic.

As such, when it comes time to sit down and work, self-doubt increases and the delay becomes an escape from having to produce grand work. It is also used later as an excuse for not achieving their own unrealistic goals. “If only I had more time, then…”, “if only they didn’t”, “if only”, “if only”. Multiple issues exist in this conundrum.

Firstly, unachievable goals are demotivating for anyone – why commence something that cannot be done? Secondly, nothing is perfect and something certainly won't be anywhere near perfect if it's rushed at the last minute. With a fear of failure or as a perfectionist, one's true ability is never realized or revealed, so the issue compounds and endures. By setting realistic and achievable goals and committing to regular progress, the perfectionist or failure fearer can get closer to the person they want to be, rather than the person procrastination presents.

Low self-efficacy is at the other end of the spectrum and one of the leading causes of procrastination. It's the belief that one is not capable of performing a task, so it's avoided as way of coping and avoiding stress. As can be expected, the delay increases stress and worsens one's self-efficacy level further. In these instances, thinking back to times when a similar task was successfully completed, positive feedback was received or a seemingly difficult task wasn't what it seemed can be beneficial. Breaking down the task or project into smaller pieces can also help.

Of course, mental health issues have been linked to procrastination; some studies question whether or not they feed each other. For those more serious cases, the solution is unlikely to be self-awareness and self-regulation. However, if your procrastination resembles a bad habit or is merely to avoid work, then self-awareness and self-regulation can assist.

For those of us who are guilty of work-avoidance, relax, because it's often been shown to be the strongest indicator of procrastination. It's the guilty pleasure of putting off work because it's too hard, takes too long or provides little or no immediate satisfaction. We opt for something easy or enjoyable, or both. Some liken it to a habit. Others blame distractions. Fortunately, it may be one of the easier procrastination issues to solve.

When we really think about it, most of us know why we choose to procrastinate. If you tune in to your internal monologue and listen out for negative feelings toward a task, recognize them and choose not to act on them. Persevere and get started. Repeat this action until you can honestly say you've done enough. The same goes for distractions.

Digital distractions in particular can eat away hours of the day. Random searches, social media, gaming and media streaming are easy and accessible methods of procrastinating. Because they usually sit alongside the thing that you should be working on, use Post-Its, images or apps to prevent being sucked in.

The only danger in procrastination avoidance is burnout. Everyone needs to take a break at some point. When creativity is depleted or your mind is boggled, take a break. The difference between a well-earned break and procrastination is the break won't negatively affect time to complete a task. It also won't be undirected, uncontrolled and there won't be something more urgent that needs your attention.

We've only scratched the surface of procrastination, but what we can take away is most of us are aware of it, feel guilty about it and know all about the consequences. Yet, we continue to do it, day in, day out.

The sense of relief we feel when we delay a task for some reason or another is brief. Soon enough, we experience guilt, greater self-doubt, higher stress and often, undesirable or serious consequences. Remind yourself that the more difficult and daunting tasks are often the ones aligned with your life goals, and are therefore the most meaningful and the most rewarding.