Can Procrastination Be Healthy?

Are we all lazy-boned laggards? Well, not exactly. While procrastination is common, laziness isn’t the usual cause. After all, most people are unmotivated to do things they dislike until they absolutely have to. It’s also hard to get started when we’re not sure what we face when we begin pursuing a goal. That's why it’s common to procrastinate on ambiguous tasks we’re unsure how to perform. Some procrastination isn’t even a choice but merely a matter of having too little time and too many responsibilities.

Some people say they procrastinate because they work better under last-minute pressure. Cartoonist Bill Waterson (“Calvin & Hobbes”) once said, “You can't just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood. What mood is that? Last-minute panic.” According to the Yerkes-Dodson Law, people aren’t motivated to perform a task until they have the optimal level of arousal. Too little and they’re unmotivated, too much and they experience performance-inhibiting anxiety. One of my theories is that habitual procrastinators don’t get to that “optimal” level of arousal as quickly as non-procrastinators. Non-procrastinators are sometimes anxiety-prone and reach that motivating level of arousal much sooner; for them, putting tasks off only leads to uncomfortable anxiety.

It appears to me that some habitual procrastinators are fiercely independent types who rebel when their personal freedom is challenged. They’re high in “psychological reactance.” More than most people, they experience deadlines and task obligations as affronts to their personal freedom and they rebel by procrastinating. Their procrastination is their way of saying, “Nobody can boss me around. I am the Captain of my own ship.” Meanwhile, in an ironic twist, procrastination often sinks their ship.

Procrastination is sometimes a killer of self-actualization, the realization of our own unique potential. This is more likely when procrastination is a self-handicapping strategy. Self-handicapping occurs when prior to performance on an “ego-relevant” task (one central to the self-concept), you place an obstacle in your own way. The point of self-handicapping is to have something to blame if you don’t perform well. This allows you to believe that were it not for the obstacle, you would’ve performed at a high level. If you perform decently despite the obstacle, your ego benefits. For instance, habitually procrastinating students are usually very proud of their B or C grade point averages. They feel incredibly smart because they achieved this despite their procrastination. Unfortunately, many later regret their academic underachievement when it prevents them from attending graduate school or getting a good job.

Self-handicapping is typically motivated by a lack of confidence. The person wants to believe they have a particular talent or ability or potential for “greatness” but secretly fear that they don’t. They’re afraid to try their best because they’re afraid they might find out that they’re not as smart, talented, special, etc. as they want to believe they are. They do things like procrastinate, don’t get needed mental health treatment so they can blame their anxiety for their underachievement, abuse drugs or alcohol so they can blame their hangovers or late nights, take on responsibilities that prevent them from giving it a real go, etc. Ironically, they’re so afraid of dealing with possible failure they end up preventing their own success. While their ego is protected in the short run, in the long run they don’t reach their goals and ultimately they live with regret and feelings of failure.

Lack of confidence plays another role in procrastination. If you doubt your ability to successfully carry out the multiple steps necessary for goal completion, it makes sense you won't even "approach" the task. What's the point of making the effort? This is a self-efficacy theory explanation for procrastionation.

Procrastination isn’t necessarily bad. In fact, I have often wondered if procrastinators have greater life quality than us highly disciplined people who rarely procrastinate. We complete tasks promptly, which only leaves time to complete even more tasks! There’s always something that needs doing. Sometimes I think that what looks like procrastination is sometimes just having your priorities straight. Letting the housework or yard work go so you can play with your kids, read a book, check in on Facebook, do your hobby, take a bath, or spend time with a friend might be hallmarks of balanced life rather than something to feel guilty about. They can be evidence of good self-care, rather than procrastination.

If you never procrastinate it may mean that you don’t make time for rejuvenating leisure, creative pursuits, or your relationships. You may see these things as productivity threats and procrastination instead of the health and happiness necessities they are. In yet another ironic twist, too much productivity can harm productivity. Without occasional restoration, burnout is likely and our productivity ultimately suffers. Interestingly, your productivity at socially approved tasks may even mask your procrastination. When you think about it, many highly productive people may be procrastinators; they just procrastinate on self-care, leisure, and tending their relationships.

So your procrastination may not be a problem and could even be healthy! However, if your procrastination significantly interferes with your achieving important life goals or desired success, it’s cause for concern. Ditto if it harms your personal or professional relationships because of its negative impact on others. When you get around to it, you might visit a therapist to explore the roots of your procrastination. And, if you never procrastinate, that too could be a problem worthy of therapeutic exploration. Your excessive focus on productivity may be unhealthy.