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The Biology of Procrastination This week, I ran across an article called “The Science of Procrastination” by Amy Spenser from the magazine Real Simple. While I typically would never steer an academic audience to a popular publication … other than for a fun read…this article was right on the money. It says everything I would say about procrastination and so much more. It discusses the biology of the brain and how the limbic system, the so-called pleasure center of the brain, is always on automatic pilot. It is why we procrastinate as much as we do. Since this part of the brain is constantly seeking to calm and regulate our emotions it’s no wonder we spend so much time on television, the internet and video games- things that are.. well, a little mind numbing. To turn off our procrastinator, we have to turn on the pre-frontal cortex (located behind our forehead), which is responsible for our decision making and higher order critical thinking. Ironically, for us this part of the brain is not on automatic. However, there are a number of things that we can do to stay tuned in to the pre-frontal cortex and let it work its magic. This article names seven ways: • When tackling a to-do list, do the worst thing first -it will make everything else seem easy to complete. • Forgive yourself on the days you have a slow start and re-start your day in the afternoon, complete with your favorite morning beverage. • Break your task into smaller chucks • Pair up with an accountability partner • Set a timer and work as fast as you can for ten minutes • Remove distractions • Plan your day in a way to remove opportunities to procrastinate. For further information, please enjoy this great article on the Science of Procrastination and learn about 7 strategies for how to trick your brain into ignoring your limbic system and utilizing your decision-making prefrontal cortex: http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/procrastination-00000000055281/index.html Don’t forget to click on the “Seven Strategies” link for more ways to overcome procrastination. We all have procrastinated at one time or another. Enjoy the read. M

Thank you for sharing the article, Manuel. It is interesting to note that some of those suggestions to help procratinators are also great teaching/learning strategies to help students focus and learn successfully, i.e.: • Break your task into smaller chucks, • Pair up with an accountability partner, • Remove distractions, • Plan your day.

Funny, but I read Manuel's post the opposite of the others so far. I' feel like I need to procrastinate MORE, to let my mind rest. I'm always on the go: working, driving, parenting, planning, grading, meeting. . . . I really need MORE TV in my life! I interpreted the post as telling me to slow down and relax once in a while. A

Manny, the article made me laugh. I think I should make copies for all my students, who most definitely are masters of procrastination! Even when I give them time in class to complete all homework, they tell me they will take it home to do it - which, of course, they never do. I also think I need more TV, or maybe just more sleep. Does playing ball with the dog count? Jennifer

Perhaps we need to redefine procrastination to include activities that prevent us from being productive or meeting goals. In essence, we may need to move some of that limbic automation into our frontal thinking so that we include relaxation as a productive activity. Bambi

Newton's first law of motion does a nice job of explaining procrastination as well:)

I know this was posted some time ago but I got such a huge kick out of reading it I just had to respond. I have always said I'm the queen of procrastination, sometimes I'll even procrastinate on my procrastination. My best excuse is that I work best under pressure, which might be somewhat true, given the conditions under which our brains evolved. Anyway, I have spent many years chiding myself for my procrastinating ways and it's been the topic of far too many New Year's resolutions. So I especially loved the advice to "forgive yourself" for procrastinating and just start over in the afternoon. I have to admit, though, that I have taken it to an all new level. Instead of vowing each morning that I will not procrastinate today, I will not procrastinate today, I will not procrastinate today - I now deliberately schedule in time for procrastination. I know all too well that I will procrastinate on any project, especially if it has a deadline. Deadlines just freak me out, and my brain will conjur up any distraction it can. So now I rise at least an hour early and do all those things I would normally do to avoid what it is I'm supposed to be doing...I drink coffee, play with the dog, check my email, read Facebook, and the news headlines of the day, maybe even play a few rounds of Bejeweled and I do all of this before I even shower on most days. Oh, and I always read at least a chapter of whatever novel I'm reading before I even roll out of bed. I promise - it's all true. The end result of my insane planned procrastination? In the last month I've written almost half of the novel I've been trying to write for over two years (and I had only written the outline and about three versions of the first chapter a mere four weeks ago). At this pace, the first draft will be completed by mid-August...something I never thought would actually happen. I don't forget things and I'm far more organized than I've ever been in my life. It's only the second week of summer and all but two of my "gotta do this over summer break" items are already done. My husband has always called me his "absent minded professor" because I love to tackle the hard topics, but can rarely remember where I left my pen. This is simply not true anymore. In short, I guess it served me well to accept the way my brain functions and to build time for it to do what it needs to do, rather than struggling against it. It's made me think about my classroom, I think too often we try to fit students into the molds we think will make them successful. I've spent 36 years trying to fit myself into the idea that work comes before play - you do what needs to be done first. Anything else is just wrong. It's procrastination, right? Maybe...maybe not. Maybe it's just my brain doing its morning stretches, getting ready for the tasks ahead. Maybe...??? Have a great one everyone! Thanks so much for this post! Kendra

Hi Kendra, While you are doing other things, it sounds like your mind is still working on whatever problem/project you are putting off. If that is not the case, at least you are relaxed and ready to work when you decide to work. If it is working for you, I say, you should keep it up.