Everyone’s procrastinated at one point, right? Waited till last minute to do your homework, or didn’t study for test until later. Well, would you believe that there is a science behind procrastination? The limbic system, and the prefrontal cortex, often fight over whether to procrastinate or not. The limbic system is basically the pleasure center, per se, and makes people want to do things they find pleasurable. The prefrontal cortex is the planner, meaning it’s the part of your brain that makes you realize what exactly you have to do.
The limbic system is one of the oldest parts of the brain. It’s the part of your brain that makes you prevent yourself from going through pain, such as burning yourself from a flame, or doing homework. But the prefrontal cortex is the younger part of the brain, but it’s not automatic, whereas the limbic system is automatic. Basically the second you start going off task, your limbic system takes over, and makes you start doing something that is more enjoyable.
So why exactly would is procrastinating so bad? Well, for starters, you won’t do as well in school, college or work. Another reason is a lack of sleep which is bad for your health. Procrastinating can cause anxiety, which may hinder our immune system, leaving us susceptible to some diseases. Procrastination can also affect your personal life, because this can upset relationships when you’re stressed and worrying about all the work you have to do.
Now, how do you stop procrastinating? Well, step one, you can break your work down into little pieces. Say you have a project to work on, you can start it once you get the project and work on it in little pieces. Another thing you can do is change your environment. If you work in front of your television, for example, you can change your environment to places where you can get more work done. Have someone help you stop procrastinating by stopping you from going off task.
Basically the best thing to stop procrastinating, is realize no matter how long you wait, whatever it is you have to do, will still be there. So, just stop wasting your time, and start working. You won’t regret it.