Effective Procrastination: Methods and Future Study

Abstract

            Procrastination is the act of engaging in another activity. Through a case study of one female individual, five effective procrastination methods and examples will be discussed. Recommendations for future study include replicating results in a controlled environment, and study into alternative procrastination methods.

Introduction

            Procrastination, a “self-imposed frustration” (Andreou, 2007, p. 183), is described by Solomon and Rothblum (1984) as “the tendency to delay initiation or completion of important tasks to the point of discomfort” (Howell & Watson, 2007, p. 167), and is a difficult behavior trait for individuals to overcome. The lure of engaging in another activity is both satisfying and depraved, and leads afflicted individuals into a “preference loop,” as described by Andreou (2007). Howell and Watson (2007) found that procrastination is associated with “greater disorganization and less use of cognitive and meta-cognitive strategies” (p. 167).

Despite any comprehensive literature review to the contrary, through the review of a case study of one female individual, procrastination is posited as a key element to the successful completion of any graduate school program, and that by utilizing effective procrastination methods the individual’s time will be at most a destructive trait, but more likely an exercise in instant gratification.

The case study will first outline five effective methods implemented by one female individual for purposes of employing procrastination. A description and analysis of each method along with exemplary examples will be followed by recommendations for future study.

Effective Procrastination Methods

            There are an infinite number of procrastination methods in the scientific world. For purposes of this analysis, a case study examines five methods with associated examples.

The first procrastination method is social media. In a survey described by White (2012), “64[percent] say they visit websites unrelated to work daily,” including “66[percent] for workers with bachelor’s.” In this case study, a female individual’s online habits mirrored survey results with a disproportionate amount of discretionary time procured on Facebook and Twitter, two social media websites as described by Woman (2012).

The second procrastination method is conducting imaginary conversations. The female individual in the case study, as described by Woman (personal communication, April 19, 2013), often spends time pretending to discuss books in pre-future conversations, including discussions on which books the individual wants to read, the premise of Oliver Sacks’ The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, and other neuroscience and other interests.  The female individual, according to Woman (personal communication, April 19, 2013) cited confirmation that the conversations were imaginary due to their unusual coherence and interest level.

Another procrastination method is taking a nap, or as described by Woman (personal communication, April 19, 2013), a euphemism for retreating to a personal space and watching television. Within the case study, the favored distraction mode was watching Hallmark movies followed by an avid online search of starring actors and their respective career and dating history. Such notable movies include I Married Who? and I Want to Marry Ryan Banks which both starred well-known actors from the 1980s.

A fourth procrastination method is actually taking a nap. Ideal napping conditions discerned in the case study include a cool afternoon and a full meal.

A fifth procrastination method relies on contemplating future blog posts. The female individual in the case study, invested time in thinking of new stories and material to write, rather than write for required course assignments. One such idea, according to Woman (personal communication, May 3, 2013) was to write a research paper on effective procrastination methods (Woman, 2013).

Recommendations

            It is clear from the case study that the five effective procrastination methods described herein may be mastered. Based on a preliminary statistical analysis (Woman, personal communication, May 3, 2013), it appears that the intensity of procrastination is positively correlated with level of stress, and negatively correlated with contentment level. Future studies would benefit from replicating these results in a controlled environment.

Future studies may also focus on testing other procrastination methods for efficacy, including engaging in tasks such as mechanically laundering clothing and restoring room conditions, and performing repetitive physical movements that raise heart rate and produce pore moisture. Other studies may explore ways to not procrastinate.

References

Andreou, C. (2007). Understanding procrastination. Journal for the Theory of Social Behaviour, 37:2, 183-193.

Howell, A. J., & Watson, D. C. (2007). Procrastination: associations with achievement goal orientation and learning strategies. Personality and Individual Differences, 43, 167-178.

Solomon, L. J., & Rothblum, E. D. (1984). Academic procrastination: frequency and cognitive-behavioural correlates. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 31, 504-510.

White, M. C. (2012). You’re wasting time at work right now, aren’t you? Time, as retrieved on May 3, 2013, from http://business.time.com/2012/03/13/youre-wasting-time-at-work-right-now-arent-you/.

Woman (2012). Let’s talk… why not? Tastes Like Onion [blog], as retrieved on May 3, 2013, from https://tasteslikeonion.wordpress.com/2012/07/03/lets-talk-why-not/.

Woman (2013). Effective procrastination methods. Manuscript submitted for publication to Tastes Like Onion [blog].