Transcript

Are you the person that leaves your deadlines to the last minute delays paying that dreaded parking ticket, or worse, constantly checking your phone? Well, it sounds like you're a procrastinator, or, as the joke goes, maybe you have it all figured out. The longer you wait, the older you get and the Wiser you must be right. Well, sorry to say that's not the case, but if it helps, you're not the only one. A fifth of the adult population and half of the student population are what we call chronic procrastinators. When I asked my team at Stanford what came to mind when they thought of the stereotypical procrastinator, they said laziness, lack of priority, not knowing where to begin, lack of motivation and indecisiveness. But what is a procrastinator really? Procrastination is a self regulatory failure, defined as the voluntary delay of an intended course of action that may result in regret and guilt. With that in mind, why do we do it? Interestingly enough, there is a science behind this.

At the neurobiological level, procrastination appears to be the result of a battle between the limbic system, which drives our emotions and the prefrontal cortex which helps us make decisions. Broadly speaking, there are three different types of procrastinators. First, there are the thrill seekers. These people have a disproportionate preference for immediate gratification over the more beneficial long term rewards. These people are often impulsive and lack self control whilst working towards their long term goals.