HOW DOES PERFECTIONISM LEADS TO PROCRASTINATION

PROCRASTINATION:

Procrastination is the habit of deferring or postponing things or in other words relaxing and enjoying when we have every reason not to. Although procrastination is not a severe disease or habit, it has been here for a while and affects our life in several ways.

A 2007 meta-analysis published in the Psychological Bulletin found that an astounding 80% to 95% of college students procrastinated consistently, especially when it came to completing projects and coursework. And it's not just students even adults, working professionals procrastinate on regular basis.

Imagine you are sitting in your room on a Sunday afternoon and you have an assignment due in four days. Some of us might start working on it right away but a vast majority of us will make up our mind to start working on it the next hour or even the next day. Poof "next moment we are using social media, watching movies, or even taking a nap" completely distracted from working on the project.

This is how the magic of procrastination starts, we are not even aware of the consequences until we have wasted enough time to think again about the time we used for social media, movies, or sleeping, etc. Procrastination has always been a part of human beings and has evolved from its past form. If not countered properly it can jeopardize a person's career and mental health.

PERFECTIONISM:

Imagine you have been assigned a job to complete with a deadline. This scenario can be depicted in three phases.

PHASE1: I call this phase the initiation phase. There will be a brainstorming session that will be solely based on research on how you will do it, what will be the quality standards, what will be the source of knowledge etc. This phase includes the process of gathering knowledge to start the project.

PHASE 2: I call this phase the daydreaming phase. Once you have researched a little on initiation it will be followed by daydreaming (in most cases) which will include how you will impress your boss with this project, how good grades will you get for this project, this might lead to a promotion at the job, etc. Our brain will play the mean game of showing us visuals from the future and drift us apart from the present scenario. This will be the phase that will cause a fake paradigm shift in a person's mind.

PHASE 3: I call this phase the execution phase. When you have gathered enough knowledge to start the project and you are more confident after getting the positive visuals from the future, Then comes the actual moment when you have to start to work for that promotion or good grades. You know you have to complete this job but at this moment your brain will try to trick you into different pitfalls created to relax or stay calm at the moment. At the same time your brain will motivate you to perform best, but after completing this task (pitfall) sounds complicated right? well, it is. When it comes to the human brain there is no other entity on this planet more complicated other than this.

The pitfalls may include and are not limited to

• Watching a TV show episode/movie before starting work, just to refresh our mind.
• Taking a shower before starting work
• Taking a walk before starting or grabbing a cup of coffee from your favorite spot
• Talking to a friend before starting
• Updating your social media profiles or checking up on that Ex's profile
• Having a meal before starting

bla bla bla...!The list is endless. This is the phase where you might open your drawer to grab a pen to start working and end up watching old photographs of yourselves for hours just because you found it Nostalgic. Remember these are temporary solutions which our brain is finding just to pass the moment. We are caught in a loop here which keeps us engaged. This will result in getting indulged in different pitfalls eventually delaying the work. This also affects our mental health as we are out of the appropriate time to complete the task, now we have to complete the task in less time. Moreover, we encounter more stress because we already have determined the standards to complete the project.

In conclusion, procrastinators are not able to complete their work on time, the quality of the work also suffers due to their decisions and so does their well-being. This process sounds devastating but it can be avoided by making simple rules and choices.