We all do it from time to time. We have a list of important things-to-do, but instead of digging in, we reach for our mobile devices to engage in some web-enabled activity. It provides temporary relief from the pressure of responsibility, although most of us are able to snap-out of the digital spell to return to regularly scheduled programming, so to speak. But for others, the “intentional” and unnecessary delay of tasks, despite knowledge of negative consequences (procrastination), can be exceedingly problematic.
Chronic procrastination often leads to lower productivity, financial strain, and damaged relationships, creating a cycle of guilt and low self-esteem. This can spiral into a vicious cycle of stress, anxiety, lower-quality of output, and compromised mental/physical health. While procrastination has existed since the beginning of humanity, evidence suggests that the phenomenon has become more prevalent in the internet age. Studies indicate that up to 95% of young adult students, for example, admit to procrastinating due to highly accessible forms of digital temptation that make it easier to delay tasks.
But we’re ironically getting ahead of ourselves.
The discussion below looks at how procrastination within an individual is often mislabelled as laziness and having poor time management skills. From there, we dive into how the rise of mobile technology contributes to and intersects with the harmful behavior among vulnerable populations.
Overview of How Addictive Behavior Relating to Technology Connects and Contributes a Problem with Procrastination
I. Procrastination Can be a Behavioral Problem
Chronic (vs infrequent) procrastination is a behavioral problem that is often rooted in emotional regulation rather than time management. It is a dysfunctional coping mechanism, often described as a self-defeating habit loop of avoiding negative emotions that are associated with important work, study, and household responsibilities. These emotions generally include (but are not exclusive to) anxiety, stress, boredom, insufficiency/insecurity, or feelings of being overwhelmed. Negative emotions may be directly linked to, and/or exasperated by, the requirement to engage in and complete an important task. By delaying the task, individuals essentially give-in to feeling good in the moment, prioritizing immediate mood repair over long-term goals. This ultimately compounds stress and perpetuates a cycle of avoidance.
a) VULNERABILITIES TO PROCRASTINATING BEHAVIOR
While complex, multidimensional, and often interconnected, there are personality traits, disorders, and emotional regulation issues that may make someone more vulnerable to procrastination behavior. These are laid out below.
Personality Traits
- Conscientiousness
- High impulsivity
- High neuroticism
- Perfectionism
Emotional Regulation Difficulty
- When faced with boring, challenging, and/or high-pressure tasks, people with poor emotional regulation skills engage in procrastination to gain immediate relief.
Mental Health Issues and Disorders
- ADHD: People with attention-deficit hyperactivity-disorder experience executive dysfunction, and have difficulties with planning, prioritizing, initiating tasks, and regulating emotions, all of which are associated with procrastinating behavior.
- OCD: Obsessive compulsive disorder is linked to procrastination primarily through fear-driven avoidance, perfectionism, and severe indecision. Anxiety caused by obsessive focus on perfecting a task can lead to delaying a task.
- Anxiety: Anxiety causes and relates to procrastination as a response to the fear of failure and feelings of being overwhelmed, which together causes the brain to avoid a task to gain temporary relief.
- Depression: Depression is linked to procrastination through a vicious, bidirectional cycle where low energy, diminished motivation, and “cognitive fog” make beginning and re-engaging with a task difficult. Avoidance leads to feelings of guilt and increased anxiety/stress, which further worsens depressive symptoms and fuels further avoidance.
- Low Self Esteem: When an individual doubts their competence, they may avoid an important task to protect their fragile self-worth. Procrastination essentially serves as a self-protective mechanism to avoid forthcoming (as they see it) failure.
b) HOW PEOPLE PROCRASTINATED BEFORE THE INTERNET
In the past (and still today) people commonly procrastinated by cleaning up their home or work area. This behavior tricks the brain because it feels useful and results in a visible improvement (of a workspace, etc.), providing a dopamine hit and a sense of accomplishment which reduces the guilt typically associated with avoiding a priority task. Another procrastinating activity that tricks the brain into thinking that it’s being productive, is exercising. Other forms of procrastination that were more common prior to the digital age (although they too are still relevant) include reading magazines and books, chatting on the phone, watching TV, or socializing around the literal or proverbial water-cooler.
II. Intersection of Procrastination and Technology Addiction
As addressed in the introduction of this article, the advent of web-enabled devices and accompanying online activities have made it increasingly difficult to break the chains of procrastination for vulnerable persons.
Not only do online activities supplement or replace previously common distractions, they come with heavy behavioral baggage for people who struggle with the exact same personality traits, emotional regulation difficulties, and mental health issues associated with procrastination.
If you currently struggle with procrastination and are habitually engaged in any of the following digital activities, counseling intervention may be required.
Procrastination and Online Gambling / Trading
Habitual or compulsive online casino gaming, sports betting, and market trading and procrastination are linked through shared mechanisms of avoidance, dopamine-driven escapism, and impaired impulse control.
Procrastination and Video Gaming
Unhealthy video gaming is linked to procrastination through its ability to provide immediate gratification and a structured escape from boring, anxiety-inducing, or challenging tasks.
Procrastination and Social Media
Social media, especially the act of doomscrolling (view more), serves as a primary vessel for procrastination by providing immediate, low-effort gratification, constant feedback, and a quick escape from boring, stressful, or challenging tasks.
Procrastination and Online Shopping
Online shopping is linked to procrastination, where individuals browse eCommerce platforms such as Amazon, eBay, and Etsy (et cetera) as an accessible, pleasurable, and rewarding distraction from stressful, boring, or challenging tasks. This unhealthy coping behavior is elevated by the integration of microtransactions to make friction-free purchases (view more).
Procrastination and Pornography
In a recent article on Why People Watch Porn When They Are Not in the Mood, procrastination was named as an intersecting behavior, for the same reasons as those addressed above. View more here.
It’s important to reiterate that unhealthy behaviors relating to the digital activities above all share the same personality traits, emotional regulation difficulties, and mental health issues associated with procrastination, and more. For quick reference, please see the table below. If you live with any of these issues and concurrently struggle with any of the above online activities and procrastination, clinician intervention is strongly recommended.
| Anxiety | Depression |
| Low Self Esteem | Suicidality and Suicidal Ideation |
| Eating Disorders | Substance Use Disorders |
| ADHD | Bipolar Disorder |
| OCD | PTSD |
| Problem Gambling / Trading | Unhealthy Video Gaming |
| Compulsive Shopping Disorder | Unhealthy Social Media Usage |
III. Where to Get Help for Procrastination and Addiction to Technology
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) has shown to be an effective treatment for chronic procrastination. CBT-trained clinicians take an evidence-based, goal-oriented approach that treats the issue by identifying underlying and counterproductive thought patterns and changing behavior through techniques such as cognitive restructuring to challenge perfectionism and fear of failure. They teach clients to break tasks into manageable chunks, and use behavioral activation to focus on action over motivation. Meanwhile, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) can help chronic procrastinators by teaching mindfulness to recognize avoidance triggers, distress tolerance for managing task discomfort, and opposite-action to push past urges to avoid tasks.
Kindbridge is uniquely qualified to help. We are America’s leading virtual counseling (using CBT and DBT) for addictive behavior relating to technology and cooccurring mental / behavioral health issues, chronic procrastination included.
Avoid further delay by clicking or calling to connect to a care-coordinator for a FREE assessment and to schedule your first online counseling session. Insurance and direct billing are available.
