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Procrastination.

First is the avoidance of discomfort, a primordial force that tells you that it is better not to do things that you find unpleasant because it believes them to be a safer alternative (even though this is not based in your actual reality).

This is underlined by the notion that, again, speaking from a genetics perspective, when our body feels fed, warm and safe, there are no primary impulses telling us that we need to move or do something. Instead, the body is telling us that we are all good and that this state should not be corrected or changed in any way.

Then, there is the second mental state that is important for procrastination, and this is the phenomenon of instant gratification.

Here, the decision to avoid doing things is instantly rewarded with the feeling of relief and the knowledge that the current comfort levels will continue for a bit more time (or a lot more, for that matter).

The same feeling can often be experienced as something very strong and relevant.

We established that procrastination leads to an instant positive feeling.

But, this mix of pleasant feelings has a very short lifespan.

Unlike a child, an adult person who believes he or she struggles with procrastination usually avoids some task or job that is important to them.

Procrastination can also impact issues like relationships, a person’s state of health or even tasks involving home chores or social engagements.

Emotions that come with procrastination are, for the majority of people, long-lasting and more powerful.

The most well-known negative emotions include the feelings of inadequacy, self-doubt, sadness (up to levels of clinical depression, but this is a more complex interlocking mechanism) and finally, the notoriously difficult emotions in a psychotherapeutic sense, the feelings of guilt.

While these come to the forefront, in the back row, the feeling of anxiety also becomes apparent, usually triggered by the first negative emotional wave. Additionally, anxiety follows procrastination because people tend to worry if they will continue to procrastinate in the future as well, which also triggers anxious states.

Emotionally, this all makes procrastination an issue that impact the person’s quality of life and mental well-being.

It can also trigger a spiral where procrastination leads to negative feelings which then block the person from concentrating properly on the task at hand, leading to more procrastination as a result.

In other words, procrastination feeds itself in this way.

- Ivica Milaric.