Is Procrastination Actually That Bad?

Procrastination is the action of delaying or postponing something. In other words, the absolute bane of our existence. Year, after year, we are told to absolutely NEVER procrastinate. It is really damaging because we know it is wrong and that we should stop, but putting off important things to do something else just feels so much better. Yet, when I reflect back, procrastinating my homework did not actually negatively affect my grades the way everyone told me it would.

In the beginning of high school, I used to be on top of doing my assignments. I would go straight home and get to work, nothing could distract me away from completing it so that I can have free time after. However, like almost everyone, when Covid-19 hit and we were forced home, let's just say, I would rather be sleeping than do my work early. I waited until the last minute to complete my assignments because they were due at midnight and I obviously had no time during the day to do them. (I am a very busy woman). So, I would wait until nine at night to complete my work, slightly stressing about the predicament I got myself in, but I would still complete it before the deadline. And wouldn’t you know I would still get 4’s or 3’s. Yeah sure doing my work earlier would allow me more free time, but I would rather enjoy my free time earlier and stress later. 

Like myself, many people I know are also very avid procrastinators. However, one person opened my eyes to a psychological reason behind procrastination. Yerkes Dodson Law created by Robert M. Yerkes and John Dillingham Dodson. This law doesn’t necessarily have to deal with procrastination, rather deals with levels of stress and how they affect our performance on certain tasks. According to the article by Simply Psychology the Yerkes Dodson Law states that “there is an empirical relationship between stress and performance and that there is an optimal level of stress corresponding to an optimal level of performance.” Everyone needs stress, it is how we get through life. Thus, the law reveals that there is an optimal level of stress which inspires an individual to perform well at their tasks. There is a graph which is U-shaped, which represents how stress impacts performance. Low stress or having no stress at all is not beneficial for performance because there is no motivation. With no motivation, the individual does not feel the need to put in a lot of effort because they feel like their work or task is meaningless. However, having high levels of stress is also not beneficial for performance as it can induce a fight, flight, or freeze response. As a result of those responses, the individual feels distracted thus they cannot reach their full potential. Therefore, one must find their optimal level of stress. This level of stress is manageable and motivating to continue putting in effort in the task. (from the article by Healthline) 

Now, how does this law relate to procrastination? That is the question. Well, the stress caused by procrastinating would be considered my optimal stress level, if you want to think about it in a psychological way. The stress I feel after avoiding all my school work is my motivator. It allows me to work quickly and effectively because I am not at the point where I want to sob in my pillow in anger. For instance, whenever given assignments from AP Literature, there is a clear deadline and it is much earlier than most classes, 10:00 pm: The devil's hour if you will. I know I should work on the assignment much earlier but I cannot find the motivation to do so. Only once it hits 8:00 pm do I realize it is time to work overtime. The pressure I feel after neglecting my work allows me to work on the English assignment without distractions. Now, I may be racing to finish the assignment, but I still put in my best effort because I care about my grade like most people do. In the end, once my assignment is graded, I average about 3.3 or a B +. Thus, procrastination would be my optimal stress level as it pushes me to complete my work with my best effort, not feeling extremely overwhelmed.

Looking back, procrastination was not all bad for me in high school. It did not rip me to shreds, if anything it got me my best grades yet. It’s not like I didn’t do their assignment or turn it in late, that problem is not on me and I am not supporting that. But, being a little neglectful can go a long way for your grades. 

So, the next time your  teachers or anyone else complains about procrastination you can always say that there is a psychological reason behind it so it is basically a need.