16 juin 2026 | Société
Start Now, Not Later
Procrastination is a common habit that can affect many aspects of our life.
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By Alexane Lachance
Publié le 16 juin 2026
Have you ever said, “I will do it later” and then regretted it?
Procrastination is more than just a sign of laziness. It’s a common behavior where people avoid tasks even when they know it can cause problems later. Brain research suggests this happens because of a conflict between the limbic system, which is the emotional side, and the prefrontal cortex, which is the logical side. This makes it harder to stay focused and finish tasks, which can lead to negative consequences.
All should stop procrastinating because it can lower productivity and increase the stress level.
To begin, procrastination has a negative effect on future career success and productivity. When people put off important tasks, they often feel fine at first, but that feeling does not last forever. Soon after, the stress comes back and makes it harder to focus and complete all the work. Over time, this can slowly affect performance at school or at work. It can also limit future opportunities. According to professor Fuschia Sirois from Durham University, “other research shows employees on average spend almost a quarter of their workday procrastinating, and again this is linked with worse outcomes.” This suggests that procrastination is more than just a small habit. It can really affect everyday performance.
Moreover, procrastination can also make stress levels go up by a lot. When people avoid their tasks, they can feel relief at the beginning, like they have gained extra free time. However, this does not actually solve anything, because the work is still there. This can quickly turn into pressure, especially when deadlines get closer and there is no more time left to do everything correctly.
To better understand this issue, I conducted an interview with ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot created by OpenAI. I asked it why people should stop procrastinating. ChatGPT responded that “it increases stress (not reduces it). Putting things off gives short-term relief, but the pressure doesn’t disappear – it builds. Deadlines get closer, tasks pile up, and you end up more anxious than if you had just started earlier.” (ChatGPT interview, April 2026)
Finally, procrastination is something I struggle with as a student, like many others. Not every class in my program feels interesting to me, so it’s not always easy to stay motivated. When I have a lot of assignments and deadlines at the same time, it can feel overwhelming, and I start to lose concentration and motivation quickly. In those moments, it feels easier to put things aside and do something simple instead, like scrolling on my phone, even if I know I should be working instead. This choice usually makes things worse because I end up losing time and feeling more stressed later. In the end, I think procrastination becomes like a loop: the less I do, the less motivated I feel, and the harder it gets to stay on track and get things done.
In conclusion, it’s important to try to stop procrastinating because it can lower our productivity, which mean our future jobs can be affect, and it can make us more stressed. Breaking this pattern is not just about being productive, it’s about taking back control on our future.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Genetic Relations Among Procrastination, Impulsivity, and Goal-Management Ability: Implications for the Evolutionary Origin of Procrastination
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4185275/#ref-list1
April 4th, 2014
Procrastination and impulsivity are related and come from the same genetics’ factors, especially those that affect self-control and managing goals.
A neuro-computational account of procrastination behavior
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-33119-w
October 21st, 2022
Procrastination happens when the brain overvalues immediate rewards and effort costs, making people skip tasks even when they wanted to do them.
Procrastination: understanding its brain mechanisms and how to influence it (translated)
https://institutducerveau.org/videos/just-published/just-published-procrastination-et-ses-mecanismes
2023
Procrastination happens because a part of the brain compares effort and reward and if a task feels too effortful, the brain chooses to ignore it.
The Neuroscience of Procrastination: What Happens in Your Brain?
https://insightspsychology.org/the-neuroscience-of-procrastination/
November 29th, 2024
Procrastination happens because the brain prefers immediate rewards and tried to avoid stress, making it harder to focus on long-term goals.
Where is procrastination hidden in the brain and when does it occur? (translated)
March 27th, 2023
Procrastination happens because the brain sees future effort as less important, so it puts off tasks even when they matter.
Would the pandemic have increased our propensity to procrastinate?
March 5th, 2021
Procrastination increased during the pandemic because higher stress, anxiety and negative emotions made people more likely to avoid tasks to deal with them.
Procrastinating is linked to health and career problems – but there are things you can do to stop
August 17th, 2022
Procrastination is linked to worse physical and mental health and negative effects on productivity and career success, so reducing it can improve overall well-being and long-term outcomes.
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