Procrastination and Stress: How to Break the Cycle? (Infographic and Simulator)
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Do you find yourself so stressed and overwhelmed by the number of responsibilities you have that you’d rather avoid them altogether.
Do you find yourself delaying chores until they pile up and you end up feeling more stressed and anxious?
Procrastination and stress are like the evil twins; they often go hand in hand. It is sometimes difficult to pinpoint what causes the other, does stress cause you to procrastinate, or is it the other way around?
This is like the chicken-and-egg question.
The connection and interaction between the two are quite complex and vary from person to person.
In this article, you’ll learn about the link between stress and procrastination, how they trigger each other, and how you can stop the cycle dead in its tracks.
You’ll also get to do a simulation of one of the suggested techniques.
Let’s dive in.
Table of Contents
Does Procrastination Cause Stress?
Yes, procrastination causes stress in several ways, mainly because postponing important tasks doesn’t make them disappear. This puts a lot of pressure on you because you know that, as time passes, the burden you feel towards these tasks usually gets worse.
For instance, you can put off studying for upcoming tests, but the tests will still happen. And the longer you delay, the more you feel the pressure of not being prepared. You’ll also become more fearful of failing as the due date gets closer.
This can make you feel stressed and tense because you know that as the deadline gets closer, you won’t have as much time to prepare well.
☸ What Does the Science Say ?
More and more studies show that procrastination causes a lot of stress and anxiety, especially among students.
A 2019 study on 110 Chinese students found that procrastination causes high levels of stress, especially among male students.
Another study showed that people who put things off were more likely to have high anxiety and physical symptoms of anxiety. This association between procrastination and anxiety was, however, more pronounced in women.
Why Does Procrastination Cause Stress?
There are multiple reasons why procrastination makes you more stressed.
- Rumination over the tasks: You keep dwelling on the tasks you avoid and stressing about them.
- Deadline pressure: Postponing some tasks causes mounting pressure as the deadline approaches. You have no time to finish the job.
- Negative emotions: procrastination often triggers negative emotions, such as guilt, low self-esteem, and low mood, which can in turn add to your stress.
- Life problems: procrastination causes problems in all areas of life: relationships, work, school, health, etc. When you have marital problems or conflict with your boss, this will inevitably cause a lot of stress.
- Last minute panic: Postponing a task until the last minute puts you under a lot of pressure, although some people may find last-minute work more motivating.
More on positive procrastination here
Dose Stress Cause Procrastination?
Yes, stress can definitely cause you to procrastinate more, especially when it becomes chronic.
Stress usually drains you physically and mentally, and you end up tired, overwhelmed, and unmotivated. When your energy is low, you are less likely to engage in demanding activities.
For example, you are stressed about a work project that you are required to accomplish in a week’s time. You are also stressed by the clutter that is piling up at home and about your cousin Sheela, who asked for your help with some homework.
This stress makes you feel tired and overwhelmed. You want to avoid anything that reminds you of your stress, but instead of taking action, you seek short term relief, by avoiding these tasks and engaging in comfort behaviors, such as smoking, overeating, or using social media.
This avoidant behavior only makes things worse as your responsibilities accumulate.
☸ What Does the Science Say ?
There is scientific evidence that stress causes people to procrastinate more.
A 2022 Chinese study showed that stress perception significantly and positively predicted procrastination behavior among students.
A study by Handayani & Abdullah (2016) found that stress was the leading cause of procrastination among 14.1% of students. Other studies also found a significant relationship between high levels of stress and academic procrastination.
Why Does Stress Cause Procrastination?
Some of the reasons why stress causes procrastination are:
- Unhealthy coping response: Stress makes you use maladaptive coping strategies to deal with the pressure. These coping strategies consist of avoiding unpleasant tasks.
- Avoiding unpleasant tasks: stress about an assignment can, paradoxically, make you more likely to avoid that same assignment that you associate with stress.
- Impulse control problem: Stress affects your ability to regulate your emotions, which makes you more likely to act on your impulses and postpone activities you consider unpleasant.
- Poor mental and physical health : Stress can cause a wide range of mental and physical effects, such as poor concentration, fatigue, pain, sleep problems, and restlessness. All these problems affect your ability and willingness to get things done.
The Procrastination-Stress Cycle
Procrastination and stress interact in a loop, one fueling the other, thus perpetuating the cycle of doom.
As explained above and put simply, procrastination causes stress, and stress causes more procrastination. That cycle will keep feeding off itself, and you’ll find yourself stuck until you decide to break the loop.
With the mounting pressure that modern society puts on us, stress has become a major public health problem. And with the mounting demand that is put upon you, it is not surprising that procrastination may become the ultimate refuge in the face of overwhelming stress.
3 Science-Backed Strategies To Break The Procrastination - Stress Cycle
Now that you have a better insight into the connection and interaction between procrastination and stress, let’s go over some scientifically proven techniques to relieve stress and improve your productivity.
I experimented with dozens of strategies, and these are some of the top three that I found most helpful in calming my racing mind and making me more focused to get things done.
1. Meditation:
Meditation is a practice that uses mental and physical techniques to help you focus and clear your mind by relaxing your body and focusing on your breath or a mantra.
Regular meditation can help with a wide range of mental and physical disorders, including stress, anxiety, depression, pain, etc.
Meditation can help break the procrastination-stress cycle by reducing your stress level, calming your mind, and making you more focused and energized.
For those who want to start meditating to overcome procrastination, regular practice usually produces the biggest benefits. Many experts recommend at least 20 minutes each day, even though you can start with as little as 5 minutes a day.
You can practice meditation on your own by clearing your head and focusing on your breath. However, if you struggle to maintain a new meditation routine, you may find guided meditation very helpful to keep practicing.
My first journey into meditation started with the app “Headspace“, to which I would like to give credit because it allowed me to really get into the practice of meditation and made it easier for me through progressive, clear, and timely steps.
I would advise you to try it; it is free, it helps you keep track of your progress, and it makes it less likely that you will procrastinate on meditating. It incentivizes you to keep progressing and has sessions that are specially dedicated to stress and procrastination.
Check out this article for a more in-depth dive into meditation and procrastination.
☸ What Does the Science Say ?
Research reveals that meditation, particularly mindfulness meditation, is associated with lower levels of stress and procrastination.
- Research examining 40 other studies on the effects of meditation on stress and anxiety found that mindfulness-based meditation significantly decreases anxiety and stress and increases mindfulness.
- A 2019 Chinese study looked at the relationship between mindfulness and procrastination in 339 college students and found that mindfulness is associated with lower levels of procrastination.
- A 2020 study showed that people participating in mindfulness exercise were less likely to procrastinate than those who did not take part in the exercise.
2. Problem Solving Strategies:
I’ve found over the years that a large portion of my anxiety and stress are the result of the accumulation of unresolved issues in my head.
I tended to ruminate over things that could be easily solved. For example, the big clutter in my garage, a minor conflict with a colleague, the email I didn’t respond to, and guilt over my binge eating yesterday
Yes, these issues accumulate inside your head and will take over your energy. Before you know it, your head will turn into a rollercoaster. When stress and anxiety take control of your thinking, it is hard for you to focus on the important things in your life.
So, what to do about it ?
“Problem-Solving” strategies is your best bet.
This is a simple yet extremely powerful strategy that can change the way you deal with stress and problems in your life in general.
Here are the steps:
- Set a “Deal With” Basket List: this list can be created in your planner app, such as Todoist, or simply in a notebook, etc. It should be easily available everywhere, so I suggest you put it on your phone.
- Throw your problems in the “basket list”: all the problems, issues, worries, and questions that pop up in your head should be written down in this list. You need to free your mind totally and put everything on this list.
- Set a time to examine the list: choose a regular time when your mental energy is at its peak; it could be first thing in the morning, after work, after dinner, or every day at 9 p.m. Choose the time that suits you best.
I personally find that right after a workout is when I feel most energized to examine my list.
Examine your basket, item by item, and brainstorm solutions. Try to ask yourself, “What can I do to solve this issue? What’s the best solution to this problem?
You can just get rid of unnecessary items, come up with solutions for other problems, and save ideas or suggestions for later.
When solutions are actionable, implement them in your planner or to-do list.
Et voilà!
Use this simulation to guide you through the process.
Click the Start button
☸ What Does the Science Say ?
There is evidence that using problem-solving skills can help students feel less stressed and do better in school.
A 2021 study of 938 higher education students found that problem-solving skills and mindfulness-based approaches help reduce stress levels and increase academic success.
Another study revealed that problem-solving techniques are particularly effective in reducing test anxiety among students.
3. Time Management Techniques:
One of the major causes of stress is feeling overwhelmed by the number of tasks and responsibilities you must accomplish.
That’s why time management skills are one of the most powerful tools against both stress and procrastination. You need to learn some techniques to prioritize your tasks and schedule them accordingly.
First, I suggest you use a planner. I personally like Todoist, which is a free and highly customizable app that helps you break large projects into smaller tasks and organize them in to-do-lists. I also use the “DGT GTD” app, which is based on David Allen’s methodology named “Getting Things Done”.
Next, you need to create a task list: In this list, you write down all your tasks, responsibilities, deadlines, projects, habits, ideas, and problems.
Divide big projects into smaller chunks and goals into manageable steps. Big tasks often seem intimidating until you fragment them into smaller pieces.
Examine your list once a day: You need to go over your list, one by one, and decide what to do with each task or item.
Use the “Eisenhower Matrix” for that purpose.
The matrix has four quadrants:
Urgent – Important → Do (e.g. responding to important emails)
Urgent – Not Important → Delegate (e.g. meal preparation)
Not Urgent – Important → Schedule (e.g. workout)
Not Urgent – Important → Delete (e.g. social media)
You can schedule tasks through a calendar or an app. Write down what you should do and when you should do it. You can also use a reminder or alarm clock.
Track your progress to keep yourself motivated and accountable. Using habit trackers may be an excellent tool, especially for repetitive tasks and habits.
For a deeper dive into time management strategies, read our comprehensive article about Time Management and Procrastination for Better Productivity.
☸ What Does the Science Say ?
Research shows that time management skills can help reduce stress levels and increase productivity.
A 2021 study revealed that people who use time management skills have significantly lower work stress and higher performance. Stress was also found to reduce work performance among employees.
Another study found that undergraduate students who underwent time management training had lower perceived stress and better control of their time.
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Takeaways
Procrastination and stress often go hand in hand. They interact in a loop: procrastination increases stress, and stress causes you to procrastinate more. One keeps fueling the other and causing the cycle to last forever.
You’ll be stuck until you decide to break the loop. Three great strategies you can implement right away
- Meditation or guided meditation, especially mindfulness meditation, has been shown to reduce stress, make you more focused, and help with procrastination.
- Problem-solving strategies, like making a list of all your daily problems and then setting aside time to deal with them, are great ways to clear your mind and solve your problems in a constructive way.
- Time management techniques involve using prioritization techniques (Eisenhower Matrix), scheduling important tasks, and tracking your progress.
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About the author
My name is Sam David. I am the founder of "Proactivity Lab," a website that provides comprehensive strategies and resources for understanding and overcoming procrastination.
The website's resources are the culmination of more than 20 years of research and experience, during which I embarked on a long and gruelling journey of study and self-discovery.
Being a former procrastinator myself, it took me years of investigation and numerous trials and errors to gain a clear understanding of the underlying causes of procrastination and the most effective and scientifically supported strategies to permanently conquer the vicious cycle of procrastination.
I would like to share my knowledge with you, for free.
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