The study, published in Behaviour Research and Therapy, examined how cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps people overcome the tendency to repeatedly delay or put off tasks.

Procrastination is not simply laziness. It can be a way of avoiding the psychological discomfort associated with a difficult, boring or time-consuming task.

Study leader Marek Wypych, PhD, DSc, from the Laboratory of Brain Imaging at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, said in a press release sent to the Polish Press Agency (PAP) that delaying a task can provide temporary emotional relief, reinforcing the behaviour.

‘Putting something off brings temporary relief and improves our mood, which makes us more likely to repeat the same behaviour in the future’, he said.

Procrastination affects many people around the world. Research shows that between 50 and 95 per cent of students worldwide chronically postpone academic tasks.

When procrastination becomes a persistent behavioural pattern, it can negatively affect many areas of life, including responsibilities and relationships.

Students who procrastinate tend to get lower grades, even though they are no less capable or intelligent. People who frequently put things off also tend to earn less, are more likely to be unemployed, and report more mood disorders, guilt, anxiety and emotional stress.

Procrastination is more common among patients with depression, ADHD and other motivational issues.

Researchers have therefore been investigating interventions that could help people break the cycle. One such approach is cognitive behavioural therapy.

‘Previous studies had already shown that CBT can be effective. We wanted to find out how it works and which processes during therapy actually contribute to behavioural change. We also looked at which characteristics of the participants affected how well the therapy worked’, Wypych said.

The study was conducted by scientists from the Nencki Institute working in a consortium with SWPS University and the Institute of Psychology of the Polish Academy of Sciences.

Participants were students from across Poland who reported serious problems with procrastination and were actively looking for help.

‘We screened applications using questionnaires and clinical interviews conducted by psychotherapists. We wanted to make sure that procrastination was indeed the students’ main problem and that they did not have other conditions severe enough to require more urgent attention. If they did, we gave them information on where they could seek appropriate help’, said doctoral candidate Magdalena Pietruch, first author of the paper published in Behaviour Research and Therapy.

A total of 459 people qualified for the study. The participants included students diagnosed with ADHD, depression and social anxiety disorder, to ensure that the group reflected the actual population of university students.

‘Such a large group is unusual in psychotherapy research. With limited resources, it is difficult to recruit so many participants who meet specific criteria. Having this number of participants gives us greater confidence that our findings are based on solid evidence’, Pietruch said.

Participants took part in five weeks of online group therapy led by trained cognitive behavioural therapists. Around 30 specialists were involved in the project.

‘Cognitive behavioural therapy has three main components. The first is psychoeducation. The students learned what procrastination is, where it comes from and how it can be linked to emotions, helping them understand themselves a little better’, Wypych said.

The second component focused on thoughts and emotions. Participants examined the thoughts that accompanied their procrastination, including the familiar feeling of ‘I really don’t want to do this’.

They learned that they could replace such thoughts with ones that support action, for example: ‘Once I get this done, I won’t have to worry about it anymore.’

The third component was behavioural and involved putting practical techniques into action. These included breaking tasks down into smaller, realistic steps and making specific plans, such as setting a time to start working and following through.

The students’ progress was assessed using 16 questionnaires before, during and after therapy. Six months after the programme ended, the researchers also assessed whether the effects had lasted.

‘Our analysis showed that the most important factor in overcoming procrastination was a change in the emotional approach to the task’, Pietruch said.

This involved both increasing positive emotions connected with important tasks that had been postponed and reducing negative ones.

Strengthening positive experiences was particularly important. This included becoming interested in a task, recognising its value, feeling proud after completing part of the work and being able to move on to the next step.

During therapy, students learned that simple forms of reinforcement could help them complete difficult tasks faster and better than before, increasing their sense of agency and responsibility for the results of their actions.

‘We taught participants that even after completing a small part of a task, they could give themselves some credit and think, +Hey, I did it+. After finishing something bigger, they might make themselves a nice cup of tea, go for a walk or go to the cinema’, Wypych said.

He said such rewards can also be motivating because people who procrastinate often feel overwhelmed by everything they should be doing but are not doing.

According to Wypych, the ‘power of positive reinforcement’ works best for people with procrastination.

This is important because they typically have low self-esteem and self-efficacy, and lack self-confidence. Improving self-regulation and persevering despite discomfort, such as boredom, are also crucial, as is a better understanding of one’s own emotions.

According to the researchers, the findings point to ways of improving psychotherapy for procrastination and making it more effective.

Another important finding was that cognitive behavioural therapy was particularly helpful for people who had difficulty regulating emotions.

‘This includes difficulties recognising, experiencing and calming emotions. One example is being unable to focus on a task when experiencing unpleasant emotions. It also applies to people who find it difficult to accept their emotions or feel guilty for having them’, Pietruch said.

The study also showed that the benefits of CBT did not depend on gender or on whether participants had ADHD, depression or anxiety disorders.

The authors concluded that with appropriate modifications to cognitive behavioural therapy, procrastination can be effectively overcome. (PAP)

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