Why you procrastinate even when it feels bad

Prevodilac: Una Kavazović Lektor: Milenka Okuka

It’s 5 p.m. and you’ve just realized that report you’ve been putting off

Pet je popodne i upravo ste shvatili da izveštaj koji ste odlagali

is due tomorrow.

treba predati sutra.

It’s time to buckle down, open your computer...

Vreme je da zasučete rukave, upalite kompjuter...

and check your phone.

i bacite pogled na telefon.

Maybe catch up on your favorite YouTube channel?

Možda pogledate vaš omiljeni Jutjub kanal?

Actually, you should probably make dinner first.

Zapravo, možda bi trebalo da napravite prvo večeru.

You usually like cooking,

Obično volite da kuvate,

though it’s hard to enjoy with this work hanging over your head,

mada je teško uživati kada vam ovaj posao visi nad glavom,

and oh— it’s actually pretty late!

i oh— zapravo je prilično kasno!

Maybe you should just try again in the morning?

Možda bi prosto trebalo da pokušate ponovo ujutru?

This is the cycle of procrastination, and I promise you, we have all been there.

Ovo je ciklus prokrastinacije, i obećavam vam, svi smo ga iskusili.

But why do we keep procrastinating even when we know it’s bad for us?

Ali zašto odugovlačimo čak i kada znamo da je to loše za nas?

To be clear, putting something off isn’t always procrastinating.

Da razjasnimo, odlagati nešto nije uvek prokrastinacija.

Responsible time management requires deciding which tasks are important

Odgovorno upravljanje vremenom zahteva da odlučimo koji zadaci su bitni,

and which ones can wait.

a koji mogu da pričekaju.

Procrastination is when we avoid a task we said we would do, for no good reason,

Prokrastinacija je kada izbegavamo zadatak koji smo obećali uraditi, bez razloga,

despite expecting our behavior to bring negative consequences.

iako očekujemo da naše ponašanje izazove negativne posledice.

Obviously, it’s irrational to do something you expect to harm you.

Naravno, nerazumno je raditi nešto što mislite da će vas povrediti.

But ironically, procrastination is the result of our bodies trying to protect us,

Ali ironično, prokrastinacija je rezultat pokušaja našeg tela da nas zaštiti,

specifically by avoiding a task we see as threatening.

konkretno izbegavanjem zadatka koji vidimo kao pretnju.

When you realize you need to write that report,

Kada shvatite da morate napisati taj izveštaj,

your brain responds like it would to any incoming threat.

vaš mozak reaguje isto kao što bi reagovao na bilo koju dolazeću pretnju.

Your amygdala, a set of neurons involved in emotional processing

Vaša amigdala, skup neurona uključenih u emotivno procesuiranje

and threat identification,

i prepoznavanje pretnji,

releases hormones including adrenaline that kick off a fear response.

ispušta hormone poput adrenalina koji pokreću osećaj straha.

This stress-induced panic can overpower the impulses from your prefrontal cortex,

Ova panika izazvana stresom može nadjačati impulse iz vašeg prefrontalnog korteksa,

which typically help you think long term and regulate your emotions.

koji vam obično pomažu da mislite dugoročno i regulišete vaša osećanja.

And it’s in the midst of this fight, flight, or freeze response

I upravo usred ove reakcije „borbe, bega ili sleđenosti”

that you decide to handle the threat

vi odlučujete da se nosite sa pretnjom

by avoiding it in favor of some less stressful task.

tako što ćete je izbegavati u korist nekog manje stresnog zadatka.

This response might seem extreme—

Ova reakcija može izgledati ekstremno—

after all, it’s just a deadline, not a bear attack.

uostalom, to je samo krajnji rok, a ne napad medveda.

But we’re most likely to procrastinate tasks that evoke negative feelings,

Ali najviše smo skloni prokrastinaciji zadataka koji izazivaju negativne emocije,

such as dread, incompetence, and insecurity.

kao što su strah, nesposobnost i nesigurnost.

Studies of procrastinating university students have found participants

Istraživanja prokrastinacije kod studenata su pokazala da su ispitanici

were more likely to put off tasks they perceived as stressful or challenging.

skloniji tome da odlažu zadatke koje vide kao stresne ili izazovne.

And the perception of how difficult the task is

Percepcija toga koliko je težak neki zadatak

increases while you’re putting it off.

se povećava dok ga odlažete.

In one experiment, students were given reminders to study throughout the day.

U jednom eksperimentu, studentima su dati podsetnici kada treba da uče tokom dana.

While they were studying, most reported that it wasn’t so bad.

Dok su učili, većina je smatrala da nije bilo tako loše.

But when they were procrastinating,

Ali dok su odugovlačili,

they consistently rated the idea of studying as very stressful,

konstantno su ocenjivali ideju učenja kao veoma stresnu,

making it difficult to get started.

zbog čega im je bilo teško da započnu.

Because procrastination is motivated by our negative feelings,

Pošto je prokrastinacija motivisana našim negativnim osećanjima,

some individuals are more susceptible to it than others.

neki pojedinci su joj podložniji od drugih.

People who have difficulty regulating their emotions

Osobe kojima je teško da regulišu svoja osećanja

and those who struggle with low self-esteem

i oni koji se bore sa niskim samopouzdanjem

are much more likely to procrastinate,

su mnogo skloniji prokrastinaciji,

regardless of how good they are at time management.

nezavisno od toga koliko su dobri u organizaciji svog vremena.

However, it's a common misconception that all procrastinators are lazy.

Međutim, česta je zabluda da su svi koji odugovlače lenji.

In the body and brain, laziness is marked by no energy and general apathy.

U telu i mozgu, lenjost je obeležena manjkom energije i uopštenom apatijom.

When you’re feeling lazy, you’re more likely to sit around doing nothing

Kada osećate lenjost, skloniji ste tome da sedite i ne radite ništa

than distract yourself with unimportant tasks.

nego da sebi odvlačite pažnju nebitnim zadacima.

In fact, many people procrastinate because they care too much.

Zapravo, mnogi odugovlače zato što im je previše stalo.

Procrastinators often report a high fear of failure,

Oni koji odugovlače često prijavljuju veliki strah od neuspeha,

putting things off because they’re afraid their work

i odlažu zadatke jer se boje da njihov rad

won’t live up to their high standards.

neće ispuniti njihove visoke standarde.

Whatever the reason for procrastination, the results are often the same.

Koji god je razlog prokrastinacije rezultati su često isti.

Frequent procrastinators are likely to suffer from anxiety and depression,

Oni koji često odugovlače su skloniji tome da pate od anksioznosti i depresije,

ongoing feelings of shame,

kontinuiranog osećanja stida,

higher stress levels and physical ailments associated with high stress.

višeg nivoa stresa i fizičkih tegoba vezanih za visok stres.

Worst of all, while procrastination hurts us in the long run,

Najgore od svega, dok nam prokrastinacija šteti na duže staze,

it does temporarily reduce our stress level,

zaista nam privremeno smanjuje nivo stresa,

reinforcing it as a bodily response for coping with stressful tasks.

čime se učvršćuje kao telesna reakcija na nošenje sa stresnim zadatkom.

So, how can we break the cycle of procrastination?

Pa, kako možemo da prekinemo ciklus prokrastinacije?

Traditionally, people thought procrastinators needed to cultivate

Tradicionalno, ljudi su smatrali da oni koji odugovlače treba da razviju

discipline and practice strict time management.

disciplinu i praktikuju strogu organizaciju vremena.

But today, many researchers feel the exact opposite.

Međutim, danas mnogi istraživači smatraju potpuno suprotno.

Being too hard on yourself can layer additional bad emotions onto a task,

Prevelika oštrost prema sebi može prekriti zadatak dodatnim negativnim osećanjima,

making the threat even more intense.

što čini pretnju još intenzivnijom.

To short-circuit this stress response,

Kako bi sprečili ovu stresnu reakciju,

we need to address and reduce these negative emotions.

moramo se pozabaviti ovim negativnim osećanjima i smanjiti ih.

Some simple strategies include breaking a task into smaller elements

Neke lakše strategije uključuju deljenje zadataka na manje delove

or journaling about why it's stressing you out

ili zapisivanje zašto vas zadatak stresira

and addressing those underlying concerns.

i bavljenje tim fundamentalnim brigama.

Try removing nearby distractions that make it easy to impulsively procrastinate.

Pokušajte ukloniti okolne distrakcije koje olakšavaju impulsivnu prokrastinaciju.

And more than anything, it helps to cultivate an attitude of self-compassion,

I više od svega, pomaže da se gaji stav samilosti prema sebi,

forgiving yourself, and making a plan to do better next time.

opraštanja samom sebi i stvaranja plana da budete bolji sledeći put.

Because a culture that perpetuates this cycle of stress and procrastination

Jer kultura koja održava ovaj ciklus stresa i prokrastinacije

hurts all of us in the long term.

nas sve povređuje na duže staze.