Why you procrastinate even when it feels bad

Translator: Aubrey Cheng

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

而家係下晝5點， 你突然醒起一直擺埋咗一邊嘅功課

is due tomorrow.

聽日要交

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

係時候要埋位坐定定，打開電腦...

and check your phone.

然後㩒下手機

Maybe catch up on your favorite YouTube channel?

或者睇下最鍾意嘅YouTube頻道？

Actually, you should probably make dinner first.

其實，應該煮晚飯先

You usually like cooking,

你一向都鍾意煮嘢食

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

雖然喺有份功課趕住要交嘅情況下 好難享受煮嘢食嘅樂趣

and oh— it’s actually pretty late!

而且—其實已經好晏！

Maybe you should just try again in the morning?

不如聽朝再試下做唔做到？

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

呢個就係拖延症嘅循環， 我可以向你保證，大家都經歷過

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

但點解我哋明知係唔好 我哋都要繼續拖延時間呢？

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

講清楚先， 將啲嘢擺埋一邊唔代表一定會拖延

Responsible time management requires deciding which tasks are important

負責任嘅時間管理 係要我哋決定邊啲工作重要

and which ones can wait.

邊啲可以等一等

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

拖延症係我哋喺毫無原因之下 逃避去處理一件我哋講咗會做嘅工作

despite expecting our behavior to bring negative consequences.

儘管明知我哋嘅行為會帶嚟負面後果

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

好明顯，明知會害你嘅事情都要做 咁樣係好唔理智

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

但，諷刺嘅係， 拖延症係身體嘗試保護我哋嘅結果

specifically by avoiding a task we see as threatening.

尤其係要逃避一件我哋 視之為有威脅嘅工作

When you realize you need to write that report,

當你醒起要做嗰份功課嗰陣

your brain responds like it would to any incoming threat.

你嘅大腦會將佢當成 嚟緊會發生嘅威脅去俾反應

Your amygdala, a set of neurons involved in emotional processing

而杏仁核就係一組掌管情感、

and threat identification,

辨識威脅嘅神經

releases hormones including adrenaline that kick off a fear response.

佢會釋放出荷爾蒙 包括會激起恐懼反應嘅腎上腺素

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

呢種由壓力引起嘅恐慌 可抑壓嚟自前額葉皮質嘅衝動

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

前額葉皮質幫你長遠思考 同埋調整你嘅情緒

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

等你喺或戰或退嘅反應之間

that you decide to handle the threat

去決定處理呢個威脅嘅方式

by avoiding it in favor of some less stressful task.

就係避開佢，去做一啲壓力較少嘅工作

This response might seem extreme—

呢個反應好似太極端

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

講到尾，都只係到期要交啫， 又唔係洪水猛獸

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

但遇到引起負面感受嘅工作， 我哋又會拖延

such as dread, incompetence, and insecurity.

負面感受如恐懼，無能力，冇安全感

Studies of procrastinating university students have found participants

針對有拖延症嘅大學生嘅研究發現

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

參與者較易將佢哋視為有壓力 或有挑戰性嘅工作擺埋一邊

And the perception of how difficult the task is

而對於工作難度嘅感受

increases while you’re putting it off.

會隨住你擺埋一邊而不斷增加

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

喺一個實驗種， 學生全日都收到溫書提示

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

當佢哋溫緊書嗰陣， 大部分人都話個提示唔係太差

But when they were procrastinating,

但當佢哋拖延緊嗰陣，

they consistently rated the idea of studying as very stressful,

佢哋不斷話溫書好有壓力

making it difficult to get started.

變咗好難去開始溫書

Because procrastination is motivated by our negative feelings,

因為拖延症係由負面感受去推動

some individuals are more susceptible to it than others.

有啲人比其他人更易受影響

People who have difficulty regulating their emotions

唔識控制自己情緒嘅人

and those who struggle with low self-esteem

同埋自尊心低嘅人

are much more likely to procrastinate,

都較容易會拖延時間

regardless of how good they are at time management.

同佢哋時間管理有幾好係冇關係

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

但係，認為所有拖延時間嘅人都係懶， 係一個常見繆誤

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

喺身體同大腦入面， 懶惰嘅特徵就係冇能量、漠不關心

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

當你覺得懶散，通常都會坐低咩都唔做

than distract yourself with unimportant tasks.

多過以一啲唔重要嘅工作去分散注意力

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

事實上， 大部分人拖延時間係因為佢哋太在乎

Procrastinators often report a high fear of failure,

拖延時間嘅人一般極度害怕失敗

putting things off because they’re afraid their work

將份工作擺埋一邊係因為害怕份工作

won’t live up to their high standards.

達唔到佢哋嘅高要求

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

拖延時間係咩原因都好， 結果通常都一樣

Frequent procrastinators are likely to suffer from anxiety and depression,

頻頻拖延時間嘅人 會較易患有焦慮症同抑鬱症、

ongoing feelings of shame,

持續有羞恥感、

higher stress levels and physical ailments associated with high stress.

更高嘅壓力，以及同高壓力有關嘅身體病痛

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

最差嘅係， 雖然長遠嚟睇拖延症會對我哋唔好

it does temporarily reduce our stress level,

佢的確短暫性降低咗我哋嘅壓力程度

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

令佢成為喺應付充滿壓力嘅工作嗰陣， 變成更強勁嘅身體反應

So, how can we break the cycle of procrastination?

咁，要點先可以打破拖延症嘅循環？

Traditionally, people thought procrastinators needed to cultivate

傳統嚟講， 一般都以為有拖延症嘅人需要培養

discipline and practice strict time management.

紀律同執行嚴格嘅時間管理

But today, many researchers feel the exact opposite.

但到咗今日，好多研究人員 覺得啱啱相反

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

對自己太嚴苛， 可能會將壞情緒一層層加到工作中

making the threat even more intense.

令到個威脅更加強

To short-circuit this stress response,

要縮短呢個壓力反應

we need to address and reduce these negative emotions.

我哋需要處理同減少呢啲負面情緒

Some simple strategies include breaking a task into smaller elements

一啲簡單策略， 包括將一件工作分拆成細小部分

or journaling about why it's stressing you out

或者記低令你覺得好大壓力嘅事情

and addressing those underlying concerns.

同埋處理嗰啲隱憂

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

嘗試攞走喺附近會容易令你 有衝動拖延時間、令你分心嘅物件

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

最重要係， 會幫到你培養對自己有同情心嘅態度

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

原諒自己，計劃下一次會做得更好

Because a culture that perpetuates this cycle of stress and procrastination

因為一個令壓力循環同拖延時間持續嘅文化

hurts all of us in the long term.

長遠嚟講會對所有人都唔好