Procrastination Research Articles

Here, you will find summaries of some of the latest procrastination research articles.

These articles were selected because the psychological research that they contain is both interesting and practical, meaning that it can help you better understand either why you procrastinate, how to stop, or both.

Every article summary that appears here contains a short section at the end, where the main takeaways from it are listed in an easy-to-digest, 5-bullet format, in case you just want an overview of the article in question.

Procrastinators often forget to do things that they intended to do, especially if they’re unaware of their procrastination

A study that was recently published in Psychological Research sheds light on the connection between procrastination and a common phenomenon—people forgetting to do things that they intend to do later. The study focused on the concept of prospective memory (PM), which the researchers introduced as follows: “Most individuals reading this paper will already have experienced the following situation: after …

Negative emotions, such as fear, distress, and guilt, can lead to procrastination

A study that was recently published in Anxiety, Stress & Coping sheds light on the connection between negative emotions and procrastination, which can help those who suffer from procrastination understand and overcome it. The study’s goal was to expand on prior research, which showed that there is an association between negative emotions and procrastination, but which left several open …

Inquiry-based stress reduction can reduce anxiety and procrastination

A study that was recently published in Frontiers in Psychology suggests that a novel cognitive technique can reduce anxiety and procrastination. The study was motivated by prior research, which shows that people often procrastinate because they’re anxious about a task that they have to complete. In many cases, this anxiety can occur as a result of issues with people’s …

Mental contrasting with implementation intentions could help people who struggle with bedtime procrastination

A study that was recently published in Psychology & Health finds evidence suggesting that a technique called mental contrasting with implementation intentions (MCII) could help those who struggle with bedtime procrastination, a phenomenon where people unnecessarily delay going to bed, especially when they know that doing so is bad for them. This technique involves combining two self-regulation strategies: Mental contrasting. …

New study casts doubts on the concept of “active” procrastination

A study that was recently published in Learning and Individual Differences casts doubts on the concept of active procrastination, and on the idea that such procrastination often leads to positive outcomes. In the following article, you will learn more about this study, and about what its findings mean for you in practice. Research background Procrastination is the act …

Increased mindfulness is associated with reduced procrastination

A study that was recently published in Personality and Individual Differences sheds light on the relationship between mindfulness and procrastination. In order to understand the study’s findings, it’s useful to first understand what mindfulness and procrastination are exactly: Mindfulness is the tendency to purposely pay attention to the self and to the environment, as they are in the present …

Low-quality sleep can lead to procrastination, especially among people who naturally struggle with self-regulation

New research that was recently published in Frontiers in Psychology provides important insights regarding the connection between sleep quality and the tendency to procrastinate. Prior studies have shown that procrastination occurs as a result of a low capacity for self-regulation. Essentially, this means that people procrastinate because they are unable to properly control their behavior, which causes them to engage in …

Procrastination can occur due to difficulties in valuing outcomes or associating outcomes with tasks, finds brain-scan study

New research which was recently published in Human Brain Mapping sheds light on some neural mechanisms that are associated with people’s tendency to procrastinate. Prior research on procrastination has shown that people are less likely to procrastinate on a task when they associate it with a high-value incentive. Simply put, the more rewarding people find a task, the more …