It's a scientific fact! Procrastination is a sign of high IQ.

Published in Journal of Research in Personality in 2016, the study found that people with high IQs tend to procrastinate more. But here's the catch: "...if only because high intelligence affords the luxury of waiting to begin a task."

"No one enjoys being wrong, but I do enjoy having been wrong, because it means I am now less wrong than I was before." - Daniel Kahneman

Why? Because Procrastination gives you time to rethink, explore more possibilities to a solution and yet gives you the ability to finish the task in time. In fact, waiting to get started is considered a very smartest approach if you are not fully sure of the solution.

BUT, here's the catch! Unlike the above cases, most of us actually put something off tasks just because we don't feel like working on it. Alas, that's isn't the same as having High IQ.

“It's not about how much we lost. It's about how much we have left.” ~ Tony Stark, Avengers: Endgame

 

The scene is set in an office. During an internship, I observed my superiors, and my mentors getting scolded. And why you may ask….

Simply because they couldn’t finish work on time.

Simply because they chose rest over work.

Simply because they did what we're all good at…... PROCRASTINATION.

Everyone suffers

More often than ever, we have observed adults make mistakes, the same ones that we’re still struggling with. This makes us question if we are any different from them. We do say that “man is but a statue of mistakes”, But how often do we make mistakes till we correct them?

Years go by, and we learn and unlearn several things, but like that one little stone in our shoe, procrastination stays. And why does this happen?

What is it really?

Quoting the Oxford dictionary, Procrastination is “the act of delaying something that you should do, usually because you do not want to do it”. Simply put, we choose joy over work. This habit is common across all ages because our minds may have become civilized but there is a part of our mind which wants instant gratification, a part that wants comfort over boredom and hard work.

Our mind has become civilized, where mostly we think rationally and take decisions based on outcomes. But when it comes to execution, we are driven by deadlines. We tend to be slow and lazy if the task is easy. Even if the task is difficult, but the deadline is far, our brain chooses to relax and postpone work for later.

This common loop is seen in most procrastination habits. We tend to believe we can overpower it but our brain craves that unproductive, free gratification.

The power you seek is hard to achieve

Although we have tried many times to overcome it, mostly we have faced defeat. A clear example is us and our peers submitting assignments late, youngsters not completing tasks assigned to them and if not enough, our elders, who although not so frequently, face the same problem at one point or another. The solution we seek will come from determination and consistency. A determination to change one’s behavior and consistency in that determination.

There are multiple ways to achieve redemption from procrastination. Some of them are:

1. Dividing a big chunk of work into small pieces and completing the smallest or easiest task. This way the load of getting a big task done reduces to small not so difficult tasks. Our mind perceives them as small tasks and will be willing to work on them one by one. It is the same as tearing up a heavy book into small chapters or starting with just one set of exercises in the gym.

2. Part 2 brings us to a creative solution to solve the problem. Our mind demands gratification, it demands gifts. So, we provide it the same. But with one catch, we gift ourselves some gift or praise after every big or small task we complete. By doing so, we train our minds to think we will get some treat after completing tasks. Now the creative part is selecting a treat, small enough to keep the fire going, but not too big to set the house on fire (not big enough to end the thirst for gratification).

3. One last bit, and however cliché it may sound, it has been and will be effective for people who are willing to follow it. And the strategy is…. (Drum roll please) …. Making a to-do list and setting up priorities. It is learning is passed on to those who can achieve it with utter dedication and consistency. Fear from those who can achieve it, for those are true warriors. 

With this bit of knowledge, I hope procrastination finds you only when your work is complete. And if you’ve reached this far, thank you for reading my thoughts generated with some help from the links below.

4. What??? You want some more? Okay okay… For all of you seeking more wisdom, One way to end procrastination is to actually WORK. But this work can’t be done on regular basis, you need to have the right motivation. Mostly, we often dream or just think of doing something without actually having the desire to pursue it. To kill our goals, to crush them, we must have a burning desire to react to them and at least try to pursue them. My advice would be to have priorities and relate your activity with what you desire the most, and how will this work in hand will help you achieve it.

By now you might have figured out your real reasons for delaying decicions. Are you the smart one? 😉