Aufschieberitis in the study costs career

Procrastination: Morbid postponement endangers the happiness of life

26.03.2012

The postponement of unpleasant activities is a widespread phenomenon, which may take morbid traits and may cost your own career. Those affected suffer from a veritable "Aufschieberitis", in which important tasks remain regularly unresolved.

According to the motto „What you can do today, prefer to move to tomorrow“ unpleasant activities are postponed again and again at Aufschieberitis and often end up left undone. The phenomenon has been known for decades, especially in the field of students, although earlier was rather trivializing of so-called strolling students or the student syndrome. Meanwhile, in the professional world of morbid postponement is spoken that can lead to significant problems. In the worst case, that costs under the psychological term „procrastination“ circumscribed behavior the happiness of life and career, warn the experts.

Procrastination patients helplessly delivered
Not only students often post unpleasant activities such as chores, papers or thesis work for a long time. The postponement behavior is also widespread in other social circles. However, this does not necessarily indicate a pathological procrastination, but is quite normal to a certain extent. For example, some people tend to initiate action themselves later, or can only idly overcome unpleasant activities, even though they are well aware of the disadvantages of delaying them. In the case of procrastination, the reluctance or even fear of the tasks is compounded by their necessity. The time pressure and the regular exceeding certain deadlines (external or self-imposed), often causes a sense of shame in those affected, that they additionally blocked in their actions. In the end, they feel „Concerned the defendant helpless delivered and stay behind their performance level“, emphasized the psychologist Eva Frings of the University of Münster to the news agency „dpa“.

Students get help in the procrastination outpatient clinic
The psychologist at the „Prokrastinationsambulanz“ Over a period of six years, the University of Münster, together with its colleagues, provided therapeutic care to around 500 students who showed clear signs of procrastination. With its outpatient offer for the affected students, the University of Münster is regarded as a unique showcase example nationwide. Here, the students should be helped to overcome their chronic postponement behavior, not least to enable them to successfully complete their studies. A typical statement of students working in the „Prokrastinationsambulanz“ according to Eva Frings, for example: „I'm absolutely ready to go and my body does not move.“ Instead of doing the necessary work on the PC, the „Forefinger just left-click“ click and those affected „to the next WWW page“ slide. Quickly check back on Facebook before the serious tasks are tackled, many procrastination patients think and then spend the rest of the day on the Internet, instead of struggling for their work. Also, they often come just at the moment when they want to start actual, that yes, the laundry still needs to be washed or the purchase needs to be done.

Students, the self-employed and freelancers are particularly often affected by cervicitis
Students are particularly often affected by the phenomenon of procrastination, as they have to structure their everyday life to a high degree on their own. At school, they were often taught only inadequately how they structured work and learn, said Eva Frings. The organization of those affected is therefore correspondingly bad. According to the expert, however, not only students suffer from the problem, but also the self-employed and freelancers, who also have to structure their everyday lives to a high degree, are increasingly affected by procrastination. According to Eva Frings, no typical risk group can be identified among the students, although those affected tend to come more frequently from courses of study such as history or philosophy, in which university life has to be structured particularly strongly on its own. However, the introduction of the tighter bachelor's and master's degree programs did not reduce the number of those affected.

Patients should seek therapeutic help
On the causes of chronic postponement, the expert explained that „often also fear of failure and high demands on the own person a large role“ play, with the postponement of the unpleasant activities from a behavioral psychological point of view is quite understandable. Because in the short term the unpleasant feelings would be displaced, stress and aversion bypassed. „In the long term, however, there are many detrimental consequences, such as lengthy periods of study, lower scores, or discontinuation of studies“, explained the Münster psychologist Lena Beck to the „dpa“. For students, the dichotomy between understanding the need for action and their own inability to act means that they are exacerbated and stressed, are increasingly developing sleep disorders, suffer from general dissatisfaction and are at an increased risk of depression. At the latest when the delaying behavior manifests itself in the first signs of such serious symptoms, those affected are urgently recommended therapeutic help that they receive at the University of Münster in the Prokrastinationsambulanz, so the statement of the experts.

Realistic objective as the goal of treatment
The psychologist Eva Frings and her colleagues help the affected people with group and individual treatments to organize their tasks better or to structure them, in order to avoid the delay in the future. Also, the procrastination patients learn to set realistic goals, Frings explained. It could „As a rule of thumb, deducting 50 percent of what you would intuitively do“, stressed the psychologist. In addition, it makes sense to look at the already completed tasks in mind, for example by „per successful unit a marble in a glass“ is placed. „The sight motivates“ and after 20 marbles, those affected can easily take a break to meet with friends or go to the movies, according to the expert. (Fp)

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Image: Stephanie Hofschlaeger