Alifya Maheswari Putri W.

2006588174

Writing IV, Class B

Cause and Effect Essay – Draft 2

Why Do We Procrastinate?
Picture a scenario: you put off a necessary assignment until the last second, and then panic when

you glance at the clock. Sounds familiar? If yes, it is not surprising. Procrastination is a common

problem. Everyone does it at some point, which is why it is often not seen as a serious issue.

However, it should be treated as such, since it can be mildly annoying at best and downright life-

destructing at worst. Procrastination is a serious issue that stems from numerous causes,

including the fear of imperfection and mental health issues; and this can result in unpleasant

consequences, including the lessening in personal development and wellbeing.

The first major cause of procrastination is the fear of imperfection. This leads to being afraid

of making mistakes. This is common among people with an all-or-nothing mindset. They would

rather not try at all than make any mistake in their work. It is, of course, highly unrealistic, since

making mistakes is a natural part of the learning process. A student who demonstrated inaccurate

grasp of grammar in a foreign language they were learning, for example, would stick with the

inaccurate knowledge unless someone else let them know, and only then they could fix their

mistake and improve. Besides not wanting to make mistakes, fearing imperfection also leads to

being afraid of receiving criticism. According to Joseph R. Ferrari, Ph.D, a psychology professor

at DePaul University, this is a form of self-sabotage, because people can blame other factors for

the results of their bad work rather than their lack of abilities.

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 The second major cause of procrastination is an underlying mental health issue. First, for

people with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), initiating and switching tasks are

difficult, especially tasks that they are not very interested in doing. People with ADHD have

executive functioning problem which causes their brain to not release enough of the necessary

electrical impulses to pay attention and take action. Switching tasks is also difficult due to the

lack of executive control in their brain. Second, people with depression also often have internal

conflicts that cause them to procrastinate, such as finding it difficult to plan out a sequence of

behavior or action—which happens because their brain is easily overwhelmed by planning multi-

steps tasks—and lacking self-confidence to do the necessary work at all.

The fear of imperfection and underlying mental health issues have an important role in

causing someone to procrastinate, which has some severe effects.

The first immediate effect of procrastination is a hindrance in personal development. First,

one could miss precious opportunities in their life, especially opportunities that have a clear

deadline, such as applying for a scholarship that could help their financial situation. This could

be detrimental to a person’s life quality, since they cannot seize the opportunities they need to

grow as a person. Second, procrastination can easily ruin one’s academic life or career if it

becomes a chronic problem and the person lets it fester. If a student procrastinates very often,

their grades can plummet; if an employee procrastinates a lot, they will not be able to achieve

their work target and can be reprimanded or even fired.

The second effect of procrastination is worsening mental and physical wellbeing. First, people

who consistently procrastinate will feel bad or guilty about their work ethos. It is easy to have a

shift in thinking from “Why can’t I do this?” to “What is wrong with me?” Their mind will spiral

from the direct issue at hand (not being able to complete work on time) to a deeper and more

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innate issue (being an incapable person). Second, people who procrastinate have an increased

risk in getting ill, especially from hypertension or cardiovascular disease, according to Fuschia

Sirois, a psychological scientist. Procrastinating important tasks causes stress, which can cause

negative impact on the body and make it more vulnerable to health problems, such as

cardiovascular diseases, digestive issues, insomnia, flu, and headache.

In conclusion, there are two most important causes of procrastination—namely the fear of

imperfection and underlying mental problems—which lead to some serious consequences, such

as the impediment in personal development and decline in one’s health and wellbeing. Fear of

imperfection leads to avoiding making mistakes or receiving criticism, while underlying mental

health issues include the difficulty of starting and switching tasks in people with ADHD as well

as the difficulty to plan a long sequence of tasks and the lack of confidence in people with

depression. The two biggest effects of procrastination are stunted personal development by

missing opportunities and ruining one’s personal wellbeing. By understanding some of the most

important causes and the severity of the effects of procrastination, hopefully we can find ways to

cope with or solve it before it destroys us.

Word count: 791 words