Cognitive behavioural therapy stops people procrastinating by enforcing useful actions, new research reveals.
All of a study’s participants stopped putting things off after having online or face-to-face group sessions, a study found.
The participants also saw improvements in their anxiety and wellbeing, the research adds.
Yet, six months later, only those who received face-to-face group sessions continued to benefit, which may be due to them having the support of others with similar experiences.
CBT aims to replace problematic behaviours and has been shown to work for some mental health disorders by teaching people how to cope with anxiety.
CBT stops people procrastinating by enforcing useful behaviours, research suggests (stock)
How the study was carried out
Researchers from Stockholm University asked student volunteers to fill out a questionnaire that assigns people a procrastination score on a scale of one to 60.
People were defined as procrastinators if they scored 40 or above.
Over eight weeks, the researchers tested two types of CBT.
Some 48 of the participants received weekly, online sessions that provided them with reading materials, exercises and advice.
Another group of 44 people received fortnightly in-person sessions in groups of 12, which were led by a pair of therapists.
CBT improved all of the participants’ procrastinating
Results revealed that all of the participants showed an improvement to their procrastinating after either type of CBT.
Study author Alexander Rozental said: ‘We saw large effects. Their scores dropped by around 10 points, and by the end of the treatment, 34 per cent had scores similar to the average population.’
The participants also saw improvements in their academic performance, anxiety and wellbeing.
Six months later, those receiving the in-person therapy had their procrastination scores improve by a further four points, yet those who had online sessions slipped back to their original state.
The researchers believe group therapy may be more effective because it helps to hear from, and be supported by, others who have had similar experiences.
Dr Bruce Fernie, a psychological researcher at King’s College London, who was not involved in the study, adds that procrastination can be useful if people believe they can perform the task better at a later date.
Yet, unintentional procrastination can be problematic.
He said: ‘This can affect exam performance and interpersonal relationships. It is important to treat this type.’
Only those receiving face-to-face group sessions continued to benefit for six months (stock)
What is CBT?
CBT aims to change problematic behaviours and replace them with more useful ones.
This has been shown to be effective for certain mental health disorders, such as phobias and post-traumatic stress disorder, by teaching people how to cope with anxiety.
Past research reveals people who regularly procrastinate often say it affects their lives, and can make them feel anxiety, guilt and shame. It is unclear how CBT specifically benefits procrastinators.
Mr Rozental added: ‘Procrastination can affect your health if you put off exercise or going to the doctor.’