This course will explore the psychological factors that drive us to be motivated or to procrastinate. We will discuss the various theories of motivation and how they can be applied to our daily lives. We will also look at the psychological reasons why people procrastinate and how to overcome it. Finally
Procrastination is an avoidance coping behavior that involves unnecessarily delaying or postponing something despite knowing that there could be negative consequences for doing so. It is a human experience resulting from internal stress that leads to delaying everyday chores or even putting off tasks such as attending an appointment, submitting a job report or academic assignment, or broaching a stressful issue with a partner. It is often perceived as a negative trait due to its hindering effect on one's productivity, and is associated with depression, low self-esteem, guilt, and feelings of inadequacy; however, it can also be considered part of maladaptive perfectionism or a wiser stance for dealing with certain demands that could present risky or negative outcomes or require waiting for new information to arrive. For instance, procrastinating can prevent a person from acting on suicidal intent.