--- title: The Science Behind Procrastination description: Learn the biological factors that cause procrastination—and how to defeat them canonical: https://time.com/3686474/the-science-behind-procrastination/ author: Real Simple article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-01-28T21:16:42.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:56:40.067Z article:section: Health og:title: The Science Behind Procrastination og:description: Learn the biological factors that cause procrastination—and how to defeat them og:url: https://time.com/3686474/the-science-behind-procrastination/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedad994ca0ef005e/69877c648e06017fe9459fd7/procrastinating.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3733 og:image:height: 2100 og:image:alt: Man with 'busy' post-it note on his head og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Science Behind Procrastination twitter:description: Learn the biological factors that cause procrastination—and how to defeat them twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedad994ca0ef005e/69877c648e06017fe9459fd7/procrastinating.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Science Behind Procrastination > Sponsored content. 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Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Jan 28, 2015 9:16 PM UTC  Man with 'busy' post-it note on his head Man with 'busy' post-it note on his head Getty Images by [Real Simple](https://time.com/author/real-simple/) ## Real Simple Jan 28, 2015 9:16 PM UTC There’s no more elegant example of the cyclical self-torture of procrastination than the lyrics to a song from the musical _You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown_. Our hero has a book report due. He sings in a halting, panicky monotone: --- > “” --- Ring a bell? It’s a monologue we all experience in some form, an agonizing internal conversation that fells the best of us. And that’s where things start to get interesting: Procrastination is so relatable, so universal, because the human brain, it turns out, is_wired_ for it. Science explains Charlie Brown’s seesaw sensibility as a fight that is sparked between two parts of the mind when it’s faced with a distasteful activity: a battle of the limbic system (the unconscious zone that includes the pleasure center) and the prefrontal cortex (the internal “planner”). When the limbic system wins, and that’s pretty often, the result is putting off for tomorrow what could (and should) be done today. Here’s a bit more scientific backup, so you can stop blaming yourself (or your parents, your birth sign, the weather) and start chalking up procrastination to biology. The limbic system, one of the oldest and most dominant portions of the brain, is on automatic. It tells you to, say, pull your hand away from a flame—and also to flee from unpleasant tasks. In other words, it directs you to opt for “immediate mood repair,” explains Timothy A. Pychyl, Ph.D., a psychology professor at Carleton University, in Ottawa, and the author of _The Procrastinator’s Digest: A Concise Guide to Solving the Procrastination Puzzle_ ($16, [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/Procrastinators-Digest-Concise-Solving-Procrastination/dp/1453528598/ref=sr%5F1%5F1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300480667&sr=8-1)). The prefrontal cortex is a newer and weaker portion of the brain. It’s what allows you to integrate information and make decisions. “This is the part of the brain that really separates humans from animals, who are just controlled by stimulus,” says Pychyl. The prefrontal cortex, located immediately behind the forehead (where we tap when we’re trying to _think, dammit, think_), gets the job done. But there’s nothing automatic about its function. You must kick it into gear (“I have to sit down and write this book report!”). And the moment you’re not consciously engaged in a task, your limbic system takes over. You give in to what feels good—you procrastinate. While understanding these mind games demystifies our habit of perpetually postponing stuff, it doesn’t cure the habit. The solution for procrastination is outsmarting it: You can _trick_ yourself into productivity. How? Here are [seven strategies](http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/how-to-stop-procrastinating-00000000055280) for overcoming the Big P, devised with help from specialists in the field (yes, there’s a procrastination field). This tool kit of techniques will fix the fight between the just-do-it angel and the pleasure-hungry devil in your head. No need to pick just one tactic. Have them all in your arsenal so you’re ready to handle whatever obstacle your battling brain might toss in your path. _This_ [_article_](http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/time-management/procrastination) _originally appeared on_ [_RealSimple.com_](http://www.realsimple.com/)_._ _More from Real Simple:_ * [8 Scientifically-Backed Ways to Beat the Winter Blues](http://www.realsimple.com/health/mind-mood/emotional-health/winter-blues?xid=time-rs-012615) * [How to Work from Home (and Still Get Things Done)](http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/life-strategies/job-career/work-from-home?xid=time-rs-012615) * [Why Facebook Photos of That Guy You Dated for 3 Weeks Bother You So Much](http://www.realsimple.com/work-life/technology/why-facebook-photos-of-guys-you-dated-bother-you?xid=time-rs-012615) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3686474/the-science-behind-procrastination/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3686474/the-science-behind-procrastination/"},"headline":"The Science Behind Procrastination","datePublished":"2015-01-28T21:16:42.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:56:40.067Z","description":"Learn the biological factors that cause procrastination—and how to defeat them","url":"https://time.com/3686474/the-science-behind-procrastination/","keywords":["Research","Living","procrastination"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedad994ca0ef005e/69877c648e06017fe9459fd7/procrastinating.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Real Simple","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/real-simple/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltedad994ca0ef005e/69877c648e06017fe9459fd7/procrastinating.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Man with 'busy' post-it note on his head","caption":"Man with 'busy' post-it note on his head","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3686474/the-science-behind-procrastination/","name":"The Science Behind Procrastination"}}]}] ```