Procrastination and Perfectionism:
Connections, Understandings, and Control
Joanne Foster, EdD
Gifted Education International, Volume 23, #3, pp. 132-140
Procrastination and Perfectionism:
Connections, Understandings, and Control
Joanne F. Foster
Gifted Education International Vol. 23, #3, p. 132-140
Abstract
This paper examines the connections between perfectionism and procrastination. The element of high-level ability (i.e., the gifted experience) is incorporated into the discussion. Important considerations addressed here include educational setting, mastery orientation, metacognitive capacities, and motivation. The focus moves from theoretical underpinnings to a comprehensive overview of practical classroom applications.
One of the people I planned to interview about procrastination told me he’d call me when he got around to it. He never did. So I finally contacted him and asked him why. His response: “I’ve had a lifetime to perfect my procrastinating skills. Now I’ve got to change them?”
Procrastination involves “putting off” engagement in one or more tasks. It is not simply a matter of being lazy, or having poor time-management or organization skills. Various factors contribute to procrastination—a behavior which may be chronic or periodic and occurs among children, adolescents, and adults. Possible causes of procrastination include fear of success, fear of failure, perfectionism, boredom, anger, lack of skills or information, poor health, distractions, or tasks that seem too daunting. (Ferrari, McCown, & Johnson, 1995). Other reasons for procrastination include dreaming, worrying, misunderstanding, a lack of motivation, defiance, or feeling overwhelmed (Sapadin & Maguire, 1999).
For purposes of discussion here, the emphasis will be on the relationship between procrastination and perfectionism. As well, there will be a more specific focus with respect to the nature and address of procrastination and perfectionism as they pertain to gifted/high-ability learners.
Underpinnings of procrastination as it relates to perfectionism
People who procrastinate are practicing a form of avoidance behavior, which may be their personal response to any number of circumstances, contexts, or causal factors. Our personal development—that is who we are, what we do, and when we do it—is dependent on countless internal and external influences, on our past experiences, and on the supports and buffers in our lives. One might think that people who are perfectionists and who strive toward excellence and task completion would not procrastinate. Indeed, how can one achieve perfection in something without embarking on the necessary action process, and pursuing it to its ultimate and successful conclusion? In short, one has to get started, and then keep going...
The truth is that I procrastinated in developing this article about procrastination. There was so much material to assemble—and ideas to convey, and paragraphs to format, and wording to get right. And, once I finally started the piece, I kept writing and writing because I wanted it to be just so… I confess that I thought about putting it off a few times midway. (I’m glad I didn’t.)
Many perfectionists do procrastinate, and many procrastinators, including those who are competent, high-ability learners, have perfectionist tendencies. How then do procrastination and perfectionism relate to one another? Is the former a consequence of the latter? And, is perfectionism good or bad?
A friend who is a classroom teacher stated that common responses to the concepts of perfectionism and procrastination tend to be negative..... Recognizing this, she wonders if she should think about these kinds of value judgments more carefully. (Karen Higgins-Biss)
Perfectionism involves setting lofty expectations, and striving for difficult but attainable goals. It can be reflective of healthy achievement motivation, and has been described as “an asset to the student and as an ally to the teacher” (Brophy, 1995). However, symptoms or outgrowths of perfectionism can include procrastination in beginning work that will be judged, long delays in task completion, and repeatedly feeling the need to start over because the work has to be perfect—from outset through process to product (Pacht, 1984). These kinds of behaviors result in low productivity and, for children this can translate into decreased classroom participation as well. Students who are compulsive about their work or who are overly concerned with avoiding errors can compromise their learning, even though there is much to be learned from mistakes. “Mistakes become gifts when we use them to help us understand something about what we need to learn” (Matthews & Foster, 2005, p. 211).
For some people, the quest for heightened achievement can be a real struggle. Worry, anxiety, and depression have been linked to concern over making mistakes, to harboring a sense of doubt about one’s ability, and to procrastination and perfectionism, (Sapadin & Maguire, 1999; Stober and Joorman, 2004). Perfectionism can be counterproductive, especially if individuals feel that they may not be able to attain a desired level of precision. Procrastination, an avoidance mechanism, may be triggered by one’s perfectionism. However, the reason for the shirking of action or challenge may differ from person to person, depending on what is deemed problematic. Examples of types of procrastinators include thrill seekers (those who enjoy the last-minute rush), avoiders (those who fear failure or too much success, and who prefer to be thought of as lacking in effort rather than ability), and decisional procrastinators (those who have difficulty making decisions about things or taking responsibility for outcomes (Ferrari, 2006). Any of these behavioral patterns might jeopardize attaining perfection.
Procrastination in educational settings
One or more students cannot get started on a task because they perceive there’s too much to do and it appears daunting. There may be time constraints along the way. What if the final result turns out substandard, error-laden or just plain wrong? They could encounter difficulties organizing materials, prioritizing matters, finding the necessary resources—so many things could go awry in and out of class, and interfere with the attainment of perfection in a given task. Fear of failure, or heightened expectations set by others or by oneself may seem onerous. Task completion becomes an issue. It may be easier to put things off and see…
A teacher candidate in my preservice gifted education course recently told me that he had made three rough drafts of an assignment. He hasn’t submitted a final copy yet because “it’s just not right.” The work is now more than six weeks overdue.
By procrastinating, students can rationalize that if only they had given themselves more time their work might have been perfect, thereby giving themselves an excuse from being or appearing less than stellar. Potentially sabotaging oneself in this way precludes a judgment of failure by teachers and/or parents. And, possibly, even oneself.
For a perfectionist, failure is performance that is not right on target. Missing that target has a direct bearing on one’s self-worth, on one’s own measure of ability. For some, including gifted learners, intellectual competence may be questioned. (Are they really that smart after all?) The imposter syndrome (that is, wondering, “Am I truly gifted?”) may be a concern among students who harbor self-doubts about their heightened capabilities. And, those who have dual exceptionalities (i.e, gifted/learning disabled) may also disengage from task commitment and completion. Procrastination provides an out because it interferes with how ability translates into performance. Procrastinators can take comfort in believing they are still capable of excellence, able to reach perfection—had they not put things off. However, multipotentiality can also interfere with productivity and focus. Is it realistic to try to be exceptional in everything in which one shows promise? Diverse interests, activities, and distractions may intercede. Priorities accumulate.
A friend said, “It’s really hard to know where to begin. My priority list is as big as my to-do list.”
In attempting to prove their capability, and in striving to do what may be impossible, perfectionists may realize that they are not likely to attain perfection, and so become discouraged. They can retreat by procrastinating. If, however, they ultimately do manage to perform exceptionally well in spite of procrastinating, then they can feel even more pleased with themselves. This accomplishment feeds into their sense of self-worth and they feel smart and capable. (Burka Yuen, p. 20,-23). And so it continues. They are once again primed to strive for perfection.
Perfecting a process or product, or always striving to achieve “to the max” may become too much of a challenge for a child, especially in domain-specific areas where the individual does not feel overly competent. Rather than risking performing at less than perfect or 100% capacity, might it not be more reasonable (less stressful? less embarrassing? less complicated?) to not perform at all? Or, because others may consider that irresponsible, cowardly, uncooperative or evasive, might it not be better still to just “put it off” for a while…? Another day (or week, or month) may be just the ticket to getting there (wherever there is), and getting there well. One can certainly rationalize the benefits of waiting a while to clear one’s head, get a handle on matters, gain perspective, and so on. There are lots of expressions and creative ways to justify procrastination, in the same way that there are lots of ways to justify practically anything—including cold feet, weak knees, and a faint heart—none of which bodes well for the perfectionist.
Sometimes a person’s search for perfection (or order or complexity) seems relentless. Children and adolescents, who are not always able to recognize their own limitations, can become physically distraught, self-critical, overly demanding of themselves, and even disenchanted with school. These responses can manifest themselves in various ways, including procrastination. A healthy orientation to learning is important, especially when things appear difficult or loom large.
For gifted learners this has particular import because they must work hard to increase their levels of competency in order to attain exceptional achievement. Gifted children, and especially those in competitive learning environments, do not rest on their laurels—they must put forth time and effort in order to activate and use their intelligence (Matthews & Foster, 2005; Winner, 1996). Whether they do this continuously, or decide to put some things off, will depend on myriad influences such as learning preferences, study skills, and expectations laid forth (including, perhaps, among some, a desire to perform flawlessly). Accomplishment can, however, be risky. Doing too well may lead to having to do well all the time, and in all endeavors. This can be overwhelming for children and lead to fear of success (Matthews & Foster).
Living up to a gifted label can be difficult (Delisle & Galbraith, 2002), and sometimes children may opt to avoid challenging tasks, choosing instead to concentrate on activities that showcase their areas of strength and perfected abilities, and thereby circumventing disappointment, sidestepping mediocrity, and avoiding or postponing tasks that might expose possible areas of weakness. Helping children recognize that asynchronous development is common and that everyone has domain specific strengths and weaknesses is an important step in helping them to feel good about themselves, to meet their educational goals, and to develop a healthy mastery orientation to learning (Van Tassel-Baska & Stambaugh, 2006).
What is a mastery orientation and how does it relate to procrastination?
“Individuals with a mastery orientation to learning tend to welcome and even thrive on challenge” (Matthews & Foster, 2005, p. 211). They seek ways to expand their skills and range of knowledge, they see problems and mistakes as opportunities for learning and growth, and they tend to feel positive about their accomplishments, regardless of actual ability. They are willing to risk failure. People with a mastery orientation tend to believe that learning is incremental (that is, intelligence develops step by step, systematically over time). Those who subscribe to this malleable theory of intelligence believe that intelligence is modifiable, that learning and effort make a big difference, and that people can exercise control of their competence (Dweck, 1998).
“What do you think drives a person toward accomplishment?” (A question I asked of prospective educators in an initial teacher training program.) The consensus was that it varies from one person to the next, it is related to personality, effort, and motivation, and it is not constant.
Sometimes children can be very hard on themselves, experiencing failures as personal threats to their self-esteem, and yet setting expectations so high as to be unrealistic and worrisome. After decades of work as a teacher, gifted education consultant, and pre-service faculty member, I have observed this in countless classroom situations. In addition, I have seen instances where gifted learners’ study skills and work habits are not strong; where academic instruction is far above or below an individual’s level of functioning in one or more domains; where there is a paucity of authentic learning experiences available; and where children are experiencing academic overload or burnout. These situations can negatively affect both achievement and motivation, leading to reduced initiative and procrastination. The pursuit of excellence can be rewarding, and full and healthy learning agendas and accomplishments can be very satisfying—provided that they are not carried to the extreme. Living up to a gifted label can be difficult (Delisle & Galbraith, 2002), and sometimes children may opt to avoid challenging tasks, choosing instead to concentrate on activities that showcase their areas of strength and perfected abilities, and thereby circumventing disappointment, sidestepping mediocrity, and avoiding or postponing tasks that might expose possible areas of weakness. Helping children recognize that asynchronous development is common and that everyone has domain specific strengths and weaknesses is an important step in helping them to feel good about themselves, to meet their educational goals, and to develop a healthy mastery orientation to learning (Van Tassel-Baska & Stambaugh, 2006).
Perfectionism, procrastination, and metacognition
Metacognition is knowing about knowing, thinking about thinking. There is ongoing and important research taking place around the globe in many exciting areas pertaining to knowledge acquisition, memory, and reasoning. This includes finding out more about cognitive processes and how they function.
Metacognitive awareness of what one believes and how one thinks can foster the ability to set performance goals—which are prerequisites for high-level expertise. Reflection, involving such processes as planning, self-monitoring, and self-assessment, increases understandings and is enabling for adults and students. (Matthews & Foster, in press) Indeed, metacognitive practice is an approach that should be guiding what is happening in instructional settings, and contributes to learning among teachers and children, including those who are gifted (Van Tassel-Baska, 2006).