Effects of prompting initial engagement with a task to reduce procrastination

Abstract

Procrastination impairs academic performance, mental health, and career outcomes. Therefore, it is essential to identify strategies for reducing procrastination. While individual-level interventions, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, are effective, efforts to reduce procrastination by modifying task characteristics have been limited. This study developed a novel intervention that leverages the Zeigarnik effect (the tendency to remember unfinished tasks more often than completed ones) and psychological reactance (the motivation to restore threatened freedom) to reduce procrastination. Two online experiments examined whether brief, time-limited preparatory tasks would reduce procrastination. In Experiment 1, participants were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. Before the main task, the participants in the experimental group were shown the first five references from the main task’s reference list and instructed to edit as many references as possible within a five-minute time limit. The participants in the control group received the main task without the preparatory activities. All participants were given 10 days to submit a reference list formatted according to journal guidelines. Participants completed self-report procrastination measures before and after the task. The submission rate was significantly higher in the experimental group than in the control group, even when controlling for general procrastination tendencies, although there were no significant differences between the conditions in self-report procrastination measures. Experiment 2 modified the preparatory task to allow flexible time use within the five-minute constraint but found no significant group differences in submission rates. These findings suggest that structured preparatory activities that facilitate partial task completion can increase submission rates; however, their effects on subjective experiences of procrastination remain unclear. This study highlights the importance of task structuring in procrastination interventions.