Why Do Individuals Choose to Precrastinate? Discovering the Motivational Drivers of Precrastination

Precrastination is the tendency of people to rush to complete tasks as soon as they are given. This concept was first introduced by cognitive psychologists who observed precrastinatory behaviors in several experiments. People tend to precrastinate in everyday activities such as replying to emails quickly and completing homework rapidly, for the sake of simply finishing them right away, even at the cost of efficiency and attention to detail. Nonetheless, there needs to be a clear explanation of why and how precrastination occurs. With an awareness of what motivates precrastination, scholars, and practitioners encourage people to make educated choices by avoiding impulsive decisions, and thereby enhancing task completion practices for increased productivity and well-being. Thus, this study aims to better understand the question of "Why does precrastination occur?” by reviewing the current literature on precrastination. Based on an analysis of ten peer-reviewed articles, this study identified two types of factors: (1) cognitive account and (2) external factors. First, precrastination supposedly helps alleviate cognitive and physical discomfort of unsettled tasks, thereby leading to a preference of immediate relief. It can also act as a coping strategy for those who are stressed out or anxious about finishing a task, giving them a momentary break from worrying ahead of time. Second, people might precrastinate because of external constraints imposed by society or because they believe they will be rewarded if tasks are completed quickly. In summary, these findings can open new explorations in future research.