People all know procrastination is putting off tasks in favor of pleasure. But what I have figured from reading "Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It Now" is that procrastination can be a form of rebellion. Signs of rebellious procrastination are:
Putting off tasks because you hate being told what to do
Not doing things because you feel others are controlling your free will
Gaining a sense of accomplishment when doing things at your convenience
Some people resent being told what to do and when to do it, so as a way of feeling in control, they procrastinate and do things when they feel like doing it. An example would be Susan who hates being controlled by others. Growing up, her father was very strict and made most of her decisions. Whether it be clubs in school, or college, Susan's father was always the one making the decisions. His excuse was "I know what's best for you Susan and I don't want you making mistakes." As Susan grew older and attended college, she would postpone her schoolwork to the last minute as a way to express her independence. If she could do the work according to her time merits, it would be a way of liberating herself. However, Susan would often become stressed and more resentful to do her tasks when the deadline was minutes away.
Using Susan's example, some procrastinators procrastinate as a sense of control. The very control they are looking for doesn't hurt other's but themselves, and better yet, it looses their control. Waiting to do assignments as a way of saying, "Screw you teacher, I finish it when I'm ready!" doesn't hurt the teacher but yourself. What control procrastinators need to understand is gaining control comes from doing things accordingly and setting up schedules so things can go more smoothly, which in a sense, give them some control. They need to understand that passive aggressiveness with procrastination is pointless, and regardless of being asked of tasks and completing things, putting them off until last minute is not a healthy way of expressing independence.
We all had times when others have given us orders and made our own efforts and sense of self more or less pointless, however, we cannot use procrastination in our current lives as our way of revenge.
One option I would suggests to those who procrastination to feel in control is to practice mindfulness. There are many articles online about mindfulness, which is basically being in "the moment". Instead of harboring on past experiences and feeling like you must have that revenge, think about the situation in THE NOW. If like Susan, procrastination affects your schoolwork, then you should think, "Completing these assignments on time will help me pass this class, which will later help me graduate, get a career, and then be able to control my life in anyway possible" .
Links for mindfulness
http://www.mindful.org
https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/mindfulness
http://www.helpguide.org/harvard/benefits-of-mindfulness.htm
Title of book and link
"Procrastination: Why You Do It, What to Do About It Now" Burka, Jane B.; Lenora M. Yuen
http://www.amazon.com/Procrastination-Why-You-What-About/dp/0738211702
