Interviews: Experience with Changing Level of Motivation During the Pandemic

I have conducted interviews with three volunteers with diverse backgrounds and commitments within and outside of Emma. I believe understanding others’ experiences with the changing level of motivation and tendency to procrastinate can help me better engage with and Re-Equip my audience when introducing various philosophies to better combat this challenge.

Below is the transcript of the interviews. Responses of interviewee 1 are in purple; responses of interviewee 2 are in navy; responses of interviewee 3 are in blue.

General Questions:

Can you briefly describe how the pandemic has influenced you in terms of your tendency to procrastination and/or your overall motivation to do work?

• “Especially the past spring, not being able to see my teachers and my fellow students was very challenging because I usually rely on my friends and peers for support. I also get a lot of motivation from teachers, out of talking with them… It was hard to find motivations for school work back then but now it got better in the fall when I could go back on campus.”

• “Athletics really help me to get motivated from other areas of my life.”

• “I lack the motivation because I have this negative mindset of everything being so bad so why does it matter at this point. Life moves on and time passes so why is it so important I do something at that second?”

• “I haven’t typically procrastinated in the past and I don’t think I am doing that more during the pandemic. However, it is possible I subconsciously procrastinate.”

• “Being so far away from what I consider as my social life has taught me that school work isn’t the most paramount thing in my life. As a result, I become less invested in it and procrastinated more.”

Can you briefly describe how the panemic has influenced you in terms of your tendency to procrastinate and/or your overall motivation to do work?

• “I procrastinate cleaning my room and self-care.”

• “Mostly during stuff around my house because I am on my computer all the time.”

• “A lot of it is surrounding school work.”

• “With increasing meetings and everything online. I wait for the last minute to do it; I wait for the last minute to set something up and take part in it.”

• “I jump on opportunities when they are in person, face-to-face.”

• “During quarantine, I haven’t felt the need to keep myself organized and intact. I would definitely let cleaning my room go because I don’t have an incentive to do so.”

What do you believe are the main reasons for your impulse to procrastinate and/or your lack of motivation?

• “At the beginning of the pandemic, there were so much chaos and uncertainties and that was really frustrating and scary”

• “Not spending time outside and just being on my computer… especially for my eyes and I have bad posture. It’s really draining just staring at the white light.”

• “Being alone for so long is exhausting. That’s it. It’s more exhausting for me to be stuck with my own thoughts.”

How much extra time do you think you spend on tasks due to procrastination?

• “I get so distracted… I would say three hours sometimes.”

• “I would say upwards of an hour of extra time.”

How, if at all, has procrastination and lack of motivation impeded with your life?

• “I think it’s really hard because it is easy to get into a rhythm of doing things the night before it is due. I feel an immense amount of stress: it’s a cycle I can’t get out of. On the weekends, I just sleep in and spend all of my Sunday doing work…”

• “For example, dance used to be something that I enjoy but the pandemic seemed to suck that joy out of it. I have a lack of motivation to go to dance, where things are so different. I think it hurts to see them because it has changed so much.”

Details about Mechanisms Used to Procrastinate:

What do you do to procrastinate?

• “I spend time on social media, I facetime friends (sometimes it’s constructive), I read, I spend time with my cat, I do some cleaning, I go out for a hike, watching YouTube videos… Mostly stuff on the internet.”

• “I watch TV. I watch a lot of old TV dramas. I just love them--they make me happy. I know them, I understand them, and I feel connected to them. That’s something I am lacking when I have to do things I don’t feel motivated to do.”

• “On a smaller scale, I do crafts.”

• “Netflix, it’s the only thing that can take my mind off.”

Has the means you use to procrastinate changed over the pandemic? How?

• “I don’t think so.”

• “I don’t think so.”

• “Multi-tasking! That’s something I did a lot in the spring.”

• “Now I put music on because I know they’re not going to be as distracting to me. I think that’s a way to avoid major procrastination.”

Internal Struggles When Procrastinating:

What's your mindset when procrastinating?

• “Increasingly anxious because I know I’ll have to finish it at some point. No motivation but I know things have to get done.”

• “Most of the time, I don’t feel good when procrastinating. I do recognize the fact that I should be working. I have a goal in my mind and when I don’t reach that goal I feel bad about myself. I think that’s very harmful but here I am.”

• “At the start of the pandemic, it was just me hating on myself but not doing the work. Overtime, I became so used to me procrastinating that I tried to stop being angry at myself for procrastinating.”

What, if at all, do you do or tell yourself to stop procrastination and be motivated to do work?

• “Usually I spend much more time thinking about the assignment than I do completing it. And I think that gets me motivated to do work.”

• “I also know that I’ll need to go to bed at some point and I don’t want to stay up forever. But it’s usually like a last minute dash to get things done. It’s still something I am working on, something I am trying to conquer.”

• “I also try to prioritize my mental health over my assignments.”

• “Whenever I do something I don’t wat to do, I envision myself being done with that task and, before I know it, I am done with that thing.”

• “I also think to myself that if I can get something done now, I can do even more of something I like. For example, I can watch even more Netflix shows!”

• “I find that when I procrastinate for a long time, the only thing that stops me from procrastinating is all the stress that has been accumulating.”

• “Finally reaching a peak where I can’t take it anymore and just shut my computer in anger and start the work.”

Do you find it hard to stop procrastinating? How?

• “I think it’s really difficult, especially when I have no motivation. Like I said, it’s like a cycle that I can’t get out of.”

• “I think when procrastination involves a device or a method that's distracting, I found separating myself from the source of distraction helpful. For instance, I find working outside helpful because I get the fresh air and the atmosphere that puts me in the zone.”

• “I also find doing work with friends who are doing the same activity as me helpful.”

Post-Procrastination Experience:

What do you feel when you finally completed a task you've been procrastinating for a long time?

• “So good! I feel good after submitting any assignment, especially when I know I don’t have to deal with the stress and anxiety anymore.”

• “Very rewarding!”

• “I am annoyed! Because doing the thing itself is way less stressful than the anticipation to doing the task.”

How, if at all, is that feeling different from completing a task you have not procrastinated?

• “I think when I don’t procrastinate a task, there is not as much stress and anxiety involved. So it’s very much less eventful.”

• “I feel better when I have not procrastinated at all.”

• “I feel much more fulfilled when I finish something without procrastinating because there was much les stress and I wouldn’t beat myself up for being a slacker. I also feel much lighter because now I have all the time in hand to spare!”

Again, a big Thank You to the three volunteers for your time and courage in sharing your struggles! The responses I have gotten will help me better connect ideas of philosophers with real-life applications.