Combating Procrastination with Information Systems: A Systematic Review on Design Approaches and Effects

Procrastination, the act of postponing important tasks despite knowing the negative consequences, poses considerable risks to mental and physical well-being. Traditional procrastination treatments are time-consuming and often have high entry barriers for those affected. Consequently, information systems (IS) have emerged as an innovative approach to provide both guided and self-directed procrastination treatment. This study consolidates academic literature on IS design approaches for addressing procrastination and juxtaposes them with traditional behavioral, cognitive, and social support interventions. We reveal how IS can effectively assist individuals in combating procrastination, and shed light on the role of motivational design affordances. Our findings show that IS designs primarily address procrastination through behavioral strategies, yielding positive results in enhancing task efficiency. Yet, significant opportunities remain to explore the capabilities of adaptive and tailored IS design for cognitive benefits, delve into social support designs for overcoming procrastination, and explore motivational design to support functional IS against procrastination with hedonic experiences.