Procrastination as Self-Regulatory Failure A Systematic Review and Integrative Resolution Model

Abstract

Procrastination affects most students and working adults. It is often mislabeled as laziness or poor time management. Contemporary research instead frames it as self-regulatory failure, rooted in affect regulation, impulsivity, and temporal discounting. This article systematically reviews procrastination research published between 2005 and 2026. It maps how self-regulatory failure operates across academic, health, digital, and workplace contexts. It then proposes an integrative resolution model. A systematic review was conducted across PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed. Peer-reviewed studies with an explicit self-regulation framing were included. Thematic synthesis identified convergent mechanisms across domains. Four dominant theoretical accounts emerged: Temporal Motivation Theory, the Strength Model of Self Control, the Emotion Regulation Account, and the Research Domain Criterion framework. Findings converge on an intention action gap driven by short term mood repair. Existing models remain culturally narrow and rarely integrate non Western volitional constructs. To address this gap, the article introduces the SANKALP Model, a seven-stage integrative framework. It bridges Western self-regulation theory with the Indian psychological constructs of NISKAMA karma and SAMATVA. Seven testable propositions and two illustrative vignettes demonstrate its applied logic. Procrastination is best understood as a culturally situated self-regulatory failure. The SANKALP Model offers an initial testable pathway toward volitional recovery, providing a structured basis for future empirical and applied validation, and extending procrastination theory beyond its Western-individualist foundations.