Procrastination

Procrastination or "task aversion" is the irrational delay of an intended course of action, even while expecting to be worse off for the delay (compare temporisation). The procrastinator deviates from the task, usually in favor of another more enjoyable (or less unenjoyable) activity. This behavior is pervasive througout society - everyone procrastinates to some degree - while some people are so chronically affected as to be dibilitated. The word procrastination comes from Latin procrastinatus: pro- (forward) and crastinus (of tomorrow).

Procrastination is caused by the association of pain or discomfort with the respective course of action; that is, stress. This may be physical (such as that experienced during hard labor or vigorous exercise) or psychological (such as in the form of frustration or anxiety). The task or the situation requiring the task may be perceived as dangerous, overwhelming, difficult, tedious, or boring; basically, unenjoyable; that is, stressful. Once habitualized, procrastination can be triggered at any time. Procrastination can also be a symptom of a psychological disorder such as depression or ADHD (attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder), and may be greatly reduced when the underlying condition is properly treated.

Traditionally, procrastination has been associated with perfectionism, a tendency to negatively evaluate outcomes and one's own performance, intense fear and avoidance of evaluation of one's abilities by others, heightened social self-consciousness and anxiety, recurrent low mood, and workaholism. However, research indicates that perfectionists are not any more likely to procrastinate, though they do feel worse about it when they do put things off.

The term is referenced as a proverb, which in itself first appeared in the novel 'David Copperfield' - by Charles Dickens: "Procrastination is the thief of time." This conveys the meaning that deferment is both negative and wasteful of the time on which the action could properly be completed. Don Marquis neatly parodied this adage with the following: "Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday."

Effects and examples of procrastination

Here are some of the problems that procrastination can cause:

Lost opportunities: for example, somebody else buys the car you wanted because you put off making the phone call. Or somebody else patents an invention you thought of first, because you never got around to patenting it yourself.

Tardiness: being late to meetings, showing up late at special events, and being late to pick up your date. Missing the beginning of the movie at the theater, and getting crappy seats, because you didn't leave the house on time.

Missed deadlines: from failing a school assignment by not turning it in on time to missing your flight at the airport because you talked on the phone too long.

Irresponsibility towards others: like failing to keep your promises because you kept putting them off. Or causing others to be late for their commitments because you didn't show up on time to get them there on time.

Lack of preparedness: such as when the basement floods unnecessarily because you kept delaying to get the sump pump fixed.

Poor performance: such as waiting until the night before the exam to begin studying, cramming all night, and barely being able to keep your eyes open during the test.

Career troubles: if you keep missing deadlines on projects at work, getting a promotion is unlikely, and you may even get demoted or fired.

Unnecessary expenses: like having to pay late fees because you didn't pay your bills on time even though you had the money. Or having a huge liability from an automobile accident because you weren't covered because you put off paying your insurance bill.

Financial difficulties: such as the inability to pay the bills because you put off generating new sales or finding new customers for your business.

Medical problems: like all those cavities you have because you kept putting off brushing your teeth. Or that heart attack you had because you kept delaying the start of your personal health program.

Diminished quality of life: like when your wife leaves you for another man because you put off getting a new job like you promissed her. She divorces you and takes the kids.

Characteristics of procrastination

Procrastination is both a behavior and the lack of a behavior. The behavior is whatever the procrastinator is doing in place of what he should be doing. The lacking behavior is of course the task or activity that the procrastinator should be doing (like his homework). There are three ways to procrastinate: skip it, do it last, and escape.

Skipping it. Here, even though the task is foregone forever, it is the program that is being put off. When you skip brushing your teeth, you are putting off your whole "keep your teeth clean so you won't get cavities" program. It's like you're saying "I'll start brushing my teeth tomorrow."
Doing it last. Easy tasks tend to be done first. You've got a job to do, and a long list of things to get done for that job to be completed. As long as you are getting the tasks on the list done, you are doing your job, so if you pick the easiest ones, you feel okay. The hard part is when you've done all the tasks and the most difficult one is left, especially if there isn't enough time to do it in because you put it off to last!
Escape. The procrastinator does something he enjoys doing, choosing short-term gratification over long-term gain, at the cost of the benefits he would receive from doing the task he put off. This way, he doesn't have to think about the task he should be doing, or the situation he should be dealing with. This can lead to a pattern of addiction, where the more one escapes the more guilty he feels about not doing what he is supposed to be doing, causing more stress for to escape from, leading him to continue the alternate activity so he doesn't have to think about it.

Ah, but you say that procrastination isn't the mere lack of doing something, it is something that is causing you not to do it. Procrastination caused you not to do it, and in this sense procrastination isn't the behaviors done or not done, but is a behavior unto itself...

Procrastination is poor judgement

At the core of procrastination is a decision, either the decision is made not to do something, or the decision is made to do something else. When that is the wrong decision and you are aware of it, but you follow it anyways, that is poor judgement. If you make the decision out of course with no thought to the outcome, then you are acting without thinking, and that too is poor judgement.

Procrastination is a bad habit

When you automatically repeat the decision to avoid a task, even when it is the wrong decision, then making the wrong decision has become habit; you have acquired a habit of making bad decisions.

Procrastination is being distracted

When you don't want to do something, it is easy to get distracted away from it. Then the procrastinator has something other than himself to blame. If you are suseptible to distraction, you are more prone to procrastinate.

Procrastination is a phobia

An irrational aversion to something is a phobia.

Procrastination is a symptom

Procrastination can be the result of a more serious underlying condition.

Chronic procrastination and mental health

Procrastination can be a persistent trait in some people, sometimes known as chronic procrastinators. In these individuals, procrastination becomes a self-destructive state where the procrastinator can get nothing accomplished on time, resulting in serious career struggles, persistent financial problems, and diminished quality of life. Chronic procrastination may cause significant psychological disability and dysfunction in many dimensions of life over time, including a persistent sense of shame and low self-worth.

Many individuals who consider themselves to be "chronic procrastinators" are actually suffering from an underlying mental health problem such as depression or Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). These individuals frequently do not understand why they cannot "get it together", and can become resigned to a life of struggle, frustration, and underachievement. There is, unfortunately, widespread ignorance about this problem, even amongst mental health professionals, some of whom see procrastination as simply a "bad habit".

In addition, some people are predisposed to monotropism, a condition associated with autism in which there is a tendency to allocate attention to one task at a time, and to be less able than usual to multi-task or allocate segments of time for different priorities as may be needed. This may stem from many causes, including obsessional disorders, Asperger's syndrome. To these individuals, tasks perceived as less important or less urgent may be excessively deferred behind other tasks which receive undue attention or priority.

Many of these disorders can be treated with medication and psychotherapy, whereby the individual can learn new behaviors and achieve a greatly improved quality of life. Thus it is important for people who chronically struggle with debilitating procrastination to see a trained therapist or psychiatrist to see if an underlying mental health issue may be present.

Procrastination and addiction

Severe procrastination and/or ADD, and the intense desire to escape that comes along with it, can lead to internet addiction or computer addiction. In this instance the individual has a compulsion to avoid reality by surfing the web or playing video games (see Game addiction) or looking at pornography (see Pornography addiction). The addiction can be almost any activity on the computer or internet, from collecting things on eBay (providing you have the money) or files on peer-to-peer networks, to endlessly browsing, to editing the Wikipedia. Although these are relatively new phenomena, some are already being considered as a valid psychiatric diagnoses by mental health professionals.

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