Procrastination is a type of avoidance behaviour which is characterised by deferment of actions or tasks to a later time. Psychologists often cite procrastination as a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision. ^[1] Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Wiktionary (a portmanteau of wiki and dictionary) is a multilingual, Web-based project to create a free content dictionary, available in over 151 languages. ... Avoidant personality disorder (APD or AvPD) [1] or Anxious personality disorder (APD) [2], is a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, extreme sensitivity to negative evaluation and avoidance of social interaction. ... Anxiety is a physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components (Seligman, Walker & Rosenhan, 2001). ...

For the person procrastinating this may result in stress, a sense of guilt, the loss of personal productivity, the creation of crisis and the chagrin of others for not fulfilling one's responsibilities or commitments. While it is normal for individuals to procrastinate to some degree, it becomes a problem when it impedes normal functioning. Chronic procrastination may be a sign of an underlying psychological or physiological disorder. In medical terms, stress is the disruption of homeostasis through physical or psychological stimuli. ... “Guilty” redirects here. ... A crisis (plural: crises) is a turning point or decisive moment in events. ... This page is a candidate to be moved to Wiktionary. ... A mental illness or mental disorder refers to one of many mental health conditions characterized by distress, impaired cognitive functioning, atypical behavior, emotional dysregulation, and/or maladaptive behavior. ...

The word itself comes from the Latin word procrastinatus: pro- (forward) and crastinus (of tomorrow). The term's first known appearance was in Edward Hall's Chronicle (The union of the two noble and illustre famelies of Lancestre and Yorke), first published sometime before 1548.^[2] The sermon reflected procrastination's connection at the time to task avoidance or delay, volition or will, and sin. Danny Zehe For other uses, see Latin (disambiguation). ... Look up Tomorrow in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Edward Hall (c. ... Lancaster is a city within Lancashire, in North West England. ... York shown within England Coordinates: , Sovereign state Constituent country Region Yorkshire and the Humber Ceremonial county North Yorkshire Admin HQ York City Centre Founded 71 City Status 71 Government  - Type Unitary Authority, City  - Governing body City of York Council  - Leadership: Leader & Executive  - Executive: Liberal Democrat  - MPs: Hugh Bayley (L) John... Events Mary I of Scotland sent to France Births September 2 - Vincenzo Scamozzi, Italian architect (died 1616) September 29 - William V, Duke of Bavaria (died 1626) Francesco Andreini, Italian actor (died 1624) Giordano Bruno, Italian philosopher, astronomer, and occultist (burned at the stake) 1600 (died 1600) Honda Tadakatsu, Japanese general... Topics in Christianity Movements · Denominations Ecumenism · Preaching · Prayer Music · Liturgy · Calendar Symbols · Art · Criticism Important figures Apostle Paul · Church Fathers Constantine · Athanasius · Augustine Anselm · Aquinas · Palamas · Luther Calvin · Wesley Arius · Marcion of Sinope Pope · Archbishop of Canterbury Patriarch of Constantinople Christianity Portal This box:      A sermon is an oration by... Time management is straightforwardly defined as the management of time in order to make the most out of it. ... For other uses, see Sin (disambiguation). ...

Causes of procrastination

Psychological

The psychological causes of procrastination vary greatly, but generally surround issues of anxiety, low sense of self-worth and a self-defeating mentality. Procrastinators are also thought to have a higher-than-normal level of conscientiousness, more based on the "dreams and wishes" of perfection or achievement in contrast to a realistic appreciation of their obligations and potential.^[3] Anxiety is a physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components (Seligman, Walker & Rosenhan, 2001). ... In psychology, self-esteem or self-worth is a persons self-image at an emotional level; circumventing reason and logic. ... Conscientiousness is the trait of being painstaking and careful, or the quality of being in accord with the dictates of ones conscience. ...

Author David Allen brings up two major psychological causes of procrastination at work and in life which are related to anxiety, not laziness.^{[citation needed]} The first category comprises things too small to worry about, tasks that are an annoying interruption in the flow of things, and for which there are low-impact workarounds; an example might be organizing a messy room. The second category comprises things too big to control, tasks that a person might fear, or for which the implications might have a great impact on a person's life; an example might be the adult children of a deteriorating senior parent deciding what living arrangement would be best. David Allen is a productivity trainer and consultant. ... Paul Kruger in his old age. ...

A person might unconsciously overestimate or underestimate the scale of a task if procrastination has become a habit.^{[citation needed]} Habits are automatic routines of behavior that are repeated regularly, without thinking. ...

From the behavioral psychology point of view, James Mazur has said that procrastination is a particular case of "impulsiveness" as opposed to self control.^{[citation needed]} Mazur states that procrastination occurs because of a temporal discounting of a punisher, as it happens with the temporal discount for a reinforcer. Procrastination, then, as Mazur says, happens when a choice has to be made between a later larger task and a sooner small task; as the absolute value of the task gets discounted by the time, a subject tends to choose the later large task.^{[citation needed]}. Behaviorism (or behaviourism) is an approach to psychology based on the proposition that behavior is interesting and worthy of scientific research. ...

Physiological

Research on the physiological roots of procrastination mostly surrounds the role of the prefrontal cortex. This area of the brain is responsible for executive brain functions such as planning, impulse control, attention, and acts as a filter by decreasing distracting stimuli from other brain regions. Damage or low activation in this area can reduce an individual's ability to filter out distracting stimuli, ultimately resulting in poorer organization, a loss of attention and increased procrastination. This is similar to the prefrontal lobe's role in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), where underactivation is common. ^[3] Physiology (in Greek physis = nature and logos = word) is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. ... “Prefrontal” redirects here. ... Deferred gratification is the ability of a person to wait for things they want. ... DISCLAIMER Please remember that Wikipedia is offered for informational use only. ...

Procrastination and mental health

Procrastination can be a persistent and debilitating disorder in some people, causing significant psychological disability and dysfunction. These individuals may actually be suffering from an underlying mental health problem such as depression or ADHD. On the Threshold of Eternity. ... DISCLAIMER Please remember that Wikipedia is offered for informational use only. ...

While procrastination is a behavioral condition, these underlying mental health disorders can be treated with medication and/or therapy. Therapy can be a useful tool in helping an individual learn new behaviors, overcome fears and anxieties, and achieve an 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. Psychotherapy is an interpersonal, relational intervention used by trained psychotherapists to aid clients in problems of living. ... An MRI scan of a human brain and head. ...

Severe procrastination and/or ADD can cross over into 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 online pornography (see Pornography addiction). Although these are relatively new phenomena, they are being considered as psychiatric diagnoses by mental health professionals. Computer addiction is a field of psychotherapy that studies impacts of extensive or obsessive computer use on the user/addict. ... Youth spending seemingly endless hours leveling up lumber skills in RuneScape Computer addiction is an obsessive addiction to computer use. ... This Photoshopped EverCrack Trilogy box cover, an allusion to the notoriously addictive nature of EverQuest, has been widely circulated online. ... Pornography addiction (a form of a sexual addiction) is defined as a condition resulting from the overuse or abuse of pornography. ... The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, is the handbook used most often in diagnosing mental disorders in the United States and other countries. ...

Perfectionism

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. Slaney (1996) found that adaptive perfectionists were less likely to procrastinate than non-perfectionists, while maladaptive perfectionists (people who saw their perfectionism as a problem) had high levels of procrastination (and also of anxiety).^[4] Perfectionism, in psychology, is a belief that perfection should be strived for. ... A workaholic is a person addicted to work. ... Anxiety is a physiological state characterized by cognitive, somatic, emotional, and behavioral components (Seligman, Walker & Rosenhan, 2001). ...

Academic procrastination

While academic procrastination is not a special type of procrastination, procrastination is thought to be particularly prevalent in the academic setting^{[citation needed]}, where students are required to meet deadlines for assignments and tests in an environment full of events and activities which compete for the students' time and attention. More specifically, a 1992 study showed that "52% of surveyed students indicated having a moderate to high need for help concerning procrastination"^[5].

Some students struggle with procrastination due to a lack of time management or study skills, stress, or feeling overwhelmed with their work.^{[citation needed]} Students can also struggle with procrastination for medical reasons such as ADD/ADHD or a learning disorder^{[citation needed]}. Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Hyperkinetic Disorder as officially known in the UK though ADHD is more commonly used, is generally considered to be a developmental disorder, largely neurological in nature, affecting about 5% of the worlds population. ... Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Hyperkinetic Disorder as officially known in the UK though ADHD is more commonly used, is generally considered to be a developmental disorder, largely neurological in nature, affecting about 5% of the worlds population. ... Learning disability refers to a range of conditions that affect a persons ability to learn new information, even though the person has average or above-average intelligence. ...

Student Syndrome

Student syndrome refers to the phenomenon that many students will begin to fully apply themselves to a task only just before a deadline.^{[citation needed]} This leads to wasting any buffers built into individual task duration estimates.^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Emblem-important. ... In common language, a task is part of a set of actions which accomplish a job; the sense is that useful work is getting done. Task analysis is the analysis or a breakdown of exactly how a task is accomplished, such as what sub-tasks are required. ... Duration of a projects terminal element is the number of calendar periods it takes from the time the execution of element starts to the moment it is completed. ... Estimation is approximate or uncertain calculation of a result, often based on approximate, uncertain, incomplete, or noisy inputs. ...

The term originated in Eliyahu M. Goldratt's novel-style book^{[not specific enough to verify]}, Critical Chain. The principle is also addressed in Agile Software Development^{[not specific enough to verify]}. Eliyahu M. Goldratt (1948 - ) is an Israel-born physicist turned business consultant, the originator of the theory of constraints (abbreviation: TOC). ... Critical Chain is a novel by Eliyahu Goldratt using the Critical Chain theory of Project Management as the major theme. ... Agile software development is a conceptual framework for software engineering that promotes development iterations throughout the life-cycle of the project. ...

For example, if a group of students goes to a professor and asks for an extension to a deadline they will usually defend their request by noting how much better their project will be if they are given more time to work on it; they request this with the intent to distribute their work time across the remainder of the time until the deadline. In reality however, most students will have other tasks or events that place demands on their time. They will often end up close to the same situation they started with, wishing they had more time as the new delayed deadline approaches. In common language, a task is part of a set of actions which accomplish a job; the sense is that useful work is getting done. Task analysis is the analysis or a breakdown of exactly how a task is accomplished, such as what sub-tasks are required. ...

This same behaviour is seen in businesses; in project and task estimating, a time- or resource-buffer is applied to the task to allow for overrun or other scheduling problems. However with Student syndrome the latest possible start of tasks causes the buffer for any given task to be wasted beforehand, rather than kept in reserve. Like students, many workers do not complete assignments early, but wait until the last minute before starting, often having to rush to submit their assignment minutes before the deadline. A similar phenomenon is seen every year in the United States when personal tax returns are due - Post Offices remain open until midnight on the final day as people queue to get their tax return postmarked. Look up time in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In project management terminology, resources are required to carry out the project tasks. ... For other uses, see Phenomena (disambiguation). ... Look up Tax return in Wiktionary, the free dictionary For tax returns in the United States see Tax return (United States); for tax returns in Canada see Tax return (Canada). ... Small-town post office and town hall in Lockhart, Alabama A post office is a facility (in most countries, a government one) where the public can purchase postage stamps for mailing correspondence or merchandise, and also drop off or pick up packages or other special-delivery items. ... An example of a postmark A postmark is a postal marking made on a letter, package, postcard or the like indicating the (more or less precise) date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service. ...

See also

• Deferred gratification
• Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder
• Time management
• Getting Things Done
• Temporal Discounting

Deferred gratification or delayed gratification is the ability to wait in order to obtain something that one wants. ... Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or Hyperkinetic Disorder as officially known in the UK though ADHD is more commonly used, is generally considered to be a developmental disorder, largely neurological in nature, affecting about 5% of the worlds population. ... Time management is straightforwardly defined as the management of time in order to make the most out of it. ... This article is about the book by David Allen. ...

References

The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is the most successful dictionary of the English language, (not to be confused with the one-volume Oxford Dictionary of English, formerly New Oxford Dictionary of English, of...

Books

• Allen, David (2001). Getting things done : the art of stress-free productivity. New York: Viking. ISBN 9780670889068. 
• Fiore, Neil A (2006). The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt- Free Play. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 9781585425525. 
• Lakein, Alan (1973). How to get control of your time and your life.. New York: P.H. Wyden. ISBN 0451134303. 

External links

• Procrastination Central - A resource website at University of Calgary, Haskayne School of Business. Includes information from the Psychological Bulletin article "Nature of Procrastination," which reviews all procrastination research.
• Procrastination.
• CalPoly - Procrastination - Another excellent link with in depth-analysis of procrastinating behavior and possible cures
• Procrastination Research Group - Information and research related to procrastination, Dept of Psychology, Carleton University.
• iProcrastinate Podcasts - lectures on the psychology of procrastination by Dr. Pychyl, Procrastination Research Group, Carleton University.
• Self-Help Brochure - Self Help Brochure by University of Illinois, Counselling Center
• Procrastination: Habit or Disorder? - A paper discussing the biological origins of procrastination
• Overcoming Procrastination: Counseling Services, University at Buffalo - Yet another great link with some reasons for procrastination and some ways to overcome procrastination. Also has some places in Buffalo of where one can find help with procrastination
• Structured Procrastination - a slightly tongue-in-cheek look at putting procrastination to work in accomplishing many useful tasks.
• Perfectionism, Procrastination and Paralysis - Article on avoiding this common vicious circle, by Gina Hiatt, Ph.D.
• Getting Back To Work: A Personal Productivity Toolkit - a tutorial to overcome procrastination
• Good and bad procrastination by Paul Graham.
• Overcoming Procrastination: Getting Organized to Complete the Dissertation by Tara L. Kuther, PhD.
• Article regarding studies on procrastination
• An animated film about Procrastination, made by Johnny Kelly