P R O C R A S T I N A T I O N “Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone” ― Pablo Picasso “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.” ― Mark Twain

B A S I C I N F O R M A T I O N Procrastination is the process by which an individual attempts to avoid or delay an assignment or task as long as possible. Many psychologists think of the behavior as a way for an individual to avoid having to deal with the anxiety that comes with working on a task. Procrastination often occurs to those who have difficulty managing their time.

N E G A T I V E A S P E C T S Procrastination often results in an increased level of stress. Irritation, guilt, and panic. Carleton University in Ottawa found college students who procrastinate on their schoolwork are likely to have unhealthy sleep, diet and exercise patterns. Procrastinating on academic work also yields to higher rates of smoking, drinking, digestive ailments, insomnia and cold and flu symptoms. Procrastinators also have a tendency to postpone seeking medical treatment for acute health problems.

P O S I T I V E A S P E C T S By procrastinating you give yourself much more time to think. During this time your subconscious will be processing possible alternatives, leading to a much more considered and well thought out solution to your problem. Rushing leads to mistakes! By procrastinating you give time for the dynamics of a situation to change or settle down, allowing you to take the new dynamics into account when you get around to doing your job, or maybe it would even save you the hassle of having to do the job anyway. Projects always run a bit better if there’s a little bit of pressure; a sense of urgency. Getting the job done straight away can’t help this, but with a little bit of procrastination, a sense of urgency can be generated and your mind will be much more focused on the task in hand.

P S Y C H O L O G I C A L Author David Allen brings up two major psychological causes of procrastination which are related to anxiety, not laziness. – The first category is things too small to worry about, tasks that are an annoying interruption in the flow of things, and for which low-impact workarounds; an example might be organizing a messy room. – The second category is too big to control, tasks that a person might fear, or which the implications might have a great impact on a persons life

A C A D E M I C P R O C R A S T I N A T I O N While academic/educational procrastination is not a special type of procrastination, it is thought to be prevalent in the academic/educational setting 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. Some students struggle with procrastination due to poor time management or study skills, stress, or feeling overwhelmed with their work. Students can also struggle with procrastination for medical reasons such as ADD/ADHD or a learning disorder such as dyslexia

S T A T I S T I C S 53% of the high school students report to be frequent procrastinators. 61% of graduates reported to be frequent procrastinators. 53% of undergraduates report to nearly always or always procrastinate. EXAMS READING ASSIGNMENTS TERM PAPERS HS 38% 30% 27% UG 52% 52% 47% G 39% 32% 40% *2011 International Conference on Education, Research and Innovation

PROCRASTINATION By: Johnny Kelly