Procrastination: Causes and Effects

Procrastination: Causes and Effects

It's 10P.M. and the research paper is due the next morning. Surrounded by printouts, Sam types frantically. Two weeks ago, it seemed that there was plenty of time to get the paper done. Last week, a sick child made it hard to study. Now it's crunch time. Looking at the clock, Sam wonders, "Why do I keep doing this to myself? Why haven't I learned not to put things off until the last minute?" Researchers have found that procrastination like Sam's is common ("DePaul," 2007). However, they disagree about what causes people to put things off and whether procrastination can have positive effects.

What is procrastination?

The word procrastination comes from two Latin terms meaning to put forward until tomorrow. Standard dictionary definitions all include the idea of postponement or delay. Steel (2007), a psychologist who has reviewed hundreds of studies on the subject, notes that procrastination is rarely judged to be a positive thing. Another expert, Dr. Joseph R. Ferrari (2005), distinguishes between people who tend to put things off and those he describes as "chronic" or "real" procrastinators: "Remember, 80% of us procrastinate, but 20% are procrastinators. The 20% who are real procrastinators, where this is their lifestyle, need therapy." Ferrari (2000) categorizes procrastinators into three types; based on the reason they put things off: (a) arousal types get a thrill from beating a deadline, (b) avoiders put off doing things that might make others think badly of them, and (c) decisional procrastinators postpone making a decision until they have enough information to avoid making a wrong choice.

Everyone procrastinates. We put things off because we don't want to do them, or because we have too many other things on our plates. Putting things off--big or small--is part of being human. If you are reading this handout, however, it is likely that your procrastination is troubling you. You suspect that you could be a much better writer if only you didn't put off writing projects until the last minute. You find that just when you have really gotten going on a paper, it's time to turn it in; so, you never really have time to revise or proofread carefully. You love the rush of adrenalin you get when you finish a paper ten minutes before its due, but you (and your body) are getting tired of pulling all-nighters. You feel okay about procrastinating while in college, but you worry that this habit will follow you into your working life.

You can tell whether or not you need to do something about your procrastination by examining its consequences. Procrastination can have external consequences (you get a zero on the paper because you never turned it in) or internal consequences (you feel anxious much of the time, even when you are doing something that you enjoy). If you put off washing the dishes, but the dishes don't bother you, who cares? When your procrastination leaves you feeling discouraged and overburdened, however, it is time to take action.

What causes procrastination?

If procrastinators are not all alike, the causes of procrastination may vary too. Several studies found that chronic procrastinators tend to have low self-esteem and focus on the past more than the future (Specter & Ferrari, 2000). In some cases, procrastination may be a response to an authoritative parenting style (Marano, 2003) or a rebellion against external demands (Ferrari, 2005). However, Steel (2007) does not believe that perfectionism causes procrastination. In his view, only one theory is supported by research: