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Introducing Procrastination
In this increasingly frenetic and competitive climate, employees are expected to manage the resources available to them to perform their jobs. However, many are squandering the most precious and scarce resource at their disposal, time, by procrastinating on tasks and thereby costing themselves and their organizations. To procrastinate is to "voluntarily delay an intended course of action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay" (Steel, 2007). This behavior, despite its costs, is common in schools, workplaces, and other life domains. By understanding why it occurs and how to prevent it, managers can optimize performance and productivity. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to provide managers with an evidence-based framework for reducing dilatory behavior. Scientific research has explored the causes and effects of procrastination and provides clues as to how best to manage individuals with these tendencies.
Most scholarship has focused on academic procrastination, as up to 95% of students have procrastinated on academic tasks (O'Brien, 2002, as cited in Steel, 2007). In fact, 30% to 60% report doing so regularly (Pychyl, Lee, Thibodeau, and Blunt, 2000) and 75% would label themselves as procrastinators (Potts, 1987, as cited in Steel, 2007). This is unfortunate, as procrastinators achieve lower GPAs (Steel, 2007), take more years to finish college (Hill, Hill, Chabot, and Barrall, 1978), and are more likely to commit acts of academic dishonesty (Roig and DeTommaso, 1995). In addition, procrastination is a frequent source of negative emotions for students, often responsible for feelings of agitation (Lay and Schouwenburg, 1993) and self-blame (Pychyl et al., 2000).
However, the problem is not limited to college campuses. Some researchers estimate that 20% of the population may be "chronic procrastinators" (Harriott and Ferrari, 1996). These individuals postpone or avoid important activities in multiple domains of their professional and personal lives, often at significant costs to their mental, physical, and economic well-being. Procrastination is associated with lower levels of career advancement (Mehrabian, 2000), longer periods of unemployment (Lay and Brokenshire, 1997), and increased rates of stress and illness (Sirois and Tosti, 2012). Procrastinators are also more likely to be unmarried (Steel, 2010). It is interesting to note that most individuals with these tendencies realize their behavior is problematic and would prefer to behave differently (O'Brien, 2002,...