Procrastination is normal human behaviour
So, there’s that one task you’ve been putting off all week. You keep saying you’ll get round to it, tomorrow’s another day, right? Everyone puts things off sometimes; procrastination is normal human behaviour.
And, truth is, letting things slip sometimes isn’t such a bad thing. However, twenty per cent of people are chronic procrastinators. The term procrastination is derived from the Latin verb “procrastinare”, which means “to put off until tomorrow”.
If you’re a chronic procrastinator, it’s important to take a closer look at these behaviours. They’ll show up in all areas of your life and can cause feelings of stress, guilt, failure, anxiety and depression. They can also affect your relationships with the people around you.
Why do we procrastinate?
Psychological research shows that chronic procrastinators all have certain characteristics in common and that it’s not “just” a question of laziness or poor time management. That’s why “just do it” is usually easier said than done. If only it were that simple.
In particular, impulsiveness is strongly linked to procrastination. If you’re an impulsive person, you’ll struggle to stick to a plan. And if you do manage to start a task, you’ll quickly get distracted. Pretty soon, you’ll have forgotten all about your to-do list.