Conference reveals why we procrastinate and the consequences of putting off deadlines

Are you a procrastinator? If you are, you’re not alone; in fact 95 per cent of people consider themselves to be procrastinators, says Piers Steel, an associate professor of human resources and organizational dynamics at the University of Calgary. In August, Steel and other experts on procrastination gathered at York to discuss why we procrastinate and what effect it’s having on our health.

Many people put things off because they feel they work better under pressure. They are actually fooling themselves, says Timothy Pychyl, director of the Procrastination Research Group at Carleton University. Pychyl, along with his research partner, Carleton grad Kyle Simpson, presented at the conference. In their study, Pychyl and Simpson found no indication of improved performance due to a looming deadline. In fact, Pychyl says these people may perform just as well, if not better, without the pressure of a deadline. Their study also revealed there is no correlation between personality type and procrastination, as has been believed until now.

A sign of laziness, or is it fear?
For people working on computers all day, frequently checking personal emails and surfing the net, a.k.a. “cyber slacking”, can be a great diversion. And while these procrastinators think that, in the end, they produce good quality work, others may be labelling them as slackers. Some people have even been fired due to their cyber slacking.

Is procrastinating just a sign of laziness? According to Gordon Flett, Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Education in the Faculty of Health at York, it’s not black and white. “There is a link with lack of conscientiousness, but usually these are people who can demonstrate action and behaviour when called upon … but it’s kind of pejorative to just characterize it as laziness,” said Flett during a CBC interview leading up to the conference.

He believes the main reason people avoid their work is fear. They are expecting the worst, he says. He also attributes it, in some cases, to perfectionism: “I’ve seen many students over the years who have been crippled by this combination [of perfectionism and procrastination] where they want to have things just absolutely right,” he said.

Gordon Flett, Associate Dean Research Faculty of Health at York

The consequences
Regardless of why people procrastinate, the experts agree it can raise their stress levels and harm their mental and physical health. “Clearly it’s a very stressful way to be and we know that stress can have a damaging effect on one’s body in a variety of ways. So you have to weigh any of [the] benefits with [the] significant costs,” Flett told the CBC.

Of greater concern, as Flett and Steel have pointed out, is that the bad habit doesn’t end at school or work; people carry it right into other important activities in their lives like dealing with finances, getting medical and dental check-ups and even putting on sunscreen.

The growing awareness of procrastination “creep” and its health consequences will keep the bad habit in the headlines well into the future. In the meantime, Pychyl, Flett and the other experts on procrastination will reunite in two years at the 7th biennial conference on procrastination to discuss their latest research and findings.

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