If You Enjoy Delaying Tasks, You Might Be A Procrastinator

Anyone familiar with the concept of procrastination? The practice of putting off tasks that need to be finished by a specified time is known as procrastination. Procrastination comes from two words in Latin, namely "pro" which means forward and "crastinus" which means belonging to tomorrow, hence, procrastination literally translates as "forward it to tomorrow" which means "do tomorrow".¹

Types of Procrastination

Ferrari, Johnson, and McCown distinguish between two categories of procrastination that are functional and dysfunctional.²

1. Functional procrastination, postponing the implementation or completion of a task to gather more precise and thorough information. Pay your electricity bill, for instance, every few months. That is the amount of time you have postponed before the payment deadline.

2. Dysfunctional procrastination, which lacks a clear objective and frequently results in failure. This type of procrastination will delay assigned work until the available deadline approaches.

Characteristics of Procrastination

The following are several characteristics of procrastination, including:³

1. Often puts off starting or finishing a task or other work.

2. It takes longer to finish the task because the deadline are running out.

3. The emergence of a time gap between actual and planned performance.

4. Opt for activities that are more fun than doing duties or labor that needs to be done by a certain period of time.

How to Overcome Procrastination Behavior

The following are several ways that can be done to overcome procrastination, such as:^2,3

1. Create a written plan

2. Managing time

3. Establish a habit of discipline

4. Don't underestimate your tasks