Ever feel like putting off a chore or a project? You’re not alone. Procrastination affects everyone at some point in their life, whether they admit to it or not. Here are some interesting procrastination facts to help you understand why tomorrow is a better day to work than today.
Facts About Procrastination
1. On any given day, about 1 in 5 people will actively choose to procrastinate on something.
2. Procrastination rates have doubled, and then doubled again, since the 1980s.
3. In 1978, just 5% of people surveyed admitted to being chronically affected by procrastination. Today, more than 25% of people admit to chronic procrastination.
4. Up to 95% of college students admit to procrastination on a regular basis.
5. Of the 20% of people who are procrastinating today, 1 in 5 of them may suffer problems with their credit, have relationship issues, or even harm their health because of this habit.
6. A study conducted by Ferrari and Tice showed that men and women procrastinate equally. When asked to perform an identical task twice, those in the study would procrastinate for 60% of the time.
7. People who chronically procrastinate offer sleep less, eat worse, and consume more alcohol compared to those who only procrastinate on an occasional basis.
8. Procrastination is known to be a contributing factor to severe depressing, extreme anxiety levels, attention problems, memory loss, and even hyperactivity.
9. Laziness and procrastination are not the same thing. Laziness is a choice not to do something at all. Procrastination is a choice that says, “I’ll do that task closer to the deadline.”
10. The Procrastination Research Group found that 18% of people in an online survey suffered extreme negative impacts because of their procrastination. Another 46% stated that procrastination has a highly negative impact on their happiness.
11. High school students are more likely to procrastinate than college students.
What Are We Doing If We Procrastinate?
The primary reason for procrastination is distraction. We’d rather be doing something more interesting than the task at hand.
For some, procrastination happens because the individual feels overwhelmed by the task. Then there are the people who procrastinate because they just don’t like the job they’ve been asked to do.
Procrastination causes delays. It can have a very negative impact on life. That’s why it is so important today to stay focused and get each task completed.