Why do we procrastinate? New research on procrastination done by psychologists Joseph Ferrari, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at De Paul University in Chicago, and Timothy Pychyl, Ph.D., associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa reveal interesting observations.
These researchers say the answer to the procrastination question is more deeply psychological than you might first imagine. Apparently procrastination has very little to do with our skills to plan or manage time. The root of the avoidance is our reaction to work, sense of purpose, or self-esteem. Dr Ferrari and Dr Pyschyl identified three types of procrastinators:
- Arousal types, or thrill-seekers, who wait to the last minute for the euphoric rush.
- Avoiders, who may be avoiding fear of failure or even fear of success, but in either case are very concerned with what others think of them; they would rather have others think they lack effort than ability.
- Decisional procrastinators, who cannot make a decision. Not making a decision absolves procrastinators of responsibility for the outcome of events.
To discover what to do about this, and recommendations for more resources, please check out this article from the Hollyhock Leadership Institute.
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