The Causes And Effects Of Procrastination

Procrastination is the form of needless delay that an individual tends to postpone an assignment. It is a common phenomenon in everyday life and has attracted researchers’ interests in past few decades (Klingiseck, 2013). The studies indicated the prevalence rate of procrastination is around 20-25% in the general population (Ferrari & Díaz-Morales., 2007). In academic settings, previous research reported that 80-90% of college students or at least half of all students suffer from procrastination (O’Brien, 2002; Ozer et al., 2009). Students also reported that procrastination typically accounts for more than one third of their daily activities and is often carried out through sleeping, reading, or watching television (Psychl et al., 2000). Additionally, the prevalence of the procrastination is reported to be growing (Steel, 2007). Therefore,

The literature on procrastination varies in the definition of procrastination with different perspectives (Corkin et al., 2011; Seo, 2013). One agreement on the nature of procrastination is that it involves the act of delay. However, a variety of different definition of procrastination exists. Some researchers use the term procrastination solely for the dysfunctional form of delay with the irrational nature and negative outcomes (Steel, 2007), while others focus on the positive form of delay and its potential benefits that are connoted to this term (Chu & Choi, 2005). Thus, there is no consistent definition of procrastination currently. Regarding the dysfunctional form of procrastination, some researchers also investigate the outcomes, indicating procrastination is damaging to both physical and psychological well-being (Klingiseck, 2013). In terms of physical well-being, procrastination is related to many symptoms of physical illness (i.e., number of