Annoying Procrastinator There Are Many Modern Definitions

¶ … Annoying Procrastinator

There are many modern definitions of a human behavioral trait known as procrastination. One of the most common ways of understanding procrastination is as a "behavior sequence of postponement." (A Brief History of Procrastination)

This type of behavior results in a "substandard behavioral product" involving some aspect that is seen to be important. (ibid) This in turn leads to states of emotional "upset" and distress.

In simpler terms, a procrastinator is someone who avoids or puts off doing some important work or completing a significant task. The individual is not necessarily lazy but often delays participation as a way of protecting himself against potential failure or rejection. Procrastinators are often prone to perfectionism and by avoiding performance protect their self-esteem. Often it's a simple case of not being adequately interested in the task at hand. Researchers have found that task aversiveness and not task capability determines whether a person will procrastinate.

Another example of a procrastinator is someone in an office who continually finds reasons for not dealing with an approaching deadline or task that must be completed. Usually a procrastinator will find logical reasons to support his or her delaying strategies. For example, they might argue that they are "not ready" or "feeling tired." Often procrastinators extend their leisure time, such as taking a long lunch break. Inevitably the results of procrastination are tension and panic. The procrastinator finds that he or she cannot meet the deadlines to complete the work, resulting in stress. Working with a procrastinator can be extremely irritating as it can retard and sometimes seriously impede the action and work routines of others. Procrastination is associated with numerous health problems including depression, a vulnerable self-esteem and apprehension. Yet, many individuals find delaying an important task gives them a rush when they're eventually forced to work under pressure.

There are many reasons for procrastination. Besides the obvious aspect of laziness, the procrastinator may be seeking to avoid and to escape responsibility. This could be a sign of underlying psychological problems and may be an indication of a deeper unhappiness or dissatisfaction with his or her life and working environment.

A portrait of a typical procrastinator is someone who refuses to assist or to abide by deadlines that affect others in the working environment. The procrastinator may irritate others by clowning around when others feel the stress of work. Instead of helping, the procrastinator may stop others from working due to a sense of guilt about his own tardiness. This can result in an increase of tension and emotional stress within the working environment. The procrastinator often tries to make others feel that they are being foolish by slavishly following deadlines. This can be disruptive in the work environment and can become a serious managerial and workflow issue.

A description of a typical procrastinator is the individual who feels that there is always time to complete the task. He wanders around the office talking to everyone and keeping people out of work. While they are trying to focus on their activities, the procrastinator is usually telling jokes or talking about everything besides the work at hand.

When there is a serious deadline and certain work must be completed according to levels of priority, the procrastinator often does not fulfill his role and this can result in the work process being delayed. There is nothing more irritating than working with a procrastinator on a group project. In this situation everyone in the group has a specified role to fulfill and a job to complete. If someone in the group procrastinates, then this obviously retards or even stops the activities of the group. Members of the group may become stressed by this and may even have to take over the task of the procrastinator.

The procrastinator may use less obvious delaying techniques. He or she may pretend to be active or busy; but in the meantime they are not completing the work or task assigned to them. A typical procrastinator has no real enthusiasm or intention of completing the task; dealing with a subtle form of procrastination can be very difficult if the procrastinator's activities are not obvious. For example, the procrastinator may seem to be enthusiastic or active, but will continually come up with excuses for not completing the work -- such as "I can't find the necessary resources" or "There is something wrong with the computer."