Why do we procrastinate?

Do you surf the web all night while still having assignments in tomorrow? You are not the only one. About 15-20% of the population are generally procrastinating, among students, the number is up to 90%.

Now a study has found the cause for this " jump to new feet " phenomenon and what often causes people to fail to fulfill the commitments made earlier this year.

"In essence, procrastinators often lack confidence in themselves, with little expectation that they will accomplish the task , " said Piers Steel at the University of Calgary.

Procrastination not only reduces your level of work, but also affects your wallet. A survey carried out by H&R Block shows that hesitating to the last minute of tax declaration makes people lose an average of $ 400 due to negligent errors.

Why is it again?

(Photo: LiveScience)

Steel analyzed more than 200 previous studies of procrastination, from 1920 to 2006. He found a close relationship between impulsiveness and the phenomenon of "leaving tomorrow".

Impulsive people value today more than tomorrow."So they don't feel condemned, the time limit doesn't exist yet, so they don't have the interest to do it until it's about to happen," Steel said. These people are actually very caring and intentional to do it from the beginning, but they don't follow their original commitments.

"Impulsive people generally have problems controlling themselves. So they are easily smokers, indiscriminate eaters, gamblers. They are the type of people who get ahead, lose later , " Steel said.

However, Steel also found that when people hesitate to complete their work, they do it at breakneck speed. They can perform at 11 times the average speed and become extraordinarily flexible.

His analysis also looks at another popular concept - that people postpone work because they are perfectionists and are concerned that it won't be possible to achieve perfection.

Those who do not like their job or are bored with the task are also more likely to repel jobs than those who are interested in being assigned. Other signs of procrastination include: easy distractions, lack of confidence and lack of internal motivation.

However, do not panic when you find yourself showing signs of delay or delay. Steel has given some advice for you.

A project that lasts for 1 month will not give you the motivation to work right away, but the deadline in tomorrow will lift you up immediately. " Long-term goals will have little incentive. You need to break it down into daily goals and take steps one by one ," Steel said.

Managers can also act to help their employees. They need to recognize which employees are able to mobilize themselves or whoever will. The manager then organizes daily meetings to ask the plan of the implementer on that day and the next step, making sure to check regularly to see if the person has completed the goal.

Since people postpone work when it's boring, managers should make the task more difficult and increase the satisfaction of each employee they complete the job.

MT