Why do people procrastinate?

1. 69

   Tweetmomposted 13 years ago

   Why do people procrastinate?
   
   Hit me with your stories.

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2. 63

   PK2010posted 13 years ago

   People procrastinate because they are afraid to make a leap into the unknown. Other reasons could also be lack of will power, motivation, laziness or just plain disorganisational skills.

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3. 84

   tsmogposted 13 years ago

   A little personal brain storming here for a moment , , ,
   Prefer to watch TV
   Prefer chat on their cell
   Prefer chatting online
   Prefer going shopping
   Prefer talking with co-workers
   Prefer writing (in our case)
   Prefer researching on the net
   Prefer watching the hummingbirds
   Prefer eating a good snack
   Prefer listening to music while kicking back
   Prefer heading to the beach
   Prefer being in the garden
   Prefer reading good prose, poetry, articles, etc
   Prefer ___________________
   
   hmmmmmmmmmmmmm I would say I procrastinate because I prefer communication, interacting and nature
   
   other people, well I will follow this question and learn , , ,

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4. 59

   DJProfessorKposted 13 years ago

   Simply because I'd rather not do said task at the time. Might as well wait til it becomes important/vital

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   DaveysRecipeReadposted 13 years ago

   Because they don't want to until they have to.

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6. 60

   Ashantinaposted 13 years ago

   ...because people are content where they are ie in their comfort zones...

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7. 63

   Lisa HWposted 13 years ago

   I'm actually very vigilant about not procrastinating, because I know what it can do in a life.  (It's like a substance abuse problem - once someone starts doing something a little bit, it can get way out of control.)  Having said that, however, I'm had my moments of procrastinating (and lots of them)...
   
   First reason:  Too tired sometimes.  Sometimes it's just better to do something later, when a person isn't too tired to do it right.
   
   Second reason: Saturation point with doing stuff I hate.  If there's something I hate doing, and I'm feeling as if I've done so much other stuff that I hate doing; I'll get into a "saturation point kind of thing" and think, "I'm just not doing this one more objectionable thing for now.  I'll wait until I'm "mentally nurtured" enough that I'm replenished and more able to deal with doing something I hate.
   
   Third reason:  There is actually, and occasionally, a little wisdom in the motto, "Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow."  Sometimes what was "SO important" yesterday turns out not to matter much today.  In fact, if a person procrastinates long enough, some problems either get resolve on their own or else go away!   LOL
   
   Fourth reason:  One man's "procrastination" is often just another man's "re-scheduling".     Being efficient and organized, and always being on top of things and doing the right thing, are great; but life has a way of showing us that sometimes one of the most important attributes someone can have is the ability to be a little flexible. 
   
   A Ralph Waldo Emerson quote is "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines."   I tend to apply that quote to those times when I decide to be a little flexible, or times I choose to reason out whether, exactly, procrastination might be the wiser thing - and then I make myself feel better about procrastinating by telling myself I must have a mind "big" enough not to be crippled by those "hobgoblins of a foolish consistency".  LOL
   
   (I have a friend who has lost lots of money as a result of not wanting to put until tomorrow what he thought would be better if he did immediately.  Sometimes the urge to procrastinate may actually be "Nature's way" of letting us know we ought to hold off on some thing.   

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8. 68

   chasemillisposted 13 years ago

   Actually, I think that people procrastinate because when

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9. 79

   Mitch Alanposted 13 years ago

   The reason most people procrastinate is...I'll tell you later...

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10. 65

    NateSeanposted 13 years ago

    I have great answer for this, but I'm going to have get back to you on it...
    
    All joking aside, I huge part of it is convenience. It's convenient to put of doing anything that requires any real effort. Right now, for example, I am procrastinating on putting together an updated version of my resume, so I can have it saved on my e-mail and ready to send out to a prospective employer.
    
    The reason I am procrastinating on this very essential activity is because frankly, it's quite a hassle trying to put all of this information together for a potential job, as a resume does not equate experience and abilities to handle said job.

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11. 82

    Freeway Flyerposted 13 years ago

    I don't think that there is a single reason, but I imagine that it is usually because there are things we would rather be doing than the stuff that we are putting off.

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    Fryysauceposted 13 years ago

    Well, as a pretty good procrastinator, I'll give you my opinion: I work better at the last minute. Good example was the homework I did today. I've had the assignment for about three weeks and I just finished it because it is due tomorrow. I would sit down earlier to write it and just couldn't focus my mind. For me, waiting until the last minute works very well. Now, if I have a huge paper due a month down the road, I'll do a little at a time. Research here, research there. But I won't commit to anything or write a word of my paper until the night before. It just works for me.

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13. 65

    The Jetposted 13 years ago

    It's easier than the pressure of moving forward, and thus that's why I've made it one of my missions to eliminate procrastination permanently... if possible. Haha.

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