Procrastination is something I would consider to be comparable to the concept of being silent yet deadly. Procrastination isn’t necessarily something that is always visible, and it can be hidden without too much effort; the deadly aspect of it remains the same, however, and over time, procrastination can prove to be a disastrous force in one’s life in the context of productivity.
I wouldn’t really consider myself a procrastinator, but there are occasions in which I will intentionally delay doing something I should be doing and instead occupy my time with other, less significant tasks to keep myself busy. Avoidance and procrastination go together like peanut butter and jelly, as they essentially are the same concept, but unlike avoidance, procrastination implies that a task or duty will be fulfilled, just not as soon as it should be, per say.
If you consider yourself to be a procrastinator, I encourage you to reference the following article by Good News Network on the topic.
“New research from the University of Otago has found that if you want someone to help you out with something, it is best not to set a deadline at all. But if you do set a deadline, make it short.
“Professor Stephen Knowles, from the Otago Business School, Department of Economics, and his co-authors tested the effect of deadline length on task completion for their research.
“Participants were invited to complete an online survey in which a donation goes to charity. They were given either one week, one month, or no deadline to respond.
“Professor Knowles says the research began because he and his team—Dr Murat Genç, from Otago’s Department of Economics, Dr Trudy Sullivan, from Otago’s Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, and Professor Maroš Servátka, from the Macquarie Graduate School of Management—were interested in helping charities raise more money.
“However, the results are applicable to any situation where someone asks another person for help. This could be asking a colleague for help at work or asking your partner to do something for you, Professor Knowles says.
“The study found responses to the survey were lowest for the one-month deadline, and highest when no deadline was specified.
“No deadline and the one-week deadline led to many early responses, while a long deadline appeared to give people permission to procrastinate, and then forget,” the article explains.
Perhaps this information can be of use to anyone who is a victim of procrastination.
ontheedgeofeverything 