Procrastination
Procrastination is the deferment or putting-off of an action which requires immediate attention, usually by focusing on some other distraction. It derives from the Latin words pro (a prefix meaning "for") and cras (meaning "tomorrow").
Recently, the subject has attracted considerable attention in the domain of psychology, and research has been conducted into the whys and wherefores of individuals' predilection for procrastination.
Procrastination can be a persistent trait in some people, known as chronic procrastinators. Traditionally, it has been associated with perfectionism, a tendency to negatively evaluate outcomes and one's own performance, intense fear and avoidance of evaluation of one's abilities by others, heightened social self-consciousness and anxiety, recurrent low mood, and workaholism. However, research indicates that perfectionists are not any more likely to procrastinate, though they do feel worse about it when the do put things off. It may cause significant psychological disability and dysfunction in many dimensions of life over time. Procrastinators typically have significantly lower academic grades, worse health, and make less money than non-procrastinators. There is, unfortunately, widespread ignorance about this problem, even amongst mental health professionals, where procrastination is often trivially thought of in its simplest and most benign forms, of seeking pleasurable sensations irresponsibly at the expense of being reliable. A milder form of procrastination is also common in students, in which it is known as academic procrastination.
Many societies and cultures have become associated (rightly or wrongly) by stereotype with procrastination; a notable example being the Spanish or Latin Americans, for whom the word mañana or "tomorrow" has become reinforcingly synonymous with their legendary stereotypical predilection for siestas. In modern society, however, it should be noted that the siesta is rapidly disappearing from Spanish society.
The term is referenced as a proverb: "Procrastination is the thief of time". This conveys the meaning that deferment is both negative and wasteful of the time on which the action could properly be completed. Don Marquis neatly parodied this adage with the following: "Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday".
Procrastination is considered a virtue by some groups such as slackers and the Church of the SubGenius.
Quotes
"Procrastination is the thief of time." -- Edward Young
"If it weren't for the last minute, I wouldn't get anything done." -- Anonymous
"I think a lot of the basis of the open source movement comes from procrastinating students..." -- Andrew Tridgell (Article)
"I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by." -- Douglas Noël Adams
"Waiting is a trap. There will always be reasons to wait - The truth is, there are only two things in life, reasons and results, and reasons simply don't count." -- Robert Anthony
"We don't have anything as urgent as mañana in Ireland." -- Stuart Banks
"A perfect method for adding drama to life is to wait until the deadline looms large." -- Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby
"Procrastination: Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness always pays off now." -- Larry Kersten
"Anyone can do any amount of work provided it isn't the work he's supposed to be doing at the moment." -- Robert Benchley
"Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday." -- Author Unknown
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