Consequences Of Procrastination
Written by Mystic on Tuesday, January 22, 2008Physical and mental consequences Even physical health and key relationships suffer. The same Psychological Science study that saw procrastinators getting lower grades on papers also found that later in the semester, as deadlines loomed and stress rose, procrastinators suffered more physical symptoms and visited health care providers more often. People who have a serious problem with procrastination experience a good deal of shame according to behavioral therapists. They berate themselves with the refrain, "I hate not being able to make myself do what I want to do, when I want to do it." For instance one man had lost his business because he just couldn't get around to sending out bills for payments due him. Afraid to be judged While agreeing on procrastination's gravity, researchers in the fledgling field differ on its causes. Trait procrastinators are full of self-doubt and worry in particular about how others evaluate their abilities. Procrastinators view their self-worth as based solely on ability at a task. So their logic says, "If I never finish the task, you can never judge my ability." Delaying projects also offers procrastinators a handy excuse if they don't do well. They'd rather create the impression that they lacked effort than ability. They can blame it on the lack of time. In fact, they will often handicap themselves to guarantee an excuse if they perform poorly. In a study reported in the July 1999 Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, Joseph Ferrari and some colleagues put 59 trait procrastinators in a room. They were told they could choose between studying for a math test or playing video games they'd been told were "time wasters." The upshot? The procrastinators (observed through a one-way mirror) spent 60% of their time playing games.
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