By R. Esi ASANTE (PhD)
Do you have the habit of postponing things that you have to do because it seems boring to you or you do not have interest in doing them, or are you in the habit of waiting to do the needful at the last minute? These are all signs of procrastination.
It has to do with delaying and wasting time and putting off things that need to be done intentionally and habitually. Individuals can procrastinate, so also institutions, countries, systems and structures.
Some have attributed procrastination to laziness, apathy and irresponsibility. Whatever we attribute it to, most of us have been caught in the web of procrastination and this have resulted in setbacks and delays in our progress in career, and in life.
According to the Webster dictionary, procrastination originates from the word procrastinate, a Latin word combining two prefixes, ‘pro’ meaning forward and ‘crastinus’, meaning tomorrow. The word means moving or acting slowly so as to fall behind and it implies delay especially through laziness or apathy.
Most people do not understand why they procrastinate especially about certain things that needs to be done.
They know they have to do the needful but something keeps them, avoiding the activity until the very end and sometimes, they end up not doing the very thing for several years.
It begins with delaying for one day and before they realise it, a week is past, a month, a year and even 10 years is past.
They then realise it is too late and far delayed and they may never be able to do those things.
This could relate to their gifts and callings, some dream to start a business or build an empire, an idea to provide a particular solution to certain problems, acquiring a particular skill or taking a particular course to improve their productivity, and several opportunities that are missed because of one act of procrastination.
This article is aims at creating awareness of the dangers of procrastination and its effect on long term individual or organizational development and how to avoid it or minimize it. It does not delve into the psychology, or science of procrastination.
What is Procrastination?
We procrastinate when we put off something until a later time, even when we know what to do. It sometimes leads to feelings of guilt and anxiety, leaving us unproductivity and ineffective.
To understand procrastination in simple words, I sought to find out the synonyms of the word and found the following: to delay, to lag, to loiter, to dawdle, dally among others such as deferment, postponement, adjourning, and putting off among others. I then decided to look up the meanings of the synonyms.
For instance, delay imply putting off of something such as beginning something or a departure from something.
To lag imply failure to maintain a speed set by others for example lagging behind in technology. While everyone is aligning with technology, you decide to put it off for now and before your realise it, you are left behind and everyone else has moved on with technology.
Others procrastinate about making important decisions concerning their lives and this implies blameworthy delay especially through laziness or apathy.
I looked up the word loiter and dawdle (dillydally) and they imply delay while in progress, especially in walking, and wasting of time aimlessly respectively. Dally also suggest that one delays through trifling (insignificance) or vacillation (indecision) when promptness is necessary.
Why People Procrastinate?
Procrastination is evidenced in for instance missed deadlines, avoiding to complete a task or delaying important decisions and walking away before the finish line or never completing an assignment.
For some people, procrastination is not about being lazy, they often work extremely for long stretches and just before meeting their deadline, the put off the task. I find myself doing this a lot and it donned on me to put an end to the habit. Thus, this cannot be equated to being lazy.
Of course, for some people they procrastinate because they are lazy, others say they work better under pressure and so will put off doing what needs to be done until the very last minute. Whichever it is, procrastination is a bad habit.
I have come across students who procrastinate in their academics and leave things like assignments undone until the last minute. Some have been able to set deadlines to finish their tasks but always procrastinate and miss important deadlines.
Research has shown that leaving things undone until the very end dramatically increases the chances of something going wrong like getting sick, or a computer problem and not getting the required grade, thus procrastination has actually increased the chances of failing (Voge, 2007).
The Counselling and Psychological Services of University of Kansas, discussed some reasons why people procrastinate.
They include fear and anxiety because of overwhelming tasks ahead, being unclear about what to do when the task is unfamiliar, lack of relevance, which may lead to lack of motivation, negative beliefs, such as I can’t do anything right, unrealistic expectations or perfectionism, such as unattainable high standards and poor time management resulting from unclear priorities and goals.
Others include difficulty concentrating at a task due to distractions, personal problems such as financial difficulties or problems in our relationships, and boring tasks.
What to do to overcome procrastination.
There are many things to do to overcome procrastination and it is important to be willing and intentional about overcoming it. Awareness is the first step of understanding procrastination and the reasons why it happens.
Knowing whether or not you procrastinate is important because it is possible to overcome it or reduce it to the barest minimum when you are aware. Acquiring insights into how procrastination operates goes a long way to help overcome it.
The next thing to do is time management. Planning time using a planner, or writing out the deadline to a task clearly so that it is visible to guide us is just the beginning.
Clear goals must be set for what is expected and if need be clearly break large tasks into small steps, scheduling each step into the planner.
This makes those difficult tasks seem less overwhelming. Again, prioritizing the tasks, starting with those with the closet deadline or the one most urgent to complete (Harvard Division of Continuing Education (HDCE), 2025).
There are some time management techniques that are suitable to overcoming procrastination and others that can make it worse.
Those that reduce anxiety and fear and emphasize the satisfaction and rewards of completing tasks work best. Those that are rigid, emphasize the magnitude of tasks and increase anxiety.
This can actually increase procrastination and are thus counter-productive. It is important to set reasonable goals, break big tasks down to manageable tasks with specific timelines and allot flexible time to do the things you enjoy doing (Voge, 2007).
For extreme procrastinators, The Harvard Division of Continuing Education (HDCE, 2025) gave suggestions on how to overcome procrastination. If you dive immediately into a new project and finishes it way ahead of schedule, consider forcing yourself to wait.
For procrastinators, it is important to consider different ideas to think to make unforeseen leaps. If you wait until the last minute to look at an assignment, make it a habit to review it on the first day it’s assigned.
Spend some time to jot down some initial notes. HDCE (2025) notes that even when not yet actively working on the project, the assignment, remain in the mind, until you return to it. You might also benefit from some creative exercises to help you overcome the paralysis that can set in during the creative process.
Another way to overcome procrastination is to stay motivated. It is important to find productive reasons for engaging in tasks, and to be active.
Distractions must be minimized while working. Take breaks if necessary to deal with burn out or insufficient work. Celebrate small achievement when you complete a task by giving yourself small rewards for intermediate goals and a larger reward for finishing a project.
There is no perfect time to do anything and so it is important not to wait until you are in the mood. The Bible recommends some things to do to overcome procrastination. It recommends hard work and industry, warning against sloth and slackness.
The Book of Proverbs 12:24 admonishes that the hand of the diligent will rule, but the slothful will be put to forced labor.
Proverbs 13:4 says the appetite of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied; and he becomes poor who works with a slack and idle hand, but the hand of the diligent makes rich (Proverbs 10:4).
The way of the sluggard is overgrown with thorns [it pricks, lacerates, and entangles him], but the way of the righteous is plain and raised like a highway (Proverbs 15:19). Colossians 3:23 says Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as [something done] for the Lord and not for men.
The Bible also warns of not delaying things that need to be done. For instance, we are admonished to settle matters quickly with our adversaries (Matthew 5:23-24) and to not let the sun go down while we are still angry (Ephesians 4:26, 27).
We are not to procrastinate in dealing with our anger but as a matter of urgency, deal with it immediately so as not to give the devil a foothold.
We are also admonished not to delay in responding to the call by God for our salvation. Get right with God when you still have breath in you and today when you hear his voice, don’t delay and say tomorrow, tomorrow may not come.
Hebrews 3:15 (AMPC) Then while it is [still] called Today, if you would hear His voice and when you hear it, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion [in the desert, when the people provoked and irritated and embittered God against them]. This is emphasized in Psalm 95:7, 8.
Do what you have to do now, while you have the time and there is breathe in you. Procrastination, delaying, putting on hold what you have to do especially professionally and in your spiritual, should be a not go area.
It should not be a habit, do all you can to overcome it, it is doable and requires intentionality. Don’t procrastinate in seeking a relationship with Jesus.
Living with intent drives us to accomplish our God-given purpose, but procrastination willfully delays or puts off necessary tasks (Perdue, 2025).
