ISSN 2349-7807
International Journal of Recent Research in Commerce Economics and Management (IJRRCEM)
Vol. 4, Issue 4, pp: (401-408), Month: October - December 2017, Available at: www.paperpublications.org
A Study on Procrastination at Workplace
1
NAZEER PASHA, 2JYOTHI.P
1,2
Assistant Professor, VET First Grade College, J. P Nagar, Bangalore-78
Abstract: Procrastination is the act of putting forward the work which has to be done at the present. It affects
whatever a person does and wherever the person is. It is caused due to lack of time management skills, fear of
failure, perfectionism, lack of motivation and several distractions. It leads an individual to experience the worst in
life. It impacts the person’s personal and professional life. Personally it leads an individual to face the
consequences of health, misunderstandings in the family, stressful life and so on. Professionally it affects the career
growth, productivity, self-esteem and the overall development of the individuals and the organizations. One can get
rid of the evil act of procrastination by avoiding multi tasking, enhancing of time management skills, dropping the
fear of failure and perfectionism, planning and prioritizing the work to be done. In this article the researchers
have made an attempt to gather the opinions of the respondents on how procrastination is caused, how does it
affect the life of an individual and the ways to overcome it through this study?
Keywords: distraction, perfectionism, procrastination, productivity, work place.
1. INTRODUCTION
Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing a task or set of tasks. It is the force that prevents you from doing what
you set out to do. Procrastination is consistently associated with higher stress, more depression, anxiety, fatigue and
reduced satisfaction across life domains, especially regarding work.With the high occurrence of procrastination, it leads a
person to speculate about what causes this type of behavior. Factors contributing to the prevalence of procrastination are
time management problems, self-handicapping to maintain self-esteem and lack of motivation etc. Weak time
management skills, or not planning things efficiently to accomplish a task, can strongly lead to procrastination.
Procrastination is not born with a person, but it is inculcated by him/her as the time passes on in the life of a person. It can
be learned in the family just like a parenting style. The friends circle may reinforce procrastination since they tend to be
tolerant of their excuses. It may be the work environment which includes the rules and regulations of an organization,
leadership style, peer group etc. will also leads to the individuals to postpone the work. It helps the people to tell lies to
themselves and indulge the time pressure to turn out badly. It leads to look for distractions as a way to regulate their fear,
failure and emotions. Most people are procrastinating for many reasons such as thrill seekers who wait until the last
minute for the sense of pressure, avoiders who avoid the fear of failure and fear of success. These people lack effort than
ability. And the decisional procrastinators who cannot make their own decisions and fear the outcome of events.
2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
Manfred E. Beutel, Eva M. Klein, Stefan Aufenanger, ElmarBrähler (2016) ‘Procrastination, Distress and Life
Satisfaction across the Age Range – A German Representative Community Study’ have found pervasive negative
associations of procrastination with successful mastery in virtually all life domains. Deliberately postponing actions can
create a high level of discomfort and distress, and individuals with the tendency to procrastinate were consistently
stressed, distressed and fatigued.
Jourdan Ford (2014) ‘Procrastination and the College Student: AnAnalysis on Contributing Factors and
Academic Consequences’ has stated that It seems inevitable that all students will procrastinate at one time or
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Paper Publications
ISSN 2349-7807
International Journal of Recent Research in Commerce Economics and Management (IJRRCEM)
Vol. 4, Issue 4, pp: (401-408), Month: October - December 2017, Available at: www.paperpublications.org
another.What seems to be the biggest issue is that students are not motivated by the work that they are assigned.To avoid
procrastination, students need to increase their determination to see the bigger picture. They need to see that they will
graduate some day and all of these small tasks will be worth it. It is up to them whether or not they will be an active
procrastinator or just get the work done.
Lauren Rosetti (2011) ‘Procrastination behaviors in college students’ has expressed the opinion that Procrastination is
a behavior that is extremely prevalent for college students and is projected that 95% of students engage in it. This study
looked at a type of procrastination that is referred to as active procrastination where students intentionally delay
homework. Specifically, this study hoped to support the hypothesis that students who actively procrastinate have a
positive relationship with both intrinsic motivation and self-esteem.What the results show is that students who engage in
active procrastination may not be intrinsically motivated in their studies. They may rely more on extrinsic motivation, or
completing homework for external rewards than the desire to learn. A perspective on these findings is that students
procrastinate with no bearing on their feelings for their studies or esteem.
Evanya Musolino (2007) ‘The Effect of Procrastination and Stress on Low Effort and High Effort Tasks’ The
practical implications of this line of research relate to all different aspects of life. Stress and procrastination are two of the
key features evident in universities across the world. Life is all about meeting deadlines, personal commitments and multi-
tasking. In order to successfully complete these tasks, individuals must exercise stress management and time
management.
RESEARCH GAP:
The available reports mainly emphasize on Procrastination with reference to college students and its implications on one‟s
life. Whereas, „Procrastination at workplace‟ has not been discussed in any of these reports. Hence the researchers have
made an attempt to discuss the same in this article.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:
Most of the employees fail to meet the deadlines / targets on time, which leads them to undergo lots of stress and pressure
from employers for completion of the same. Does Procrastination play any role in such issues? If so, what strategies can
be employed in overcoming such issues?
OBJECTIVES:
1. To know the reasons for procrastination and its impacts at work place
2. To find suitable measures to eliminate the act of procrastination
3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Research Type – Empirical Research
Sampling Technique – Convenient Sampling
Sample Size –100 respondents from Bangalore.
4. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS METHOD
The data is collected through primary as well as secondary sources. Primary data is collected by personal discussions with
the respondents, peer group, personal experiences and through questionnaires. Secondary data collection includes books,
periodicals, news reports and online sources. Statistical tools such as simple percentage cross tabulation and other simple
tools are applied.
MEANING OF PROCRASTINATION:
The word procrastination is derived from the Latin word „pro‟ which means “forward, forth, in favor of” and „crastinus‟
which means “of tomorrow.” So procrastination is the act of putting forward the work of today for a future date.
Procrastination is avoiding doing things that need to be done or leaving things undone for as long as possible.To put off
doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness, to postpone or delay needlessly. It is the avoidance of
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Paper Publications
ISSN 2349-7807
International Journal of Recent Research in Commerce Economics and Management (IJRRCEM)
Vol. 4, Issue 4, pp: (401-408), Month: October - December 2017, Available at: www.paperpublications.org
doing a task that needs to be accomplished. Sometimes, Procrastination takes place until the last minute before a deadline.
It is the act or habit of delaying, especially something requiring immediate attention. Procrastination can take place in any
of the following 3 different varieties:
1. Arousal type, where people wait until the last minute to complete something. 2. Avoiders type, where people may be
avoiding fear of failure or even fear of success. And 3. Decisional type, where people find it highly difficult to make a
decision.
According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, to procrastinate is put off intentionally the doing of something that should be
done. Another way of putting it is to wait until the last minute. Procrastination is a very bad habit even though
procrastination is looked down upon many people still fall victim to it. This is because procrastinating is easy to do and
comes naturally to everyone. There are many causes of procrastination like borism, stress etc.
REASONS FOR PROCRASTINATION:
Generally we know that everyone procrastinates at some point, but some people avoid their unwanted obligations so much
that it results in a downward movement of emotions that has a drastic effect. If you really want to discover why people
procrastinate the best way to do it is to look at the causes of Procrastination. The reasons for procrastination are as under.
1. Poor Time-Management Skills: When peoples fail to manage time appropriately, everything planned will be put
forward and for each activity the planned time will be extended.
2. People prefer being Perfect: The fear of making mistakes is a real thing, and this fear will lead people to put
forward their important works. This means that they avoid doing certain tasks because they fear the risk of making a
mistake and looking anything less than perfect. They want their work to be perfect. Because they believe that they will
inevitably fail if the task is not in line with their given talents, it is best to set it aside for another time.
3. People prefer being Motivated: We all have felt the pain of being unmotivated when we are faced with a task we
really want to complete. When a person is motivated to work on a task or project, the work will be done in an effective
and efficient way. If not the result will be reverse. Similarly, unpleasant or unexciting tasks at work may have the same
effect.
4. When people are Unskilled: Maybe we put things off because we struggle with the skills required to complete the
task. If you are a slow typist, you may put off that report you need to type. If you don't understand how to complete a
project, it may seem easier to push it to the bottom of your task list.
5. When people have Fear of failure: The fear of failure is a big reason people procrastinate on tasks. Fear of failure is
the gigantic hurdle for the people which resist them from completing any task.
6. When people are Uninterested: When a person is not interested in doing work or in some task, he/she will not be
willing to complete it irrespective of its result. Because the person is not interested in the task, it can be easier to ignore it
until the last possible minute.
7. When people are Distracted: Some of the modern day distractions that we are faced like email, text messages,
Skype, Face book, whatsapp etc., if you can always find a distraction when a person is trying to focus.
EFFECTS OF PROCRASTINATION:
As per the study and opinions of respondents one of the biggest costs of procrastination is health. Procrastination put
individuals under pressure and stressful situations, due to which various health issues such as tension, raised blood
pressure, sleep difficulties, fatigue, restlessness, headaches etc. arises. It burdens the responsibility of an individual and
destroys teamwork and personal relationships. Procrastination affects the workplace heavily and stops the organization
from reaching its goals and objectives. It leads to loss of precious time, loss of opportunities, unmet targets, deadlines,
ruining of career, no recognition, no rewards or awards, no promotion, lower salaries, shorter durations of employment,
lowering of self-esteem, poor decision making, reduced contribution to teamwork, increased likelihood of accidents,
mistakes, damage of reputation etc. Due to postponement of work the productivity declines, workers become
unproductive, reduction in creative output, workers tend to involve in non-work related activities etc. which affects the
organization‟s profitability and progress.
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Paper Publications
ISSN 2349-7807
International Journal of Recent Research in Commerce Economics and Management (IJRRCEM)
Vol. 4, Issue 4, pp: (401-408), Month: October - December 2017, Available at: www.paperpublications.org
WAYS TO OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION:
One of the main reasons that procrastination is a challenge to overcome is that everybody has different reasons for doing
it. The key to beating procrastination is to find out what your specific reasons are doing so, then addressing them at the
core.
Getting aware of the reasons, habits, and thoughts that lead to procrastination.
Dwelling on success – not failure.
Identifying one‟s special behavioural diversions
Noting down when and where you procrastinate
Plan how to diminish and control this behaviour
Break large tasks into small ones
Writing down the main task, goal, assignment, etc., Prioritize the work and setting deadlines
Using behavioural suggestions, by placing reminders around you
Changing location or position, taking a break, switching subjects or tasks.
Reward oneself for accomplishment.
Learning to tolerate discomfort
Building accountability
Visualizing the future that one wants
Dropping the perfectionism.
As per the study and opinions of respondents the strategies to overcome procrastination are Finding the Flow And
Staying In It, not to Multitask, Developing Routines And Disciplines, Taking a part of Job at a time not the whole, having
Accountability, knowing Why he/she Procrastinates, Finding The Fun completing work on time, Focusing On the Top
Three Priorities first and then rest, Identifying and eliminating the hurdles on the way to complete work , Listing and
staying away from Distractions and so on.
5. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATIONS
Table No.1: Table showing Gender groups of the respondents
Gender group No. Of Respondents Percentage
Male 50 50%
Female 50 50%
Table No.1: Primary Source
Graph No.1: Graph showing Gender groups of the respondents
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Paper Publications
ISSN 2349-7807
International Journal of Recent Research in Commerce Economics and Management (IJRRCEM)
Vol. 4, Issue 4, pp: (401-408), Month: October - December 2017, Available at: www.paperpublications.org
Interpretation:
From the above table and graph it is interpreted that out of 100 respondents 50% are males and 50% are females. Wherein
both male and female respondents are equally selected for the study.
Table No.2: Table showing Age groups of the respondents
Age group No. Of Respondents Percentage
20-30 years 40 40%
30-40 years 60 60%
Table No.2: Primary Source
Graph No.2: Graph showing Age groups of the respondents
Interpretation:
From the above table and graph it is interpreted that out of 100 respondents 40% are of 20-30 years age and 60% are of
30-40 years age. Wherein 30-40 years age group respondents form the majority.
Table No.3: Table showing respondents response on waiting until the last minute to get things done
Particulars Always Sometimes Not often/ Never
Men 10 40 10
Women 05 15 20
Table No.3: Primary Source
Graph No.3: Graph showing respondents response on waiting until the last minute to get things done
Interpretation:
From the above table and graph it is interpreted that out of 100 respondents 70% of respondents wait until the last minute
to get the work done as they are not motivated, recognized and rewarded for the work they do.
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Paper Publications
ISSN 2349-7807
International Journal of Recent Research in Commerce Economics and Management (IJRRCEM)
Vol. 4, Issue 4, pp: (401-408), Month: October - December 2017, Available at: www.paperpublications.org
Table No.4: Table showing respondents response on avoiding to set personal deadlines and sticking to them
Particulars Always Sometimes Not often/ Never
Men 10 30 20
Women 05 15 20
Table No.4: Primary Source
Graph No.4: Graph showing respondents response on avoiding to set personal deadlines and sticking to them
Interpretation:
From the above table and graph it is interpreted that out of 100 respondents 60% of respondents avoid to set personal
deadlines and sticking to them as it creates unnecessary pressure, stress and other health related issues.
Table No.5: Table showing respondents response on often spending time in socializing instead of working
Particulars Always Sometimes Not often/ Never
Men 10 45 05
Women 10 20 10
Table No.5: Primary Source
Graph No.5: Graph showing respondents response on often spending time in socializing instead of working.
Interpretation:
From the above table and graph it is interpreted that out of 100 respondents 85% of respondents often spend time
socializing instead of working. The majority of respondents are interested to spend time with socializing like texting,
whatsapp, face book, YouTube, instgram etc., as it gives relaxation to some extent, relief from stress, change their mood,
refresh etc., which can be a source of procrastination at work place.
Table No.6: Table showing respondents response on leaving difficult tasks to the last minute and completing them under
pressure
Particulars Always Sometimes Not often/ Never
Men 10 20 30
Women 05 05 30
Table No.6: Primary Source
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Paper Publications
ISSN 2349-7807
International Journal of Recent Research in Commerce Economics and Management (IJRRCEM)
Vol. 4, Issue 4, pp: (401-408), Month: October - December 2017, Available at: www.paperpublications.org
Graph No.6: Graph showing respondents response on leaving difficult tasks to the last minute and completing them under
pressure
Interpretation:
From the above table and graph it is interpreted that out of 100 respondents 60% of respondents never leave difficult tasks
to the last minute as it leads them to the tension, pressure, stress and anxiety but completing difficult tasks at the
beginning will take extended time for completion, hence procrastination takes place.
6. FINDINGS
It is found that 70% of the respondents wait until the last minute for getting any work done.
It is found that most of the respondents fail to set the deadlines, follow daily schedule and prioritize the work.
It is found that the major reason to procrastinate among the working people is social media.
It is found that over commitment and multi tasking are the other important reasons for postponing the work.
It is also found that procrastination at work place does not only affect the professional life but personal life too.
It is also found that lack motivation, recognition, pay scale and other incentives from the organisations /employers are
also the sources of procrastination.
7. SUGGESTIONS
It is suggested for the organizations to introduce workshops on time management and other relevant topics as these
will help the employees in completing their works/tasks/assignments on time.
It is suggested to be aware of the reasons, habits, and thoughts that lead to procrastinating and to stay away from the
same.
It is suggested to write down the main task, goal, assignment, etc. and give it a deadline and to execute accordingly to
the plan.
It is suggested to break the work or task down into smaller segments scheduling a completion date for each and
commit to completing this objective. This will build confidence and make the task seem manageable.
If distractions are a problem, it is suggested to find a quiet place where the phone, internet, friends, etc. will not be an
issue.
It is suggested for the organisations /employers to recognise, motivate and to reward the employee‟s accomplishments
periodically.
8. CONCLUSION
Everyone puts things off until the last minute sometimes, but procrastinators usually avoid difficult tasks and always look
for directions. Employees procrastinate more on their work/task/completing the assignments etc, in the organization There
are few reasons found in the research which are anxiety, poorly managed time, perfectionism, work stress etc. which
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Paper Publications
ISSN 2349-7807
International Journal of Recent Research in Commerce Economics and Management (IJRRCEM)
Vol. 4, Issue 4, pp: (401-408), Month: October - December 2017, Available at: www.paperpublications.org
suggest that people work in the organization and are concerned much on their work and development. . It shows that they
are more confident of procrastinating on this task. Procrastination in large part reflects the professional and personal life
of people. Hence, procrastinators may stop postponing, if they understand its causes, effects and prevention. People can
easily get diverted by the sources of putting things off and it comes from the environment such as technology and
irrelevant work. We have to understand the consequences of taking things forward, reduction of stress levels and fear of
failures. We can learn how to prevent this action from taking knowledge from the available sources. Therefore, one can
overcome procrastination with better self-control and by making use of the various strategies available.
9. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
The study is based on the primary and secondary data collected and opinion of the respondents are recorded here. The
study is based on the limited population of a geographical area. As the sample size is too small the opinion cannot be
generalized.
SCOPE FOR THE FURTHER RESEARCH:
This study focuses on the views of respondents which includes both literates and illiterates of a conveniently selected
geographic semi urban area only. For the study opinions of the selected semi urban area in part of south Bangalore was
considered. Further research can be done in other parts of the city.
REFERENCES
[1] Evanya Musolino (2007) „The Effect of Procrastination and Stress on Low Effort and High Effort Tasks‟
[2] Gordon Kelley Academic Success Center „Understanding and Overcoming Procrastination’
[3] Joseph R. Ferrari, Jean O'Callaghan & Ian Newbegin „Prevalence of Procrastination in the United States, United
Kingdom, and Australia:Arousal and Avoidance Delays among Adults‟
[4] Jourdan Ford (2014) „Procrastination and the College Student: an analysis on Contributing Factors and Academic
Consequences‟
[5] Lauren Rosetti (2011) „Procrastination behaviors in college students‟
[6] Manfred E. Beutel, Eva M. Klein, Stefan Aufenanger, Elmarbrähler (2016) „Procrastination, Distress and Life
Satisfaction across the Age Range – A German Representative Community Study‟
[7] Ximena Cadena, National Bureau Of Economic Research ( 2011) Fighting procrastination in the workplace: An
experiment
[8] https://hbr.org/2016/07/how-to-beat-procrastination
[9] https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/procrastination
[10] https://www.forbes.com/2010/12/16/stop-procrastinating-efficiency-leadership-careers-organization
[11] https://hbr.org/2017/10/5-research-based-strategies-for-overcoming-procrastination
[12] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042810017593
[13] http://knowledge.e.southern.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=undergrad_ed
[14] http://rdw.rowan.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1411&context=etd
[15] http://academics.uafs.edu/sites/academics.uafs.edu/files/Departments/Academic%20Success/overcom
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