Lighthouse News

Procrastination takes the form of ‘time wasters,’ or actions that lead to decreased productivity. Time wasters come in all shapes and sizes. They can be physical or mental, created by you, or imposed on you by other people. The causes of procrastination are endless—but once the cause is identified, it can be resolved.

Perfectionism
When tasks are fussed over long after they have been achieved to a sufficient level, the task begins to delay other issues requiring attention. Often times, perfection is not necessary to complete the task at hand and is not cost-effective to achieve.

Boredom
Mundane jobs are typically put off until the last minute.

Hostility
When an individual feels hostility towards the task, or towards the person who appointed the task, there is a strong temptation to delay doing it. When faced with actions that are unpleasant, boring, complex or time-consuming, procrastination creeps in. Many times we put off completing tasks because we are unable to see the overall value. When combating procrastination, it often helps to determine whether or not the action is really important to us. Individuals are less likely to procrastinate on things that hold value. Senior management holds the responsibility of communicating the value of tasks to employees,  in an effort to fight off procrastination.