Procrastination research summary. We’ve all done it, telling ourselves we’ll relax for just one more hour before we start work, only to have that hour turn into five. Procrastination impacts everyone in the workplace, and these impacts trickle into the larger US economy.
So, if you’re an employer or procrastinating job seeker who wants to know how procrastination affects the workplace, stay tuned. We’ve gathered all the latest procrastination statistics, and according to our extensive research:
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20-25% of people procrastinate chronically.
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88% of workers procrastinate 60+ minutes daily on the job.
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80-95% of college students procrastinate to some degree.
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75% of people consider procrastination a personality trait/problem.
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Procrastination costs the US economy an estimated $70 billion per year.
For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways: Adult Procrastination | Student Procrastination | Effects of Procrastination | Workplace Procrastination
Adult procrastination
Many adults procrastinate in and outside of the workplace. To learn more about which adults are procrastinating and the effects, here are some crucial insights:
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20% of adults regularly procrastinate.
While some say they aren’t negatively impacted by regular procrastination, others suffer from chronic anxiety and other physical and mental health issues.
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42.6% of adults procrastinate often or daily.
Nearly half of adults procrastinate constantly, with 20.5% reporting it as a daily issue. Meanwhile, a meager 15.6% report never procrastinating.
How often adults procrastinate
Procrastination frequency Share of adults Daily 20.5% Often 22.1% Sometimes 27.4% Rarely 14.4% Never 15.6% -
The average adult spends 218 minutes procrastinating daily.
That’s just over three and a half hours of procrastination time. Who doesn’t like fitting in at least one Lord of The Rings movie between sending emails and writing essays?
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41% of adults procrastinate because they just don’t feel like doing the task.
Apathy at work and school is a huge issue, as a lack of motivation results in procrastination. Other common reasons for procrastination include not having time (25%) and not finding the task urgent (24%).
Why adults procrastinate
Reason for procrastinating Share of adults Lack of motivation 41% Lack of time 25% Lack of urgency 24% Lack of understanding 10% -
Those between 14 and 29 years old are the most likely to procrastinate.
For the most part, adults procrastinate less than they age. However, this could be the result of multiple factors. For example, single adults are more likely to procrastinate than married adults and younger adults are more likely to be single.
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54% of men are procrastinators.
With 46% of women being procrastinators, men are 17% more likely to be procrastinators than women. This can be explained by a combination of hormonal and genetic reasons, as well as nurture.
Student procrastination
Whether you finished your education after High School or have gone on to pursue college, you’ve probably procrastinated on your assignments before. After all, staying motivated in classes you can’t stand is hard. With that in mind, here are some interesting facts about student procrastination:
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86% of high school students procrastinate on assignments.
The top reasons cited by students, teachers, and parents for this procrastination include struggling to balance sports, after-school clubs, work, and other responsibilities, combined with easy access to distractions.
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46% of students procrastinate on writing term papers.
Writing essays is the most procrastinated task for students, with other commonly avoided assignments including reading weekly assignments (30%) and studying for exams (28%).
Top assignments students procrastinate on
Assignment Share of students Term papers 46% Weekly reading 30% Studying for exams 28% Attendance tasks 23% Administrative tasks 11% General school activities 10% -
61% of students watch TV or movies while procrastinating.
This method of distraction is followed closely by checking social media (58%), with over half of all students using these two methods to procrastinate.
What students do while procrastinating
Distraction method Share of students Watching TV or movies 61% Checking social media 58% Sleeping 46% Texting or talking on the phone 36% Time with friends 30% Playing games 28% Reading 21% Shopping 8%
Effects of procrastination
Procrastination can result in several adverse physical and mental health effects. Putting things off typically builds anxiety, which can cause major issues. Here are some examples of how procrastination impacts your body and mind:
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11.55% of people procrastinate primarily due to an underlying depression.
Procrastination fosters depression, which creates a vicious cycle of making procrastinators more depressed. Procrastinators are also more likely to sleep poorly and feel anxious, which can contribute to feelings of depression.
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94% of people feel unhappy about their procrastination.
Further, 18% of those people say this effect on their happiness is “extremely negative.”
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The prevalence of chronic procrastination has grown 4x larger in the past 30 years.
In 1978, only 5% of the population claimed to be chronic procrastinators. Today, more than 4x the number of people say the same (an entire quarter of the population.)
Workplace procrastination
Procrastination is also very common in the workplace, costing employees and employers their peace of mind and impacting the entire US economy. Consider these interesting facts about procrastination in the workplace:
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80% of workers are distracted by office chatting.
More specifically, 47% of workers say in-person conversations are distracting, followed by phone calls (20%) and chat platforms (15%).
Distracting methods of office chatting
Type of chatting Share of workers who get distracted In-person 47% Phone calls 20% Chat platforms 15% -
The average worker spends 2 hours and 11 minutes procrastinating at work per day.
That’s around 25% of an 8-hour workday! Even more shockingly, it equates to roughly 11 hours of procrastination per work week (over one whole work day), or 23 working days per year.
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12.4% of workers report struggling with procrastination since the COVID-19 pandemic.
A partial explanation for the sheer increase in procrastinators over time is that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the workforce. Having access to more distractions at home when working remotely is difficult, after all.
Procrastination FAQ
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How much does the average person procrastinate?
The average person procrastinates for 218 minutes per day. That’s equivalent to putting off your tasks for 55 days of the year. Of course, the average number of minutes or hours spent procrastinating will depend on the person.
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What is the difference between active and passive procrastination?
The difference between active and passive procrastination is whether or not you do another task to avoid the one you’re putting off. Here are these two types of procrastination outlined:
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Active Procrastination. Putting off one task by doing a different productive task instead. Though you are getting something done, you’re still procrastinating by avoiding the first task.
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Passive Procrastination. The classic “I’ll do it later” type of procrastination. Nothing productive will get done while someone is passively procrastinating.
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How many days are lost on procrastination each year for the average person?
Between 23 and 55 days are lost to procrastination each year. For workers who work a typically 40-hour work week, an average of 23 days will be lost to procrastination annually.
For the average person or student, however, up to 55 days can be lost to procrastination.
Conclusion
Procrastination is a deadly habit, wasting hundreds of hours of work and study time each year. The average person loses up to 55 days of the year to procrastination, with over 3 hours lost each day.
Today, around a quarter of the population are chronic procrastinators. That’s a four-fold increase from 1978 when only 5% identified as chronic procrastinators. Many factors likely contribute to the higher numbers, from distracting technology to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Overall, employers and job seekers must find a way to address procrastination. There are ways to do so, whether by removing distractions or more organized scheduling.
References
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Verywell Mind – 12 Ways to Deal With Chronic Procrastination
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Solving Procrastination – Student Procrastination: Why Students Procrastinate and How to Stop It
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The Study Blog – Combat procrastination right now!
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Best of SNO – Students suffer at the hands of time: the root of procrastination in high school
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Human Resources – How much time are your employees spending procrastinating?
Author
Jack Flynn is a writer for Zippia. In his professional career he’s written over 100 research papers, articles and blog posts. Some of his most popular published works include his writing about economic terms and research into job classifications. Jack received his BS from Hampshire College.
