Procrastination is defined as the habit of delaying tasks and putting them off. The document discusses that procrastination is responsible for robbing people of their dreams and goals. It states that 90% of college students procrastinate and that 70% of excuses given by students are lies. Procrastination is accompanied by anxiety over completing tasks and is generally perceived as a way to avoid difficult, tedious, or stressful tasks by delaying them indefinitely. Successful people are not habitual procrastinators and are very productive.

1. Title: What is Procrastination? 1
Workshop number six: What is procrastination?
Ricardo Paulo Javier Arieu
Universidad Metropolitana
August 10, 2014
Facilitator: WALDEMAR RIVERA RAMOS
QYLE110-0

2. Title: What is Procrastination? 2
What is procrastination?
The millionaires are people who aren’t habitually procrastinators. They are very
productive people, accustomed to made money. Also, when a person starts to do any work or
activity, he needs the ambition to want to finish it. Also, procrastination is the story of never to
start to do it activities. Procrastination is the habit of delaying indefinitely the start of tasks.
William James, one of the founders of modern psychology, said that procrastination “is a
killer of opportunity” (Ayala, 10-01-2012). Elsa Punset, a writer and Spanish philosopher, says
“is the fault of the brain: it refuses to start anything”. Also, “is the habit of constantly delaying
the time to start doing things” (Elsa Punset, 07-06-2011). Jermaine M. Davis a College
Orientation Speaker (MA in Speech Communication and MA in Education), says in a YouTube
video, about a research that “90% college students procrastinate; it’s responsible for robbing
millions of people's dreams and goals” (Standoutleadership). The difficult tasks or conflicting
decisions are never welcome for today and for this time. Students like enjoyable, fun and easy
tasks, without those that are postponing or defering an action to a later time. It may be that task
that brings us a positive impact and important change that we desire in our lives (Ayala, 10-01-
2012). To postpone, sometimes tends to be more seductive to say then I do it, that put hands to
work. Is not a text in the Bible like ‘he who works at early in the morning, God helps him’; but
in the wisdom of the book of Proverbs, the willingness to work hard and make our best effort in
any task is a vital part of a healthy life (Prov. 10:40; 12:24; 13:4; 21:5 KJV).
The etymology of procrastination is as follows: “Pro: in favor of; and crastination: Latin
crastinare: day after, tomorrow. Procrastination: be in favor of tomorrow” (Ayala, 10-01-2012).
In general, a person gives many turns before commencing their activities. It's like a soft feeling

3. Title: What is Procrastination? 3
of laziness that overwhelms the minds. It means to leave a topic for the next day, postpone,
because it’s associated with laziness, etc. (Ruiz, 03-17-2014). Jermaine M. Davis says that “70%
of the excuses college students use are lies“(Standoutleadership). This reports a poor college
student’s ethic. Surely, the quality of the honest person is a great value, but if it must still inside
their self when they are still young. Also, it would be difficult to get it in the adult world. Why
did they do that? Perhaps, they didn’t have a kind of guilt, but, excessively delay a task or
project; it acquires a few shameful dyes that we wish to avoid at all costs. This shows that a
greater commitment from students is required. In addition, it’s possible to say that it’s that ability
to defer the obligations, to do other things. It is the postponement of essential activities.
This habit is accompanied sometimes by a rare sense of anxiety generated before
completing tasks. The act of postponing is generally perceived as a task to fulfill that appears as
difficult, tedium or boring, in other words, stressful. For this reason, they justify postponing it to
do it later or postpone it indefinitely (Euskampus, n.d.). It’s like the illustrative and
aforementioned child short story of a bird called “Pájaro Pico”, who always had an excuse to do
what they should do: "fly for the first time” (Carrasco, 07-01-2014). So, it can define
procrastination as the opposite to 'do things' [Getting Things Done] (Pablo, 08-22-2012). Surely,
it is always possible to find an excuse to delay the obligations to fulfill. In Pájaro Pico story,
Angela Carrasco Gil tells that all the friends of the bird had already flown their first time but on
the other hand, Pájaro Pico always had a reason to delay the task start to fly. He didn’t want to
fly. The bird was busy thinking about the dangers of begin to fly (Carrasco, 07-01-2014). In the
same way, some students could be busy delaying their activities because the procrastination is a
problem of “self-regulation and organization time;” who postpones a decision is presenting “an
evasive behavior” (Euskampus, n.d.). Is interesting a ‘Massachusetts Institute of Technology

4. Title: What is Procrastination? 4
[MIT]’ study that it says that the ‘coffee break’ may increase job performance by 8%. The reason
is more at rest and the relationship with colleagues that generates motivation and socialization
producing confidence and greater productivity increases (Pakus, 02-20-2014). The students
needs to remember the same principle: To avoid the stress of the study and tempted to suspend
obligations to then delay the resumption of the activities of study, recommended a short break;
every 2 or 3 hours of study, we must establish short breaks to relax and renew the forces of will
for the next round (perhaps 5 minutes approximately). Other-wise, the accumulation of fatigue
significantly decreases his level of performance and may cause procrastination. Maybe has to
leave the room and stretch your legs a bit (AulaFacil, 2009). This attitude perhaps helps the
prevention of being bored.
Procrastination is the murderer of the dreams of our future successes. It is a problem of
self-regulation and organization of the time, which was postponed indefinitely. This habit is
sometimes accompanied by a rare sense of anxiety generated prior to completing tasks. A
behavioral research has shown that 90% of the College and High University students committed
this evil habit. And 70% of the University excuses are lies. The millenaries are working full time
in pursuit of their objectives who love what they do, and dreaming to see its objectives fulfilled.
Procrastination is a noxious, harmful and pernicious habit and every student must say not
to practice it. It’s a habit that most people have in them. And it can be watched every day with all
those important, decisive, conflicting tasks that gives fear it or laziness begins to do it. We need
to remember that time is running out and it never comes back. We can’t lose life’s opportunities
because its help us to commit our dreams and is important to remember to pay attention to the
tips: Would not lose sight of the dreams and not postpone or delay unnecessarily our school
obligations. Comply with them and once we finish them, rest with conscience.

5. Title: What is Procrastination? 5
Table of Tips
Solve your issues at the time.
Immediate response is something that attracts others, because most used to do
things later.
Everything you don’t do now, you' will have to do later.
If you wait, you bagged that you have to do and that, furthermore, you cannot
forget to do so.
If you really you can’t do it immediately, put it in your diary, and says date and
time.
Restructuring your life so that you can respond immediately.
Table n. 1

6. Title: What is Procrastination? 6
References
AulaFacil. Técnicas de Estudio. Curso gratis de Técnicas de Estudio - Descanso. Lection 20.
AulaFacil S.L. - © 2009. Madrid. España Retrieved from
http://www.aulafacil.com/cursos/l9317/autoayuda/autoayuda/tecnicas-de-
estudio/descanso
Ayala, Isabel González. Deja de procrastinar. (10-01-2012). Retrieved from
http://queaprendemoshoy.com/deja-de-procrastinar/
Carrasco Gil, Ángela. Mañana: O el arte de procrastinar. (07-01-2014). Ephemera. Retrieved
from Google Books.
Elsa Punset. Procrastinar, retrasar, el momento de hacer las cosas (Elsa Punset, El
Hormiguero). Elsa Punset Recopilatorios. (07-06-2011). Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zP2oiMAqaQ
Euskampus. Yo procrastino, tú procrastinas. (n.d.).Universidad Del País Vasco. Retrieved from
http://www.ehu.es/documents/2632144/2634184/Yo+procrastino.pdf
Lirio, Ignacio.”¡Me da vergüenza retomar ESE Proyecto!" (05-07-2014). Copyright © 2014
Procrastinacion.org. Retrieved from http://procrastinacion.org/
Roth, J.D. Five Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires. (01-16-2008) (Modified on – 10-14-2009).

7. Title: What is Procrastination? 7
Recover from http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2008/01/16/five-secrets-of-self-made-
millionaires/
Standoutleadership. Jermaine M. Davis - College Orientation Speaker and Author –
Procrastination. Recover from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQqtEM-Qcb8
Pablo. ¿Qué es procrastinar? (08-22-2012). Retrieved from
http://jomofis.com/que-es-procrastinar/
Pakus. La importancia de la pausa del café o coffee break. (02-20-2014). www.philips.es/c .
Retrieved from http://mimundo.philips.es/la-pausa-del-cafe-o-coffee-break/
Ruiz de Rivas, Telmo. ¿Se dice procrastinar o 'procastinar'? ¿Qué es? La capacidad de aplazar
las obligaciones, para hacer otras cosas... (03-17-2014). Retrieved from
http://www.estandarte.com/noticias/idioma-espanol/procrastinar-aplazar-actividades-por-
otras-no-procastinar_1222.html
Table n. 1
Euskampus. Yo procrastino, tú procrastinas. (n.d.).Universidad Del País Vasco. Retrieved from
http://www.ehu.es/documents/2632144/2634184/Yo+procrastino.pdf