If you procrastinate at work, you’re not alone. Plenty of other co- workers do it too – merrily surfing the Internet, writing trivial e-mails, listening to talk radio or engaging in some other diversion.

But putting things off comes naturally, or so believes Dr. Piers Steel, author of The Nature of Procrastination, a research paper currently under peer review.

Based on the literature he found in 700 professional papers and related material dating back nearly 3,000 years, he concluded that we are “wired” to procrastinate.

And what’s worse, we’ve started doing more of it over the past 25 years.

“In 1978, maybe about 15 per cent of the population were considered moderate procrastinators,” says Steel. “That’s gone up to 50 or 60 per cent now, a four-fold increase. So it’s huge.”

Mike Dempster photo, Business Edge
U of C professor and author Piers Steel believes our tendency to procrastinate can be overcome – once we get around to it.

A human resources professor in the Haskayne School of Business at the University of Calgary, Steel says there is some good news in our innate tendency to put things off. If employers and employees recognize it’s an issue, they can reduce the temptation to procrastinate by practising good routines and using creative techniques.

“We procrastinate because we are built – right in the root of our minds – to value pleasures today more than pleasures tomorrow,” says Steel.

In effect, we’d rather do a frivolous, less-beneficial task than something that is more difficult but in the long term much better for ourselves and our careers.

Sound familiar?

Steel suggests that 95 per cent of us procrastinate around work issues. The remaining five per cent, workaholics, have a different problem. With that group, work is a priority overriding everything else, even to the point of putting off family responsibilities and personal health.

To rewire ourselves, to moderate our behaviour, we must understand the forces at play, believes Steel.

Today, the biggest issue we face at work is the Internet and e-mail. “With a click of a mouse we can be anywhere we want in Internetland, and that’s a powerful temptation,” he says.

If there is a way to delay access to the Internet – even by a few minutes (i.e. having to log on every time) – that action in itself would cut down the number of times we would be tempted to surf.

“It’s the same thing as trying to diet. Imagine having a magical spoon of ice cream perpetually six inches in front of your face. Any time you weaken, you can eat. But if the ice cream is at the store, five minutes away, you will eat less. It’s the same in the workplace.”

Is procrastination bad? There are people who defend their delaying tactics, saying they work best under deadline pressure. The fact is, we do get an energy rush from last-minute pressure, and sometimes people can get away with deadline-type work. But our performance isn’t likely to be as good as it might be, and more often is worse.

Steel says this kind of work ethic compounds over a lifetime. And it’s been proven that chronic procrastinators make less money and suffer poorer health.

Who’s at risk in the workplace? Telecommuters face obvious temptation, says Steel. Yet they can also build home-based routines that provide excellent lessons for all workers.

Telecommuters should start work at a set time each day and have a separate office, says Steel. “This office is only for work,” he stresses. “Work is the only thing you do there. To do anything else, you must leave the office.”

It’s a powerful technique called stimulus control. The worker must understand that motivation happens partly through anticipation, he explains. For example, although a person may not feel hungry, he or she can suddenly feel like eating when they sit at a dinner table. The office can stimulate a similar response.

“If you have a place where you only work, then when you enter the room, that is the only thing you’ll find yourself thinking about. But if you have a room where you can work and play, then you have a choice – and temptation.”

Managers have to be more proactive in the workplace, he adds. They should be monitoring work, verbally praising the employee who is on track and “metaphorically” kicking the butt of those who are lagging, instead of waiting until the last minute.

Managers must be smart about goal setting, and making aversive tasks more manageable by breaking down projects into smaller bite-size chunks to ensure tasks are more palatable.

“If each day, a task is completed, that in itself is rewarding. There’s a sense of accomplishment, of crossing that job off your list.”

Steel notes that sometimes outside forces trigger procrastination, such as a nagging illness or simple exhaustion. As the day grows longer, workers are tempted to put things off.

“I suggest that people tackle the most difficult tasks when their energy is high. I personally like to do it in the morning, and then I know that the rest of the day can only get easier.”

Steel encourages management to consider all aspects of the workplace. He is aware of some office buildings, where in order to save a few dollars, companies regulate airflow. However, stale air tires people out and reduces their productivity and motivation.

Compare that attitude to Las Vegas, he says, where casinos pump in oxygen to get people “as zippy as possible.”

Organizations can reduce procrastination significantly by any of the above measures, says Steel.

But once procedures are in place and working, we must all remain vigilant – because it’s easy to backslide.

We’re only human, and procrastination has been part of our nature a long time. Web watch: www.procrastinus.com