What Makes Us Procrastinate at Work?

I want to start out by saying this is not a Dr. Phil therapy session. Procrastination is something we're all guilty of. In fact, while I type this article I have three Internet windows open; two of which are sport's statistics updates from last night's college hoops action. Although, I am a real estate agent and my time is free, but the point here is I am still a commissioned agent. Salaried individuals working for a company find themselves procrastinating from day to day on the company's time and money. And how could they not? It's easy to look busy at work, while you're giddy floating around from site to site or making personal phone calls and being as happy as a kid in the candy store. The technology available at the office such as the Internet, e-mail, and instant messenger constantly tease us and we always feel the need to take a break and pat ourselves on the back. However, there are deeper issues at stake here and this article attempts to uncover the real reasons we procrastinate at work.

Work is unpleasant.

This is the most obvious reason so I thought I'd discuss it first. The reality is, unless you have a job that you thoroughly enjoy, you'd prefer not to do the work. It's as simple as that. Work is not a pleasant thing to do. Let's be honest here, who wakes up every morning excited about typing reports, making cold calls, or filing paperwork? The human being is born with a sense of adventure. We're not meant to be behind four blank walls each day with a computer screen in front of us. The bottom line is we like to do things that make us happy. If filing a report doesn't make us happy, then we'll put it off as long as possible.

You're concerned about doing a good job.

Now we're getting somewhere. This is probably the biggest reason that I procrastinate at my job everyday, and it's something that a lot of people have a hard time admitting to. Your reluctance to finishing a job may be traced back to your fear that you'll get the job done with satisfactory approval.

However, your fear may also include a fear of success at the job. For instance, if you do a great job on a project, then your management may expect you to perform at that same level again and again, giving you more responsibility and loads of pressure. Also, it's been my experience that individuals are afraid of finishing the task at hand. The reason this happens is an employee is afraid that they'll have more work handed to them and they'll burdened by additional responsibility.

It's not important to you.

Employees have a built-in notion that they are doing work for the benefit of the company. While this is true, motivation is a big factor with this reason. An employee that procrastinates may think it's not a big deal to put work off. After all, it's the company's work, not theirs. You just don't want or need to do it enough, and there's always something around the office that is more important to work on. Your priorities are completely opposite than how they need to be in the office. Instead of checking your e-mail, chatting with friends, and accepting friends on your Myspace account, you need to be performing the daily duties that are expected of you.

You're not sure how to perform the task.

This is the worst excuse and, unfortunately, it's the most common reason people put work off. If you're working in a particular office for a reasonable amount of time, then the management will expect you to take on heavier responsibilities and more duties. Instead of learning how to perform the task, you plead ignorance and decide to spend your time calling friends on the phone. Some people have a hard time admitting to themselves that a task is beyond their expertise, therefore they put it off in fear that they'll look inferior by asking how to do it right. Again, there's the word "fear."

No matter what your reason is, it's important to confront your procrastination. It's a serious problem, and not only could it ruin your reputation, but the company's as well. It's important that you do a great job at work so that it will open up the possibility for advancement or pay raises. Work while you're at work, and play when you're at home