The relationship between procrastination and personality

Procrastination comes from the Latin ’procrastinare’, which means “to put off until later”.

Tan and colleagues’ (2008) study showed that the highest level of procrastination is seen among university students, with 80-95% of the students describing themselves as average or chronic procrastinators (Tan et al., 2008).

By looking into the problem of procrastination, Lay (1986) found that in people who tend to procrastinate, postponing can also appear when starting or finishing things (Lay, 1986). This tendency affects many other things too, because

unfinished tasks most often lead to failure, which can even bring the procrastinator to self-hatred, depression, stress, and guilt (Takács, 2010).

Based on earlier research, there are several factors in which procrastinators and non-procrastinators differ, so we can consider procrastination a psychological variable (Lay & Schouwenburg, 1993). Dryden divided procrastinators into two groups: one group he called special procrastinators, where procrastination always affects the same task or tasks. The other group he called general procrastinators, for whom postponing things affects all important tasks in general (Dryden, 2012).

Chu and Choi distinguished two other categories: passive and active procrastinators.

Passive procrastinators get stuck before doing important tasks, and cannot get things done by the deadline, while active procrastinators perform better under pressure, and by delaying things they put pressure on themselves, which motivates them (Hsin et al., 2005).

According to Seo (2013), passive procrastinators usually give up and do not finish the task, while active procrastinators persist and become efficient as the deadline approaches. The two groups give different cognitive-affective responses to completing a deadline-based task (Seo, 2013).

The studies listed above also show that procrastination does not simply depend on the nature of the postponed task itself or on poor time management. It became questionable whether the personality itself could determine this behavioral pattern?! To prove this, several researchers began studying – especially among university students – whether certain personality traits are linked to procrastination.

The relationship between different personality traits and procrastination

McCown (1991) tested university students during exam period. Based on the results, the personality trait of neuroticism showed a relationship with procrastination. The study found that because of neuroticism, procrastinating university students are more anxious about exams and feel less self-confidence. Extraversion was associated with interference with studying because of planned social activities, while both extraversion and psychoticism were linked to impulsive and unplanned study distractions. Psychoticism was also associated with dislike of academic courses (McCown & Johnson, 1991).

In Ross’s (2002) research, procrastination was associated with neuroticism and a lack of conscientiousness (Ross et al., 2002).

Karatas (2015) studied procrastinators at a Turkish university whose lives show recurring procrastination, for example leaving the writing of an assignment until the last minute, returning a library book late, and repeatedly doing something else instead of the important things, to name just a few.

According to the author, characteristic procrastination that appears in several areas of life suggests that this behavior comes from a personality trait. In the study, procrastinators completed the Big Five personality test. The results showed that neuroticism was related to procrastination, and it also showed a negative relationship with conscientiousness and extraversion (Karatas, 2015).

Some people like to get up early instead of procrastinating, and they carry out their tasks in a well-organized way, even at dawn. And there are also people who feel active in the evening, when they can be at their most effective.

Could it be the lack of neuroticism, the presence of conscientiousness, or another personality trait that affects our daily activity?

Daily activity is easiest to see through the definition of chronotype, so first we need to clarify what chronotype means.

How chronotype affects procrastination

A chronotype means how your internal biological clock works, or in other words, which time of day you are the most alert and active — and when you are the sleepiest and most passive.

Chronotype affects learning, work performance, sleep quality, and even mental health.

This internal timing is different for everyone, partly genetically determined, and it influences your sleep-wake cycle, your performance, and your mood, for example.

Main chronotypes:

1. Lark (early bird):
   Fresh in the morning, productive before noon, but tired early in the evening. They go to bed early and wake up early.

2. Owl (late sleeper):
   Active in the afternoon and evening, and have a hard time getting up in the morning. They go to bed late and have trouble adjusting to an early start.

3. Mixed type:
   Not clearly a morning or evening type; they are most effective during the day.

Why is it important?

If your daily routine does not fit your chronotype (for example, if an owl has to wake up early), it can cause sleep deprivation, fatigue, and stress.

The time of activity according to chronotype affects our lives depending on which time of day our environment expects us to work or behave effectively. For example, in the European education system, most institutions start teaching at eight o’clock, and you need to pay attention, study, and solve tasks in the morning. This is good for morning types, but it can have a negative effect on evening types.

People in the evening group, if they are forced to get up early, still stay awake longer so they can have a social life at their preferred time; as a result, they sleep less and may drink more coffee during the day. Compared with the schedule set by society, this means a shift in several aspects of life, which can even affect mental well-being (Cofer et al., 1999).

Closing thought

Behind procrastination there is often not weakness of will, but a conflict between our biological clock and the expectations of daily life. If you know when you are the most alert and motivated – in other words, if you know your own chronotype – you are already closer to a more effective schedule.

Instead of blaming yourself for procrastinating, it may be worth aligning your tasks with your internal rhythm. Maybe you do not need to work differently – just at a different time.

Frequently asked questions

Can someone be both an active and a passive procrastinator?

Yes, depending on the situation and the type of task, your way of functioning can change: maybe in your work, the pressure of the deadline motivates you (active), but before personal administration you completely freeze up (passive).

If my chronotype is genetically coded, do I have no chance of stopping procrastination?

You cannot change your genetics, but self-knowledge helps. Once you understand your natural rhythm, you will no longer fight against it, but instead can align your tasks with your real level of activity. This reduces inner tension and the urge to postpone things.

What is the difference between procrastination and depression?

While procrastination usually only makes it hard to start a task, but you still have motivation for other things, in depression the defining factor is a general lack of joy and complete lack of energy across all areas of life.

What should I do if I am an “owl” type but my workplace expects an early morning start?

In that case, try to schedule the tasks that require the least mental energy for the morning, and save creative or difficult work for your late-afternoon peak time, when your biological clock says you are the most alert.

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