It’s easy to put things off, from starting a big project at work to making a dental appointment. Everybody procrastinates, says Joseph Ferrari, PhD, professor of psychology at DePaul University in Chicago, but not everybody is a procrastinator.
"Twenty to 25% of adults are chronic procrastinators; it affects their home, school, relationships, and job—wherever they have to do something," says Ferrari, author of Still Procrastinating: The No-Regrets Guide to Getting It Done. "That’s higher than the rate for depression, substance abuse, phobias, and other psychological abnormalities. People think it’s humorous, but it can be a serious problem."
