Stephanie MerryJun 18, 2026 – 9.00amJoseph Ferrari has a nickname for procrastinators, “procs”, and he’s been studying them for 40 years.He became fascinated with procrastination when he was working on a PhD in experimental psychology and realised that no one had studied the psychology of why some people put off completing tasks.Washington PostSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? Fetching latest articles
Think you work best under pressure? You’re probably lying to yourself
Forty years of psychological research shows the habitual delaying of tasks is more prevalent than depression, alcoholism or panic disorders.
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