Procrastination is on the rise, partly because of digital distractions and modern work, a new book warns. Working out which types of procrastinators we are is crucial to overcoming a problem that harms our finances, health and relationships.
Worrier, Pessimist, Perfectionist, Dreamer, Zigzagger, Rebel, Thrill seeker, Hedonist, Burnout – these are the 9 types of procrastinators identified by Cambridge’s Dr Itamar Shatz in Solving Procrastination: The Science of Why We Put Things Off and How to (Finally!) Stop, published by Tarcher (Penguin Random House) on 25th August 2026.
Rebel procrastinators, Shatz argues, feel they don’t have enough control over what happens in their life, so they procrastinate to assert their autonomy and get back at authority figures they resent. Shatz advises them to find their own reasons for taking action and focus on their own standards (rather than on perfectionistic ones set by others), while prioritizing taking care of themselves and switching their environment so authority figures feel less prominent.
Zigzagger procrastinators constantly shift between whatever has their attention one moment to whatever happens to catch their eye the next. Shatz recommends they add structure and concreteness to their plans by setting specific goals and unpacking the steps needed to achieve them. They should also engineer their environment to reduce temptations and distractions, also ride the waves of their productivity rhythms, and seek support from an ‘accountability buddy’.
