There's price to pay in putting things off

I was actually going to write this column earlier but I didn't get around to it. I had too many irons in the fire so I just put the writing off. The subject of today's column is procrastination which is a bit of an irony don't you think?

Just 30 short years ago, barely 5 percent of Americans considered themselves procrastinators. But today, an astonishing 26 percent of us put off until tomorrow what we should have done today. And researchers aren't happy about the results. By stalling, we are actually causing ourselves some serious problems.

If you procrastinate, research shows that you are likely to be less happy, less healthy and less wealthy. One estimate says that e-mails alone cost American productivity to the tune of $50 billion a year. Instead of working, we're replying to e-mails or we're sending e-mails.

It's not that procrastination is anything new mind you. It's just that the temptations today are far greater than in the past. Television, Internet, cell phones, iPods, etc. You name it there is some excuse we can make for putting things off until tomorrow or the next day or even next week. Here's just one example. In the latest statistics available, we Americans delay Christmas shopping to the last minute five times greater than we did just a decade ago. That late spending spurt involves credit cards which involve higher interest and more costs. Delay equals more costs.

In another study, we Americans told researchers that we were more likely to procrastinate today than 20 years ago by a whopping 39 percent margin. More people are delaying more things in more ways than at any time in history. But researchers also warn that this trend is not likely to change.

And here's another frightening finding. The medical community has weighed in on the subject and says that changing chronic procrastinators is more difficult than weaning alcoholics! That's a sobering thought.

So here's the bottom line. If you want to be happier, wealthier and healthier, don't delay those mundane issues in your life. Take time right now to address something that you have postponed far too long.

One final note. The massive research into procrastination released this week was actually scheduled for release five years ago. That should tell you something about procrastination. I'll get around to explaining it when I get time.