If you’ve ever blamed your phone for your procrastination, you might be surprised to learn that humans were complaining about putting things off long before smartphones, email, or even electricity existed. In fact, the struggle to delay important work has been documented for more than two millennia.
From ancient Greek poets and Roman philosophers to modern psychologists, people have searched for the answer to the same question: Why do we postpone the very things we know we should do?
The explanations have changed dramatically over time. What was once considered a moral failing is now understood as a complex psychological process involving motivation, self-regulation, and emotion. Looking at the history of procrastination shows us not only how our understanding has evolved, but also how remarkably human this struggle has always been.
1. The First Recorded Complaints About Procrastination
One of the earliest references to procrastination dates back to around 800 BC. The ancient Greek poet Hesiod warned against delaying work, writing:
“Do not put your work off till tomorrow and the day after; for a sluggish worker does not fill his barn, nor one who puts off his work: industry makes work go well, but a man who puts off work is always at hand-grips with ruin”
– Works and Days, 1. 143
More than 2,800 years ago, Hesiod recognized something we still struggle with today: delaying important work often comes at a cost. While the consequences may no longer be an empty barn, now we have missed deadlines, lost opportunities, and unnecessary stress as modern reminders that procrastination has always carried consequences.
2. Ancient Philosophers Tried to Explain Why We Delay
Ancient philosophers developed the concept of akrasia (Pychyl, 2011), often translated as “weakness of will.” The idea describes situations where people act against their own better judgment. In other words, they know what they should do but choose something else instead.
Sound familiar? Thousands of years before psychologists began studying procrastination, philosophers were already wrestling with the same question many of us ask today: Why do we fail to do what we know is best?
Aristotle explored this idea in Nicomachean Ethics, writing:
“The incontinent man knows that what he does is bad, but does it because of passion.”
For Aristotle, the problem wasn’t a lack of knowledge, it was the struggle between reason and desire.
3. Procrastination Was Once Seen as a Moral Problem
Negative attitudes toward procrastination appeared across many cultures and traditions. In early teachings, Rabbias famously advised:
“Do not say that when I will be free, I will study because you may never be free.”
– 50 C.E.; Ethics of the Fathers, 2.4
Similarly, the Roman statesman Cicero described procrastination as “hateful” in matters requiring action (44 B.C.; Philippics, 6.7). Religious texts also frequently portrayed unnecessary delay as a moral failing rather than a psychological challenge (James, 4.17).
The Roman philosopher Seneca offered another timeless warning:
“While we are postponing, life speeds by.”
For much of history, procrastination was viewed not as a mental process to understand, but as evidence of weak character, poor discipline, or a lack of moral responsibility.
4. From Moral Failure to Psychological Science
Over time, scholars began to view procrastination differently.
Rather than treating procrastination as a sign of bad character, psychologists started investigating the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral processes behind it. Researchers discovered that procrastination often involves self-regulation difficulties, emotional avoidance, anxiety, and conflicts between short-term desires and long-term goals.
This marked an important shift: procrastination became something to study rather than simply condemn.
5. What Modern Psychology Says About Procrastination
Although our understanding of procrastination has evolved, the basic struggle remains remarkably similar to what ancient thinkers described centuries ago.
Today, procrastination is generally understood as voluntarily delaying an intended course of action despite expecting negative consequences. Put simply, we know what we should do, but we postpone it anyway.
The tasks may have changed from unfinished harvests to unanswered emails, but the underlying challenge has remained surprisingly constant. More than 2,000 years after Hesiod warned against putting work off until tomorrow, humans are still fighting the same battle between immediate comfort and long-term goals.
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References
Pychyl, T. A. (2011). Agency, responsibility and autonomy: An existential perspective on procrastination as self-regulation failure. Paper presented at the 7th Biennial conference on Counseling the Procrastinator in the Academic Context, Amsterdam.
This post is a simplified breakdown of concepts from my own dissertation and published research. For the full data, methodology, and academic discussion, see:
Rahimi, S., Hall, N. C., & Sticca, F. (2023). Understanding academic procrastination: A longitudinal analysis of procrastination and emotions in undergraduate and graduate students. Motivation and Emotion, 47, 554-574. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-023-10010-9
Rahimi, S. (2019). Understanding academic procrastination: A longitudinal analysis of procrastination and emotions in undergraduate and graduate students. Doctoral dissertation, McGill University.
Rahimi, S., & Hall, N. C. (2021). Why are you waiting? Procrastination on academic tasks among undergraduate and graduate students. Innovative Higher Education, 46, 759–776. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10755-021-09563-9
