PROCRASTINATION

We have become a nation of addicts. While we once considered alcohol, drugs and gambling to be the vice of choice for most addicts, according to a recently completed national survey by the ever-trustworthy Harris Poll* folks, we learned the surprising truth about Americans:

Over 90% admit to having soft addictions.

Procrastination is the most common soft addiction with more than half of those surveyed admitting to it. And, procrastination is a soft addiction which automatically leads to acting out additional soft addictions- instead of diving into work, we turn on the TV, surf the internet, grab a snack, play solitaire, text-message our buddies. For example, let's say you are procrastinating about cleaning the house. In order to not feel guilty or think about your responsibility, you busy your mind by watching TV, snacking or checking your e-mail.

We tell ourselves that we’ll handle it later, that we need a break and that Underneath ALL of this behavior we have a deeper yearning. If we don’t pursue this deeper yearning, we will continually find me activities to avoid life, work, relationships. . .

Want to learn more?

THE TOP FIVE SOFT ADDICTIONS ARE:

Procrastination

TV

Overwork

Act Moody—Grumpy, Cranky, Overly Happy

Overeating

*Harris Interactive conducted an omnibus study on behalf of The Wright Institute. A nationally representative sample of 1,010 Americans ages 18 or older were interviewed by telephone using an unrestricted Random Digit Dialing technique that significantly reduces serial bias and ensures that respondents with both listed and unlisted numbers are reached. Only one interview was conducted per household.

To ensure a reliable and accurate representation of the total national adult population, completed interviews were weighted to known proportions for age, gender, geographic region and race. The margin of error for the sample is plus or minus 3.1%.