"Procrastination" – about six years ago most of us probably had never heard of this word; but today, it has shot to the forefront of our vocabulary, with everyone and their best friend claiming themselves to be a major procrastinator.

Most of these self-proclaimed procrastinators are really not that bad. But then there are the really hardcore, till-death procrastinators: those of us who start papers the night before they're due (always), pay bills late, shop for Christmas presents on Christmas eve, reply to emails a week late, miss their tax return deadline, forget to cash checks and are always running five minutes late everywhere because they couldn't find their keys. If that describes you in a nutshell (it definitely describes me!) then you might be interested to hear some of the research Psychology Today has come out with about procrastination.

For instance, did you know procrastination is not really a problem of time management or planning? Or that having controlling parents as a child could turn you into a procrastinator later in life? That procrastination is really a problem of self-regulation and learning to set boundaries, which also explains the correlation between procrastination and higher levels of alcohol consumption? Studies have even shown that procrastinating college students develop more health problems. But though procrastination has already taken hold of my life, it doesn't have to take hold of yours! The first step to kicking the procrastination habit is understanding why we do it…check out Psychology Today for more.