Sam
I’m Sam.

Neil
And I’m Neil.

Sam
Come on, Neil, let’s make a start! I’ve got a deadline to meet today, and I haven’t finished my work yet!

Neil
Let me guess, it’s because you delayed, and delayed, and put your work off until the last minute - as usual! You’re a real procrastinator, Sam – someone who keeps delaying things that need to be done.

Sam
What can I say? I work better when a deadline is approaching.

Neil
I see, but did you know that that people who procrastinate have higher levels of stress and lower wellbeing? Procrastination is also linked with lower financial and career success, so there's a lot of reasons not to do it.

Sam
In this programme, we’re discussing?procrastination?– the act of delaying things that must be done until later, often because they’re difficult, boring or unpleasant. And, as usual, we’ll be learning some new vocabulary along the way.

Neil
So, without wasting any more time, I have a question for you, Sam. The fact that procrastinating, or putting things off, is bad for us doesn’t stop people doing it. According to recent research by DePaul University in Chicago, what percentage of people procrastinate so much that it interferes with their day-to-day life? Is it:

a)??? 10 percent?

b)??? 20 percent?? or,

c)??? 30 percent?

Sam
I’ll guess that around 10 percent of people have a serious procrastination problem.