London - Should you be doing something else instead of reading this?
If so, you’re not alone. We waste 69 minutes a day procrastinating, a study claims – three years of our adult life.
And one in five of us waste more than two hours a day putting off what we should be doing.
Women are more likely to do so than men, with 59 percent admitting to putting off important tasks compared with 50 percent of men. But we begin to kick the habit as we grow older. While 65 percent of 18-24 year olds admit to procrastinating at least once a day, the figure drops to 51 percent of those aged over 55.
Perhaps unsurprisingly the research, by search engine Bing, shows that we duck the less pleasant tasks for longer.
While 54 percent of us pluck up the courage to ask someone out within a couple of days, one in five spend more than two months preparing to dump a lover.
You may also be more prone to procrastination depending on where you are in the country.
The research found that those in Cambridge are most guilty of putting things off (68 percent), followed by Gloucester (65 percent) and York (64 percent).
Those in Aberystwyth, Wales, seem to be the most industrious, with just 33 percent saying they procrastinate.
Psychologist Honey Langcaster-James said: “People often avoid ‘doing’ things when they need to take action that may lead to important results.
“On a psychological level, ticking things off your ‘to do’ list is beneficial as it allows us to better focus on our future goals.”
Peter Maxmin, the head of Bing UK, added: “The research suggests Brits like to spend time mulling things over before actually doing them – perhaps too much so.” - Daily Mail