Emerging research suggests that procrastination may be an important epidemiological factor for understanding the development and management of not only acute but also chronic health issues, due in part to its links with stress and poor health behaviors. In this chapter, I present and review current evidence for the procrastination-health model and then outline a temporal extension of this model that can serve as a guiding conceptual lens from which to better understand how procrastination may create vulnerability for chronic illness. Temporal myopia is presented as a key concept that characterizes procrastination and contributes to a pattern of reacting and behaving that creates vulnerability for both short- and long-term health consequences. I then review evidence suggesting how these characteristic ways of responding can further compromise healthy adjustment and disease management in individuals already living with chronic disease, and the subsequent downstream effects on health and well-being. The chapter concludes with a discussion of potentially fruitful areas of research to better understand and address the long-term health consequences of chronic procrastination.
