viivyttelya

Viivyttely (viivyttelyä) is a Finnish noun meaning delay or postponement, including procrastination. It describes the act of deferring actions, decisions, or payments, either deliberately or due to external constraints. The term derives from the verb viivytellä, meaning to delay or procrastinate, and is used across everyday language, administration, and law.

In everyday usage, viivyttely often refers to procrastination—a tendency to postpone tasks despite potential negative outcomes. Psychological explanations emphasize motivational factors, fear of failure, task aversiveness, and executive function difficulties. In organizational contexts, it can manifest as slow decision-making, postponed approvals, or postponed project milestones, increasing project risk and shortening available slack.

In formal settings, viivyttely is related to other concepts such as viivästys or viivästyskorko. Viivästys denotes a delay or default, especially in contractual obligations, while viivästyskorko refers to late payment interest charged when payments are overdue. Combined, these terms capture the commercial and legal consequences of postponement.

Mitigation and management focus on reducing unnecessary delays through planning, breaking tasks into smaller steps, clarifying decision rights, and creating accountability. For individuals, techniques include setting explicit deadlines, implementation intentions, removing distractions, and rewarding progress. For organizations, strategies include process redesign, performance metrics, and penalties or incentives to align action with schedules.

See also: procrastination, delay, postponement.