ProcrastiNation

If I had any talent I would make this into a web comic:
Reads: KEY TO ULTIMATE FULFILLMENT -- PUSH BUTTON
"Nah, I've got time tomorrow"

Common American stereotypes create the image of an industrious society, obsessed with maximizing time and remaining punctual.  Much of American behavior supports this view.  "You're wasting time!"  From the old adage "time is money," to the common rebuke "you're late!" Americans seem to value time and respect deadlines.  Even the word "deadline," favored heavily over "due date" and similar alternatives, paints a grave picture of punctuality's dire and non-negotiable importance. 

So why is procrastination rampant?  I think it's human nature.  People want to avoid unpleasantness, so they naturally put off tasks they will not enjoy.  Only when it becomes clear that there is no extra time left does the unpleasantness of punishment for not completing the work outweight the desire not to address the issue.  What Americans procrastinate, therefore, reveals what they do not enjoy.  Work, homework, writing tasks, tedious, brainless work, work they do not feel confident in their ability to complete well.  That paints an interesting picture.  Americans do not like intellectually laborious work; if it feels like it is going to be very difficult, they naturally procrastinate it.  But on the other hand, if the work will take a lot of time but not result in a learning experience or accomplish anything useful, it is detested just as much.  Quick tasks that require little effort can be pushed off easily, so Americans often decide to relax instead.  But assignments that require more time, particularly those that may need further explanation or research, are also put off, even though doing so is far more detrimental.  That might be due to subsconcious cost-benefit analysis.  Harder tasks that one does not feel equal too will require more effort to complete and ultimately produce a poorer result: more
cost, less benefit. 

So maybe it is the nature of the work, but with so many contradictions, it seems to be just the work itself.  The comic I wrote above is ridiculous, because nobody would procrastinate something positive.  Americans do not like exertion.  They do not like following others' orders either, or completing tasks because others deem them necessary.  In the case of homework particularly, completion only makes a difference to the student, but the teacher is the one enforcing it, creating a subconscious feeling of being dominated and controlled.  And American's hate to feel powerless.