PROCRASTINATION
By Hilary Finch
PROF. tim pychyl dr. timothy pychyl is an associate professor in the
department of psychology at carleton university. his
research focuses on procrastination.
he has numerous publications, a website, a blog, podcasts,
and comic strips
For more information about his research, visit www.procrastination.ca
… ENOUGH TO BREAK THE ICE!
pROCRASTINATION: THE MUSICAL
what is procrastination? derived from the latin verb: procrastinare
pro – forward motion
crastinus – belonging to tomorrow
to “put off or postpone until another day”
Tomorrow (noun)
a mystical land where 98% of all human productivity,
motivation, and achievement is stored.
- Unknown
procrastination is the art of keeping up
with yesterday Don Marquis
procrastination is the thief of time
Edward Young
never put off till tomorrow what you can
do the day after tomorrow just as well
Mark Twain
who procrastinates?
everyone procrastinates
BUT
not everyone is a procrastinator
why do people procrastinate? • perfectionism • feeling inadequate • undeveloped study skills • aversion to discomfort • resentment
• being overextended • lifestyle issues • fear of success/failure • overwhelming negative emotional states
procrastination involves a voluntary, irrational, delay
despite the expectation of a potential negative outcome
(Mohsen Haghbin)
psychologists define procrastination as...
the gap between intention and action
this is an example of self-regulation failure a.k.a.
short-term mood repair
“Giving in to Feel Good”
self-regulation failure
Personality (me)
nature of our goals and
intentions (the task)
self-control and willpower
(lack of willpower)
cognitions and beliefs
(the way I think)
personality
Conscientiousness
Impulsivity
Perfectionism
“i just don’t
want to do it”
“it will never be
good enough”
“i don’t know where
to start”
(Resistance) (Fear of Failure)
flavours of procrastination
arousal avoiders decisional
types of procrastinators
THE TASK task aversiveness=
dreading the displeasure of doing the task
1. lack of meaning à lack of enjoyment, fun,
pleasure, passion, self-identity
2. lack of structure à lack of autonomy, control,
initiation, uncertainty
“it’s not fun” “it’s too hard”
PERSONAL PROJECTS ANALYSIS
lack of willpower willpower is like a muscle...
the more we exercise it, the
stronger it gets!
it is also a limited resource!
the way i think 1. irrational beliefs a. “i’m not smart enough to do this” b. “studying won’t help”
2. self-deception
a. “i’ll feel more like doing it tomorrow” b. “there’s plenty of time, it can wait until later”
effects OF PROCRASTINATION
a. performance b. emotional and mental well-being c. physical health d. relationships
Procrastination is more than the cost of a few “all nighters” in the dorms of universities
so if procrastination occurs because of the way we think…
to beat it, we need to THINK about how we THINK.
“metacognition”
recognizing procrastination 1. admit that you WILL procrastinate! (it’s
inevitable)
2. identify the cost of procrastinating or the
benefits of completing the task on time
3. forgive yourself!
3 steps to avoiding procrastination
1. plan and set goals Plan goals Plan time Plan resources Plan the process Plan for distractions Plan for failure
intention to action implementation intentions:
“when X occurs, i will do Y, resulting in Z”
X= social cue
Y= the task
Z= result
2. create obstacles “if you find a path with no obstacles,
it probably doesn’t lead anywhere”
- Frank a. Clark
2. create obstacles - multi-tasking is a myth! - choose a designated workspace that you feel motivated in - bring only the tools you need for the task - use internet blocking apps such as anti-social - leave post-it note reminders on your most common forms of procrastination
Once concentration has been broken, it takes at least 15 minutes to get back into the “work” state of mind
minutes turn into hours
accountability chart
realistically evaluate your work by
tracking your progress, hour by hour
record your procrastination
how do you eat an elephant?
3. just get started!
....one bite at a time!
3. just get started!
divide the task into 5, 15, or 30 minute portions
research intro
discussion conclusion
divide the task into bite-sized chunks
Pomodoro technique • choose a task to work on • set a timer for 25 minutes • work on the task until the timer goes off • take a 5 minute break • reset the timer and repeat
after 2 hours, give yourself a longer break
in conclusion…
resources • pychyl, t.a., and flett, g.l. (2012). procrastination and self-regulatory failure: An
introduction to the special issue. journal of rational-emotive and cognitive-behavior therapy. DOI: 10.1007/s10942-012-0149-5
• http://www.brianrlittle.com/topics/research/personal-projects-analysis/ • http://www.counselling.cam.ac.uk/selfhelp/leaflets/procrastination • http://www.mentalhealth.ualberta.ca/en/~/media/mentalhealth/docs/hintsprocrastination2012.pdf • www.procrastination.ca • http://http-server.carleton.ca/~tpychyl/PYCHYL%20procrastination%20presentation
%20march%2019%202012.pdf
• http://www.watchwellcast.com/
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