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/