3. 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
6. What is Procrastination?
Derived from the latin verb: procrastinare
pro – forward motion
crastinus – belonging to tomorrow
To “put off or postpone until another day”
7. Tomorrow (noun)
A mystical land where 98% of all human
productivity, motivation, and
achievement is stored.
- Unknown
13. 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
14. Procrastination involves a voluntary, irrational,
delay despite the expectation of a potential
negative outcome.
(Mohsen Haghbin)
16. This is an example of Self-Regulation Failure
a.k.a.
Short-Term Mood Repair
“Giving in to Feel Good”
17. Personality (me)
Nature of our goals and
intentions (the task)
Self-Regulation
Failure
Cognitions and beliefs
(the way I think)
Self-control and willpower
(lack of willpower)
18. Personality
“I don’t know
where to start”
“I just don’t
want to do it”
Conscientiousness
Impulsivity
(Resistance)
“It will never be
good enough”
(Fear of Failure)
Perfectionism
22. “It’s not fun”
THE TASK
“It’s too hard”
Task Aversiveness=
Dreading the displeasure of doing the task
1.
Lack of Meaning lack of enjoyment,
fun, pleasure, passion, self-identity
1.
Lack of Structure lack of autonomy,
control, initiation, uncertainty
24. Lack of Willpower
Willpower is like a muscle...
the more we exercise it, the
stronger it gets!
It is also a limited resource!
25. The Way We 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
26. Effects of Procrastination
Procrastination is more than the cost of a few
“all nighters” in the dorms of universities
a. performance
b. emotional and mental well-being
c. physical health
d. relationships
27. So if procrastination occurs
because of the way we think…
To beat it, we need to THINK
about how we THINK.
“Metacognition”
28. Recognizing Procrastination
1. Admit that you WILL procrastinate!
(it’s inevitable)
1. Identify the cost of procrastinating
or the benefits of completing the
task on time
1. Forgive yourself!
33. 2. Create Obstacles
“If you find a path with no
obstacles, it probably
doesn’t lead anywhere”
- Frank a. Clark
34. 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 antisocial
- Leave post-it note reminders on your
most common forms of procrastination
35. Once concentration has been broken, it takes
at least 15 minutes to get back into the “work”
state of mind
42. 3. Just Get Started!
Divide the task into bite-sized chunks
Intro
Conclusion
Research
Discussion
Divide the task into 5, 15, or 30 minute portions
43.
44. 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
