The Science of Procrastination - And How To Manage It

 

Let's face it you're likely reading this article in an effort to avoid some other tasks you're procrastinating to learn how to stop procrastinating but the clock is ticking so why can't you seem to stop though the psychological causes are still debated there's a human tendency to over or underestimate the value of a reward based on its temporal proximity. This is often referred to as temporal discounting for example if I offered you $100 today or 110 in a month most would take the hundred and run. But what if instead I offered you 100 dollars in a year or 110 in a year and one month suddenly you might say to yourself if I can wait a year I can wait the extra month but the time and value difference are the exact same in each example it turns out that human motivation is highly influenced by how imminent the reward is perceived to be meaning, the further away the reward is the more you discount its value.

This is often referred to as present bias or hyperbolic discounting so being on Facebook reddit Twitter or YouTube is more rewarding than a perfect score on your test until temporal proximity increases the value of a good mark on your chest and you cram all night on top of this every time something enjoyable happens. You get a dose of dopamine which modifies the neurons in your brain making you more likely to repeat the behavior. The problem is video games or browsing the Internet provide many small quick and continuous rewards unlike your term essay, which is a one-time future reward, so how do you overcome the intrinsic urge to put off so many tasks unfortunately there isn't just one solution but try rewarding yourself in intervals with a snack the internet or other enjoyable activities.

The Pomodoro Technique makes use of a timer work for 25 minutes straight and when you're done this give yourself the reward in a 5-minute break then start the working clock again gradually increasing the amount of work time you put in will improve your high-level executive functioning acknowledge your procrastination your future self-will procrastinate it's been shown that creating a self-imposed costly deadline is an effective way to manage your working habits with externally imposed deadlines being even more effective also try and enjoy the process of achieving something instead of thinking only our minutes of torture try thinking, I'm doing something great or I enjoy being productive to the same token make a list of the reasons you want to complete the goal reinforcing that you want to do it minimizes indecision oftentimes. Procrastination is a symptom not a cause and the power of being properly motivated can take you far finally if you can remove the temptations turn off the internet uninstall your favorite game or work somewhere else putting obstacles in the way of your procrastination tools can be a great trick to keep you on track.

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