Procrastination is arguably even more irrational than strategic delay because the person will often be fully aware that delaying a task will have bad consequences, yet they still choose to delay. Procrastination describes this type of delay, where there is a striking gap or mismatch between your ...

There is a risk with creating time-management schedules that the transparency of what you need to do creates panic and feelings of being more burdened.

Start on small tasks and working on them in a regimented way: set a short time-frame, take a break, then register how much you got done (or if you ended up doing something else instead). Let’s say you choose to work on an essay for 15 minutes. If you succeed in staying focused for that time, the...

Procrastination can become a vicious cycle. Trying to achieve something and failing to act on your intentions can feel frustrating and depressing, and this can then lead to even more procrastination. Research on procrastination confirms that it’s related to negative outcomes – people who are incl...

The psychological explanation for this common but irrational behaviour is that, by avoiding the emotional discomfort of engaging in the behaviour, procrastination provides a temporary relief or escape.

Having confronted your avoidance and begun the task, you can work on improving your mood while doing this activity that you dislike or have feared. For example, listen to music and dance while cleaning.

Giving up can sometimes be an option and a relief. Be conscious of the reasons for your ...

Procrastination could possibly a sign of a broader pattern of problematic avoidance. If you not only procrastinate, but also avoid many things in life from close relationships to career promotions, then it’s possible your procrastination is part of a pattern that underlies many of your decisions,...

To beat procrastination, you need to go against your feelings. Start making a small dent into the avoided activity and if you manage to get started, this one small step in the right direction helps to build confidence for a next step. Be happy when you avoid avoidance, celebrate your achievemen...

Another particularly important distinction to make is between ‘strategic delay’ and procrastination – the two are often confused. Strategic delay entails deliberately putting off a task as a way to generate time pressure as a source of motivation. However, it’s a risky strategy because you might ...