Mindfulness + Action: The One-Two Punch

Some of us are more prone to procrastination than others. Pychyl says this group often has high traits of neuroticism, such as worry, and depression, and self-consciousness. They have over-active, dominating amygdala.

People who are better at planni...

Putting it all together, when we face a task that presents boredom, frustration, or fear, the limbic system lights up, and the amygdala hijack overrides the prefrontal cortex, which is the home of executive function that includes things like impulse control, planning, and organization.

It’s also human nature to seek pleasure. “We want to feel good now,” says Pychyl. “It’s hedonistic over eudaimonic, which is the happiness we feel when we achieve meaningful goals.”

Fortunately, there are things we can do. The key to getting control over procrastination is emotion regulation, and one method is practicing mindfulness.

Research out of the University of Pittsburghfound that people can learn to control their emotio...

Pychyl says researchers in Germany compared the brains of procrastinators to non-procrastinators using functional MRI. It found that the brains of procrastinators have a larger amygdala, which is part of the limbic system known for fight or flight.

“What’s happening is what...

We can all probably agree that procrastination isn’t wise. While most of us procrastinate from time to time, we often chalk it up to poor planning. When you understand what’s going on in your brain, though, a failure to plan isn’t the root cause.

“Procrastination is...

Another important brain reaction is how it perceives the future. Research done by UCLA social psychologist Hal Hershfield found that the brain views our future self in the same way it views another person.

“[Hershfield] used a functional MRI to loo...

“When you’re freaking out over a task you need to do, your body and your mind are responding to your physiological arousal,” says Pychyl. “So, first and foremost, you have to stop that pattern of down regulation that it feeds off of.”

Pychyl sugges...

Once we find a way to get control over our emotions, it’s time to move forward. Procrastination, whether it stems from fear, frustration or boredom, is resolved with action. It’s getting ourselves to do something we don’t feel like doing. Pychyl suggests propell...