To push back against these biases, recognizing them is key. Then, Tim recommends that you "list the things that you commonly say or do to justify your procrastination", and use these biases as triggers that you should respond to your behaviour differently.

One of my favorite tactics that Tim recommended is to limit how much time you spend on something . He spoke about his German colleague who limits how much time he allows academic procrastinators spend on an assignment. "He will limit the time they can work on an assignment. 'Okay, we're working today and you've got twenty minutes to work on that assignment, and you may not work any more.' And so they go: 'I've got twenty minutes. I better make the best use of it.'" And they do.

Pychyl, in his research and during our interview, identified a number of task characteristics that make you more likely to procrastinate. Tasks that are aversive tend to:

• Be boring
• Be frustrating
• Be difficult
• Lack personal meaning and intrinsic rewards
...