Don't Delay

Understanding procrastination and how to achieve our goals.

Timothy A. Pychyl, Ph.D. is an associate professor of psychology at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, where he specializes in the study of procrastination. See full bio

Don't Delay

February 7, 2010

Forgive yourself to stop procrastinating

One of our research papers that will soon appear in the journal Personality and Individual Differences explains how self-forgiveness may reduce subsequent procrastination. I'm revisiting this issue with this short post featuring two of our Carpe Diem cartoons. Read More

February 5, 2010

Living alone? Can canine companionship help beat loneliness?

Our research just published in the journal Anthrozoös revealed that among pet owners with low levels of human social support, high attachment to pets predicted significantly higher scores on loneliness and depression. These findings highlight the complex nature of the relationship between pet ownership and psychological health. Read More

February 1, 2010

A new study on maximizing work performance

In a paper soon to be published in Personality and Individual Differences, researchers discuss the practical implications of their study in terms of maximizing work performance. This recommendation includes a combination of personality, motivation orientation and organizational climate. Read More

January 29, 2010

Planning and procrastination

I have a question for the faithful readers of my Don't Delay blog. In fact, I have two questions. They're about how you plan and make intentions. Will you take a minute and answer them for me? (This is short, but interesting, I think.) Read More

January 29, 2010

Focus on the positive outcome of goals

Strategies, like implementation intentions, that are meant to enhance our goal pursuit are only really effective when we already have strong goal intentions. Here's an example of strengthening an exercise intention. Read More

January 24, 2010

Are procrastinators just lazy?

What does it mean to be lazy? Are procrastinators lazy? Read More

January 22, 2010

Beating procrastination on the small stuff

We're not always bothered by procrastination on our major goals. Putting off the small stuff can drive us nuts, and it all adds up. Here's a short post about a simple strategy for dealing with this needless delay. Read More

January 21, 2010

Implementation intentions facilitate action control

I'm often asked what someone should do to reduce procrastination. One of my most common answers is, "It's not enough to have a goal intention, you need to have an implementation intention too." Today, I explain what an implementation intention is and how it works to overcome four common problems in goal pursuit.

January 20, 2010

Overcoming procrastination: Four potential problems during goal pursuit

Procrastination is not just a failure to get started. We can face a variety of problems and needlessly delay action at many stages of goal striving. I think an important way to understand procrastination is to begin with an understanding of the psychology of action, particularly the problems that we must overcome during goal pursuit. Here are four potential problems that you need to know.

January 19, 2010

What makes an excuse credible? Does it matter?

When we're relying on willpower to overcome our desire to procrastinate, what we need is a credible excuse. What are the features of a credible excuse for a sophisticated decision maker? What if our excuse is less than perfect? Can we fix it?

Procrastination Basics

Everyone procrastinate sometimes, but 20 percent of people are true procrastinators. They consistently avoid difficult tasks and deliberately look for distractions, which, unfortunately, are increasingly available. Procrastination in large part reflects our difficulty in regulating emotions and to accurately predict how we will feel tomorrow, or the next day.

Go to the Procrastination Basics page for more on Procrastination including:

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Heartbreak and Home Runs: The Power of First Experiences

How early life experiences shape our character.

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