The Procrastination Equation

Everything you wanted to know about procrastination but put off finding out.

by Dr. Piers Steel

Losing Weight Effortlessly With Visual Illusions

When temptation strikes, our willpower works overtime to try and drive the unhealthy / distracting cravings out of our head, or at least to stop us from acting on them. It doesn't have to be this hard, though. In fact, it doesn't have to be hard at all. Read More

Da Vinci, Copernicus and the Astronomical Procrastination of Science

Science is actually progressing somewhat slower than predicted. For example, the 1982 classic Blade Runner, voted favorite SciFi film by scientists, has genetically engineered organic robots filling the streets by 2019. Its not going to happen on schedule and procrastination is probably to blame. Read More

Thought for Food

We all know what we need to do to shed the weight: eat less and exercise more. Knowing isn't the problem, it is doing. Science has come with a few new techniques to help us control our minds, so we can control our bodies. Read More

From Snow Gloom to Snow Doom: The Psychophysics of the Snow Blower

When Weh-Ming Cho decided to sell his snow blower with an internet ad, he received 1,400 offers. Cho wasn't just selling a snow blower. He was selling "A Tribute to Man's Triumph over Nature." Here is what he wrote. Read More

Beyond the Coffee Crutch: The Secret to Vitality at Work

What's the number one reason for procrastinating? Survey says: low energy. Tackling tasks or chores when we are already tired is a surefire recipe for putting stuff off. So if you are tired of feeling tired, read on. Read More

Occupy Wall Street, Procrastination and the Battle of Ideas

The Occupy Wall Street crowd is characterized as angry but directionless. They feel economic injustice is being done but don't agree about who is to blame and what to do. Consequently, they might be easily appeased by having a few peripheral players going to jail. Too bad. The real source of troubles wasn't hiding anywhere. I see it everyday. Read More

Hard Work Beats Talent (but Only If Talent Doesn’t Work Hard)

In a world where we are ridiculously overcommitted to making sure everyone is equal in every way, a new study just published in Psychological Science contains some sobering news you might not like. It kills the myth that talent doesn't matter. Read More

It's Fight Procrastination Day: Here's Some Ammo

With September 6th (though often delayed until the 7th) being Fight Procrastination Day, we continue the ongoing story of one person's struggle to stop procrastination. Today, Erin P. tries out the strongest of all anti-procrastination techniques: precommitment. Read More

The Motivational Wisdom of Lady Gaga versus The Secret

The queen of music takes on the queen of self-help in this Lady Gaga versus Rhonda Byrne's The Secret motivational slugfest. Both have record breaking stints on their respective charts, one in music and the other in books. In the end, though, only one can win. Read More

Better Living Through Chemistry–The Success Pill

In the film Limitless, the drug NZT-48 not only has the power to cure all procrastinating tendencies, but also bumps up your IQ three-fold. Limitless isn't entirely a Hollywood invention, Nootropic pharmaceuticals, also called smart drugs, do indeed exist. Is the end of procrastination one pill away? Read More

"I am a procrastinator!" The ongoing story of one person's struggle to stop putting stuff off (Episode 2)

Last we left Erin P., our consummate procrastinator, she had just had enough of her dilly-dallying ways (click here for Episode 1). Procrastination had blossomed from a minor and amusing vice to a demon that was torturing her career. Time to vanquish it. Read More

"I am a procrastinator!" The ongoing story of one person's struggle to stop putting stuff off (Episode 1)

Together, Ms. Erin P and I will try out anti-procrastinatory techniques to determine what works, how well, and how best to make them work. She takes the role of the client or customer. I will be the service provider and give the theoretical background. Every other week or so, we will try something new and report back to you how it went. Read More

Governmental Procrastination

Since the 1950s, the Debt Ceiling has been described as "a meaningless strait jacket." Like an alcoholic leaving the key in the liquor cabinet, politicians have voted away their previous debt resolution and installed a new higher limit, hundreds of times already, though undoubtedly each increase was going to be "just this once." Here's how to fix it. Read More

Bondage and Procrastination

Ancient wisdom for an ancient problem. Precommitment dates back to the Trojan Wars but is useful for combating modern-day procrastination. Read More

Impulsiveness: Procrastination’s Nickel-Iron Core

What's at the core of procrastination? Read More

The Greatest Procrastinator in History Still Alive: Puts Off Death.

In honor of International Procrastination Week -- celebrated during the first or the second week of March, depending upon how much you put it off -- we'll feature the greatest procrastinator in all human history (yes, I know, besides you). In my book The Procrastination Equation I mentioned Samuel Coleridge, one of the great poets of the nineteenth century. Read More

Crazy for Procrastinating? Maybe

Last week was much like the week before. You meant to check the oil in your car but it really wasn't that convenient, so you put it off once again. Sure the red "check engine" light was glaring at you, but that damn thing's been on for so long that it hardly registers. The smell of smoldering oil radiating from your car's hood is harder to ignore. Is it finally time to get your oil changed? Read More

Games People Play... at Work

If you want to procrastinate when you are supposed to be working, your options are bountiful and growing every day. You can go old school and do the Sudoku or crossword from the newspaper. Or, if you're a more active type, take inspiration from the television show "Minute to Win It," which features such diversions as Office Tennis and Coffee Topper. Read More

Making New Year’s Resolutions Last All Year

New Year's resolutions are one of our best traditions. Originally devised by the Catholic Church as devotional pledges to counter "heathenish customs ... dedicated to the devil-god Janus," they combine dozens of cultural sources today. All over the world, the New Year represents a fresh start, a new beginning we can use to change the course of our lives. Read More

Procrastination and the Perfectionism Myth

Do you have high standards? Do you expect a lot from yourself, day-in and day-out? Do you love it when life is organized and orderly? Do you try to do your best at everything you do? There is a word for people like you: perfectionists. You worry over life's details, anxious to make every event just so. Read More

The Night Before Christmas and I'm Scrambling To Get It All Done

So you haven't done your Christmas shopping? I know, I know you were full of good intentions but time got away from you. Really, I understand. There wasn't any good time to shop before now. Errands had to be done, work was demanding, and after it all, you were feeling justifiably tired. You needed to get home and have that glass of rum and eggnog. Read More

Do Procrastination Researchers Procrastinate?

I have had a fair amount of press for my work on procrastination over the years, but this one Later: What does procrastination tell us about ourselves? by James Surowiecki is a nice treat. I get to be mentioned among luminaries, really people at the top of the academic game, like David Laibson, George Akerlof, Joseph Stiglitz, and George Ainslie. Read More

The True Meaning of Procrastination

Is procrastination a good thing? Read More