I don’t feel like it.

I don’t want to.

I ll feel more like it tomorrow.
 Latin verb procrastinare

pro - forward motion

crastinus - belonging to tomorrow

put off or postpone until another day

That s not so bad, it s about belonging to tomorrow . . .

 Tomorrow
§ A mystical land where 98%
of all human productivity,
motivation, and
achievement are stored.
(Unknown)

5
 Types of Delay

§  Purposeful
§  Inevitable
§  Arousal
Mohsen Haghbin

Haghbin, M., & Pychyl, T.A. (July 9, 2015). Measuring prototypes of delay using a vignette approach: Development
and validation of the delay questionnaire. Paper presented at the 9th Biennial Procrastination Research Conference,
Bielefeld, Germany.
I work better under pressure

Text

I only work under pressure

 Types of Delay

§  Purposeful
§  Inevitable
§  Arousal
Mohsen Haghbin
§  Irrational
§  Hedonistic

Haghbin, M., & Pychyl, T.A. (July 9, 2015). Measuring prototypes of delay using a vignette approach: Development
and validation of the delay questionnaire. Paper presented at the 9th Biennial Procrastination Research Conference,
Bielefeld, Germany.
Fun, but
guilt too
 Types of Delay

§  Purposeful
§  Inevitable
§  Arousal
Mohsen Haghbin
§  Irrational
§  Hedonistic
§  Delay due to Emotional Problems

Haghbin, M., & Pychyl, T.A. (July 9, 2015). Measuring prototypes of delay using a vignette approach: Development
and validation of the delay questionnaire. Paper presented at the 9th Biennial Procrastination Research Conference,
Bielefeld, Germany.
 Procrastination – it s not about time

The Procrastinator s
Clock?
Pychyl, T. A., Morin, R.W., & Salmon, B. R. (2000). Procrastination and planning fallacy: An examination
of the study habits of university students. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 15, 135-150.
What just
happened
here?
The procrastination puzzle 14
 The nature of our
goals & intentions

Personality
Self-Regulation Failure
Self-Control
& Willpower

Cognitions & Beliefs 15

 Giving in to feel good
Emotion regulation through
avoidance
SHORT-TERM
MOOD REPAIR

Sirois, F. & Pychyl, T.A. (2013). Procrastination and the priority of short-term mood regulation:
Consequences for future self. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 7, 115-127.
16
Giving in 
to 
feel good

Yes . . .
oh yes!

Hard work often pays off after time

but laziness always pays off now.
I don’t feel like it.
I’ll clean my room instead.
Demetriou, K., & Pychyl, T.A. (July 9, 2015). Is cleaning the house more desirable? A project-analytic perspective comparing project dimension
appraisals for avoided tasks and the adopted alternative tasks.  Poster presented at the 9th Biennial Procrastination Research
Conference, Bielefeld, Germany. 
I ll feel more like it tomorrow.
 Poor
future 
self!

My
kitchen!
I ll feel more like it tomorrow.
 Daniel Gilbert
Harvard University
You know, some day
these kids will be out
of the house and
you'll regret not
spending more time
with them.
That's a problem for
Future Homer.
Man, I don't envy that guy.

http://hellogiggles.com/homer-simpson’s-top-10-best-parenting-tips

Blouin-Hudon, E-M., C., & Pychyl, T.A. (2015). Experiencing the temporally extended self: Initial support for the role of affective states,
vivid mental imagery, and future self-continuity in the prediction of academic procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences.
 fMRI Studies
Dorsolateral
prefrontal
cortex?
What is this
stuff?

Hal Hershfield
UCLA
 Other Research
Will I save
for the
future?

Hal Hershfield
UCLA
 What gets in the way?
§ “We have to
talk about the
Brene Brown
things that get
in the way of
doing what is
best for us.” 29
 The costs of procrastination

§  Performance
§  Well-being
Fuschia Sirois §  Health
Sheffield University
§  Relationships
§  Regrets & bereavement
. . . procrastination is usually
harmful, sometimes harmless, but
never helpful (Steel, 2007; p. 80).

Sirois, F. M., Melia-Gordon, M.L., & Pychyl, T. A. (2003). "I'll look after my health, later": An investigation of
procrastination and health. Personality and Individual Differences, 35 (5),1167-1184.
 Just get started!

§  Experience sampling

Jonathan Lee
§  Doing & should be doing
§  Appraisals, emotions, thoughts
§  Follow-up interviews

I ll feel more like it tomorrow

Rachelle Thibodeau
I work better under pressure

Pychyl, T.A., Lee, J., Thibodeau, R., & Blunt, A. (2000). Five Days of Emotion: An experience-sampling study of
undergraduate student procrastination. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 15(5), 239-254.
 Implementation Intentions

§  In situation X, I will do behaviour Y to achieve

subgoal Z.
Peter Gollwitzer
§  External cue for behaviour
§  Pre-commitment to specific actions
§  Harness your better self

Owens, S., Bowman, C., & Dill, C. (2008). Overcoming Procrastination: The Effect of Implementation
Intentions. Journal of Applied Psychology, 38, 366-384
McCrea, S.M., Liberman, N., Trope, Y., & Sherman, S.J. (2008). Construal level and procrastination. Psychological Science, 19,
1308-1314.
Pre-empt that which tempts!

Reduce distractions

Lavoie, J., & Pychyl, T.A. (2001). Cyber-slacking and the procrastination super highway: A Web-based
survey of on-line procrastination, attitudes and emotion. Social Science Computer Review, 19,
431-444.

Jennifer Lavoie
Wilfrid Laurier University
 The nature of our
goals & intentions

Personality
Self-Regulation Failure
Self-Control
& Willpower

Cognitions & Beliefs 35

 Personality
Perfectionism Impulsivity

Emotional
Intelligence

Conscientiousness

36
 I lack the willpower

Self-Control
& Willpower

37
 Willpower and Ego-depletion

§  Willpower is like a muscle

§  Self-regulatory depletion
§  Implications?
– Strategic investment of a
limited resource
– Strengthening will power
Ferrari, J. R., & Pychyl, T. A. (2007). Regulating speed, accuracy and judgments by Indecisives: Effects of
frequent choices on self-regulation depletion. Personality and Individual Differences, 42, 777-787.

Baumeister, R.F,, & Heatherton, T.F. (1996). Self-regulation failure: An overview. Psychological Inquiry, 7, 1-15.

Baumeister, R.F,, & Heatherton, T.F., & Tice, D.M. (1994). Losing control: How and why people fail at
self-regulation . San Diego, CA: Academic Press.
 Self-affirmation – meaning and values

§  Expressing one s

core values
§  Puts focus on
volition as
opposed to habit
Courage to be §  Bolster s self-
regulation
Schmeichel, B.J., & Vohs, K. (2009). Self-affirmation and self-control: Affirming core values
counteracts ego depletion. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 96(4), 770-782.
 Meditate

Jacob Rotblatt

Sirois, F. M, & Tosti, N. (2012). Lost in the moment? An investigation of procrastination, mindfulness, and
well-being. Journal of Rational-Emotive and Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 237-248.

Pychyl, T.A., & Rotblatt, A. (2007). Mindfulness meditation as an intervention for academic procrastination.
Paper presented at the Biennial Counseling the Procrastinator in the Academic Context conference. Lima,
Peru.
Dosa, M. (2011). Mindfully losing control: An examination of the relation between measures of mindfulness,
self-control and procrastination. Unpublished honours thesis, Carleton University, Otttawa, Ontario.
 Self-forgiveness

§  If we self-forgive
after we
Michael Wohl
Carleton University procrastinate, do
we procrastinate
less the next time
we face a similar
task?

Wohl, M.J.A., Pychyl, T.A., & Bennet, S.H. (2010). I forgive myself, now I can study: How self-forgiveness
for procrastinating can reduce future procrastination. Personality and Individual Differences, 48, 803-808.
Well, he s finally done. Did
we learn anything?
Did we solve the puzzle?

42
 The nature of our
goals & intentions

Personality
Self-Regulation Failure
Self-Control
& Willpower

Cognitions & Beliefs 43

 Want to know more?
procrastination.ca
•  Research
•  Self-help
•  Podcasts & Carpe Diem