Getting to grips with procrastination

Psychologists at the University of Konstanz in Germany have been looking into the issue of procrastination; what makes some people put off a task until later and others plunge straight into it. The psychologists gave questionnaires to the students and asked them to respond by email (with a payment as a reward) within three weeks. All the questions were about everyday tasks such as opening bank accounts or keeping a diary but some students were asked abstract questions (such as who might keep a diary or why someone would open a bank account) while others were asked about the practicalities of these tasks. Those students who thought about the task in practical terms were less likely to procrastinate suggesting that approaching tasks in a practical fashion and breaking things down into constituent processes was much less likely to result in procrastination.

You can find out more about this research by clicking on the link in this post.