The Procrastination Toolkit
10 Proven Strategies to Beat Procrastination and Boost Productivity
If you want to grow in your ability to think and learn more effectively, then strengthening your skill of attention is fundamental. Without strong attentiveness, every other cognitive function becomes compromised. One of the biggest mental challenges we face in this area is the sneaky drift into procrastination.
Procrastination can be understood as intentionally postponing a desired action while knowing the delay will likely have negative consequences. No one is immune to procrastination. We all tend to do it from time to time. But left unchecked and ignored, procrastination can lead to some pretty hurtful consequences - poor grades being the least of these.
By the end of this post you will know more about procrastination, why we do it, and have some science backed strategies to combat the urge to procrastinate when it rears its ugly head.
Understanding Procrastination
One of the biggest misconceptions about procrastination is that it is a result of poor time management. We didn’t manage our time well in the early stages of the activity, so when the deadline came closer we were not as prepared to start which resulted in further delay. I hear this one from student’s a lot, “I just didn’t manage my time well.”
That’s certainly part of it, but it is not the whole equation. In fact, fully understanding procrastination can be quite complicated. In behavioural science, it is actually understood more as a self-regulatory failure which is the breakdown in one’s ability to control or regulate actions, emotions, or thoughts in pursuit of a goal.
Without being overly complex, procrastination can be understood through a relationship of four variables: expectancy, value, impulsiveness, and delay. These variables form a framework for understanding procrastination known as Temporal Motivation Theory.
Temporal Motivation Theory
Temporal MotivationsTheory (TMT), developed by Piers Steel, is a comprehensive framework that explains human motivation and decision-making, particularly in the context of time-sensitive tasks (which leave us most vulnerable to procrastination). According to TMT, we can understand procrastination through the following formula:
Utility, which is the perceived attractiveness of a task at a given moment and influences motivation to pursue the task tends to increase as it approaches the deadline.
Since delay is always consistently getting smaller, the degree of intensity in which utility increases is determined by the three factors of expectancy, value, and impulsiveness. Essentially, if you are wanting to increase utility and avoid procrastination, TMT suggests that you focus on influencing one or more of these variables.
Expectancy refers to the extent in which we believe we will succeed or obtain the rewards of our efforts. We can think of expectancy as our internal probability calculator. Whenever we set out to complete a task, our minds conduct a quick simulation: “Can I actually do this?” The more confident we are in our ability to complete the task, the more likely it is that we will start. This is why (more often than not) past successes result in future action, while failure often leads to paralysis. This is also likely why “fear of failure” is one of the more common reasons individuals with ADHD give for explaining their procrastination.
Value refers to the perceived importance or the significance of the reward we are pursuing for completing the task. As I mentioned elsewhere, procrastination is a value problem. Naturally, we tend to value more immediate and short term rewards than we do long-term ones. This is known more in the economics literature as “time-discounting.” The downside of pursuing growth in thinking and learning is that the payoff is much farther down the road than scrolling through distractions on your phone. Which is why you are probably more likely to turn on the TV at night than pick up a book or study for next month's exam.
Impulsiveness is the extent in which we act on immediate desires rather than pursue long-term goals. This is also referred to as “sensitivity to delay.” Individuals who are highly sensitive to delay will also tend to act more impulsively. Perhaps the most subtle factor, impulsiveness acts as a multiplier for all other negative influences. It’s the reason we check our phones while studying or scroll social media when we should be writing.
Temporal Motivation Theory suggests that if we want to decrease our urge to procrastinate and increase our motivation for doing the work we need to be doing, then we need to focus on influencing the three factors above. Specifically, we need a set of tools that can help us increase expectancy of success, enhance the value of the activity, and minimize impulsiveness. In the next section, I provide a ten strategies that address each of these areas.
The Procrastination Toolkit
(1) Seek Clarity
One of the easiest ways we can increase our expectancy of success is by seeking clarity. In my experience, procrastination tends to creep up on me when I am confused. Ambiguity is a distraction. It’s aimless. Therefore, if you find yourself putting off a task, it could be that you lack clarity. You might not know what finished looks like. Like being up a creek without a paddle, you need an O.A.R. to get back on track. Specifically, you need to identify clear OUTCOMES (this is what I need to complete), the ACTIONS you need to take to achieve the outcomes, and a plan of REMINDERS (more below) to help you navigate the project or task. If you’re stuck, ask questions and seek clarity.
(2) Make the Task Easier
Another way we can increase our expectancy of success is by making the task easier. For some, the task of writing a research paper is intimidating. You might feel like it’s too big to tackle. Where should you begin? It might feel like you are doomed to fail at the start. Writing a research paper can be a difficult task, but finding and reading eight journal articles is easier. It’s one of the steps in the paper writing process, and one that you can have easy success in. Sometimes we overthink the assignment. Simplify the task, break it down into smaller units, and when in doubt - just start somewhere.
(3) Increase the Value of the Activity
We can also decrease the temptation to procrastinate by increasing the value of the activity. In a previous post, I recommended some ways we could do this through making the task personal, valuable and interesting. As I mentioned in that post, attitude is everything. Research shows that there is a strong relationship between perceived illegitimate tasks (negative attitude) and work procrastination. Negative emotional attitudes have been shown to predict one's predisposition of procrastination.
(4) Increase the Significance of the Reward
According to Temporal Motivation Theory, high-value tasks with clear rewards are more likely to capture and sustain attention. This means that if you are struggling to pay attention, it could be that you might not have a clear understanding of the reward you are pursuing. Making it personal through something like the C3 reflection framework, is a good first step in this direction.
(5) Decrease the Value of Distractions
I personally find this one to be a very easy tool to use. Scrolling through Instagram or watching YouTube has seldom added any value or significance to my life. They are distractions and waste my time. On the contrary, reading a good book, journaling through my thoughts, studying for my exams, and writing have all added an incredible amount of value to my life both personally and professionally. Often this simple analysis is all the motivation I need to get back on track.
(6) Get Organized
I’ve written previously on the importance of creating a focus environment. The environments we work in have a huge impact on our ability to focus. Research shows that the closer we are in proximity to distractions, the more likely we are to procrastinate. This is one of the easier ways we can overcome procrastination and reduce impulsiveness. Put your phone on silent mode and get it out of the room. Turn off notifications. Find the instrumental music that gets you in the zone. Buy a cool desk lamp. Do whatever it takes to make a fun environment to focus in. Additionally, research has also shown that there is a high correlation between impulsiveness and expectancy of success. The more we work to reduce impulsiveness, the more benefits we might also see in other areas.
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(7) Keep an Appointment With Your Desk
If you’re one of my previous students, you will recognize this one. I probably say it multiple times a semester - because it’s that important. For most people, we put our most significant tasks on our calendar. If growing in your ability to think and learn is truly important to you, then you need to prioritize it by putting it on your calendar and showing up at a regular time every day or week. This has the benefit of making your focused study time a normal part of your routine which research shows has been noted to reduce the tendency to procrastinate.
(8) Build Good Habits and Stick to a Routine
When it comes to procrastination, building some good habits and sticking to a routine can help in a number of ways. Most notably is the reduction of choices you are faced with on a daily basis. Our ability to resist temptations for distraction are fairly limited. Eventually you get tired of saying “no.” If you are highly impulsive then your capacity to resist distractions might be even more limited. Some good habits and a daily routine can build in some automaticity into your day and reserve some energy in your will power to focus when it really matters.
Related to this, our will power tends to diminish with our energy levels. So, make sleep and nutrition a vital part of your habits and routine to optimize the energy you have available to focus at your desk.
(9) Reduce the Perceived Reward Delay
The further away a deadline is, the less urgency and mental weight it carries. You can always work on it tomorrow. Long deadlines kill urgency and minimize the motivation for pursuing rewards. We can combat this by artificially reducing the perceived reward delay. Implementing something like the Pomodoro Method, or time blocking can be helpful. I’m pretty motivated by coffee and pastries, so often when I complete a big section of a project, I’ll head down to the nearest coffee shop and reward myself. If you are like me, the more you practice these techniques, the more you will experience the benefits of high attentiveness, and the less motivation you will actually need. In other words, keep growing in the Cognitive Skill Stack, and the pursuit of excellent thinking will be the only reward you need.
(10) Focus on Pacing
The stories you’ve heard are true. Slow and steady wins the race. If you are an extreme procrastinator, a focus on your pacing can pay off in the long run. Pacing refers to the timing and frequency in which we engage our work. Most procrastinators tend to cluster their work in batches around deadlines. This is typically what most students mean when they blame their struggles on poor time management. “I didn’t start early enough” might be true, but that’s not the whole story. A focus on pacing means not only starting early, but also showing up often. It’s an obvious fact that the paper you start twelve weeks before the deadline and work on a little bit at a time, will be an objectively better paper than the one you type up the night before it’s due.
Most students also believe that they work better under pressure and are able to produce their best work. This simply isn’t true. It might feel like the writing comes easier and more naturally, but that is most likely a result of motivation that comes with the urgency of the deadline. It is true that there may be a strong correlation between moderate procrastinators and creativity. However, it is not clear whether this is a result of procrastination or the fact that they have spent more time thinking about the tasks prior to the deadline.
When I am working on a research project, I don’t typically start writing until one or two weeks out from the deadline. But my research and planning process is somewhere around two to three hours a week for several months leading up to that point. If you lay a foundation of good research and thinking, the words just flow out of you.
Looking Forward
Procrastination is a challenge we all face, but it doesn't have to dictate the quality of our work or our personal growth. By understanding the mechanisms behind procrastination—such as expectancy, value, impulsiveness, and delay—you can implement some of the strategies recommended above to help strengthen your focus towards more excellent thinking. Procrastination may feel overwhelming at times, but with the right mindset and tools, you can improve your attention and pursue what matters most. Start now. Your future self will thank you.