World's Leading Expert On How To Solve Procrastination - Dr Tim Pychyl

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Aug 25, 2022

In this engaging discussion, Dr. Tim Pychyl, a retired psychology professor and procrastination expert, delves into the emotional roots of procrastination. He differentiates between procrastination and delay, revealing why putting things off can sometimes feel good. Tim shares practical strategies for nudging ourselves into better habits and the importance of meaningful goal-setting. He also touches on how emotional insights and spiritual flow can help combat procrastination, offering a fresh perspective on achieving effortlessness and motivation.

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INSIGHT

Procrastination vs. Delay

Procrastination is defined as voluntarily delaying an intended action despite expecting to be worse off.
Other forms of delay, like purposeful or inevitable delays, aren't procrastination.

INSIGHT

Why Procrastination Feels Good

Procrastination is driven by short-term mood regulation, choosing immediate mood boost over long-term goals.
This is a form of negative reinforcement: avoiding negative emotions is rewarding.

ANECDOTE

Pager Study

Dr. Pychyl's research with students revealed that perceived task aversiveness decreases after starting.
This shows we delude ourselves about how we'll feel and work better under pressure.

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We can all struggle with procrastination. Putting stuff off not only makes us feel bad but it can set us back in our careers and lives. So what do we do about it? Dr Tim Pychyl is as one of the world’s leading experts in procrastination. He has written two books about how and why we procrastinate, as well as many scientific papers. In this episode of Deep Dive I talk to Tim about what exactly procrastination is, how to nudge ourselves into better habits, and spirituality and flow. Tim is such a brilliant and knowledgable researcher and this conversation gave me fascinating look into the the psychology of procrastination.

0:00 Intro
1:58 Procrastination vs. delay
9:43 Why can procrastination feel good?
13:41 Getting started
21:10 Goals, discipline, motivation
33:54 How can we achieve effortlessness?
38:02 Spirituality and flow
45:00 How do we nudge ourselves into habits?
56:44 Procrastination as an emotional problem
1:07:28 Why tips and tricks don’t always work
1:13:15 Reading philosophy
1:15:14 Being a father

🔗 CONNECT WITH TIM

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💻 Website
📕 Solving The Procrastination Puzzle
📙 Procrastination, Health and Wellbeing

🔗 CONNECT WITH ALI

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📚Check out my New York Times Bestselling book Feel-Good Productivity!
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📚 RESOURCES MENTIONED

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield - https://geni.us/H7z29S
The Moral Animal by Robert Wright - https://geni.us/fwolPQ
Atomic Habits by James Clear - https://geni.us/lsrei
The Art of Procrastination by John Perry - https://geni.us/RbB8ZP
The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg - https://geni.us/h3XN0s6
The Power of Vulnerability by Berne Brown - https://geni.us/b19T
The Willpower Instinct by Kelly McGonigal - https://geni.us/L8oK5
The Courage to Teach by Parker Palmer - https://geni.us/7Aa9a5
A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine - https://geni.us/A7bExOK
Happy by Derren Brown - https://geni.us/GHHI
The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman - https://geni.us/alvI2o
Four Thousand Weeks by Oliver Burkeman - https://geni.us/oZwL
The Way of Zen by Alan Watts - https://geni.us/rqlvW6
Radical Compassion by Tara Brach - https://geni.us/zypL
Affect Regulation Training by Matthias Berking - https://geni.us/UlSk9z
The Courage to Be by Paul Tillich - https://geni.us/cf0JR
Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor E Frankl - https://geni.us/nFjoNo

Find the show notes and the transcript on the website: https://aliabdaal.com/podcast/