Why Smart People Procrastinate

You know exactly what to do. You know how to do it. And somehow it's 1 a.m. and you're reading about the history of a font. Procrastination isn't a time-management problem, and it isn't laziness. In this video we break down why smart, capable people put things off: five reasons your brain does this, one surprising finding about self-forgiveness, and four science-backed techniques that actually get you started. Plus the strange story of how Victor Hugo locked away his own clothes to finish The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. 0:00 Intro 1:54 It's not time management 2:58 Reason 1: mood repair 4:28 Reason 2: the smart-kid trap 5:58 Reason 3: perfectionism 6:57 Reason 4: future you is a stranger 7:58 Reason 5: huge task, lying clock 9:19 The five together 9:58 The finding: self-forgiveness 11:14 Technique 1: make it tiny 12:08 Technique 2: name the feeling 13:04 Technique 3: make a plan 13:45 Technique 4: make escaping harder 14:45 Final thoughts 💬 Tell me in the comments: what's one thing you've been putting off, and what's the smallest possible first step? 📺 Ever thought of the perfect reply three hours too late? There's a video about that on the channel too. 🔔 Subscribe to Half Past Thought for more of the hidden machinery of the mind. 📚 Sources • Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination. Psychological Bulletin. • Tice, D. M., & Baumeister, R. F. (1997). Longitudinal study of procrastination, performance, stress, and health. Psychological Science. • Sirois, F., & Pychyl, T. (2013). Procrastination and the priority of short-term mood regulation. Social and Personality Psychology Compass. • Mueller, C. M., & Dweck, C. S. (1998). Praise for intelligence can undermine children's motivation and performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. • Berglas, S., & Jones, E. E. (1978). Drug choice as a self-handicapping strategy. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. • Sirois, F. M., Molnar, D. S., & Hirsch, J. K. (2017). A meta-analytic and conceptual update on the associations between procrastination and multidimensional perfectionism. European Journal of Personality. • Ersner-Hershfield, H., et al. (2009). Saving for the future self. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience. • Buehler, R., Griffin, D., & Ross, M. (1994). Exploring the "planning fallacy". Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. • Wohl, M. J. A., Pychyl, T. A., & Bennett, S. H. (2010). I forgive myself, now I can study. Personality and Individual Differences. • Lieberman, M. D., et al. (2007). Putting feelings into words. Psychological Science. • Masicampo, E. J., & Baumeister, R. F. (2011). Consider it done! Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. • Ariely, D., & Wertenbroch, K. (2002). Procrastination, deadlines, and performance. Psychological Science. • Robb, G. (1997). Victor Hugo: A Biography. This video is for educational purposes and isn't a substitute for professional advice. #procrastination #psychology #productivity