Buổi 52: Reading – Bài đọc dài nhiều dạng (sự trì hoãn), tính giờ 20 phút

Why we put things off

(Bài đọc tự viết; nhà nghiên cứu và trường đại học là giả định.)

A Almost everyone procrastinates at some point – postponing a task they know they should do, even when they expect the delay to make things worse. A report is left until the night before the deadline; a difficult email sits unanswered for days. For a long time, this behaviour was seen mainly as a problem of laziness or poor time management. More recently, however, many psychologists have come to see it differently.

B According to this newer view, procrastination is often less about time than about mood. When a task makes us feel anxious, bored or uncertain, putting it off provides immediate relief. The relief is short-term, of course – the task does not disappear, and the stress usually returns, often stronger than before. But because the brain tends to value immediate feelings more than future consequences, the pattern can easily be repeated.

C This may explain why procrastination is common among perfectionists. People who set extremely high standards for themselves may delay starting a task because they fear that the result will not be good enough. Paradoxically, the delay then leaves them less time to do the work well, which can confirm their original fear.

D Dr Hannah Okoro, a psychologist at Westbrook University, argues that traditional advice – such as making detailed timetables – often fails because it does not address the feelings involved. “Telling someone to just be more organised is like telling an anxious person to simply relax,” she says. In her view, a more useful first step is to notice the emotion that the task produces and to accept it, rather than trying to escape it.

E Practical strategies can still help, as long as they reduce the emotional cost of starting. One approach is to break a large task down into very small steps, so that the first step feels manageable – opening the document and writing a single sentence, for example. Another is to commit to working on the task for just ten minutes. Many people find that once they have started, continuing is much easier than they expected.

F Self-control is not entirely irrelevant, Okoro admits, but it is not a fixed quality that some people have and others lack. Factors such as tiredness, hunger and stress can all affect it. For this reason, she recommends scheduling difficult tasks for the time of day when a person usually feels most alert, and forgiving oneself after a period of procrastination. Being harsh with ourselves, she suggests, tends to increase the negative feelings that caused the delay in the first place.

Wellbeing at work – November sessions (thông báo giả định)

Our free lunchtime workshop “Beating procrastination” runs on Wednesday 18 November, 12.15–1.00 p.m., in Meeting Room B. Places are limited to 20; please book through the HR portal by Monday 16 November. Lunch is provided – tell us about any dietary requirements when booking. The session will not be recorded.