Por qué las personas procrastinan
Explora por qué dejamos las cosas para después, descubre formas prácticas de empezar y analiza lo que la investigación puede decirnos.
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Questions with solutions-
1. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué hace que esto sea procrastinación y no una espera razonable?
Maya has everything she needs to finish an application. Instead, she spends the evening rearranging her desk, knowing that delaying the application will make tomorrow more stressful.
- She needs more information before she can begin.
- She delays unnecessarily despite expecting a negative result.
- She has already completed the important work.
- She is waiting for the application process to open.
Considera si esperar la beneficia o crea un problema que ella ya puede prever.
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- She delays unnecessarily despite expecting a negative result.
No toda demora es procrastinación. Esperar información necesaria puede ser razonable; posponer algo a pesar de prever consecuencias negativas es diferente.
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2. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué está ganando Eli con la demora en este momento?
Opening an overdue bill makes Eli anxious. Watching funny videos helps him forget that feeling for a while, although the bill remains unpaid.
- More accurate information about the bill
- A lasting solution to the unpaid bill
- Extra time before the payment is due
- Temporary relief from an unpleasant feeling
Separa el efecto sobre sus sentimientos del efecto sobre la factura.
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- Temporary relief from an unpleasant feeling
La procrastinación puede servir para mejorar el estado de ánimo a corto plazo: evitar una tarea reduce el malestar en el momento, pero puede generar más estrés después.
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3. Completa el espacio en blanco.
La tarea inicial debe ser pequeña y concreta.
"Work on my presentation" feels too vague. A clearer first step is "___."
- Write a title and three main points
- Think about working on the presentation
- Finish the entire presentation sometime soon
- Make every part of the presentation excellent
Busca una acción de alcance limitado con un resultado claro.
Show solution
"Work on my presentation" feels too vague. A clearer first step is "Write a title and three main points."
Una acción concreta como siguiente paso reduce las decisiones que debes tomar antes de empezar. Un objetivo amplio no siempre te indica qué hacer a continuación.
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4. Elige la respuesta correcta.
Which change most directly removes Nora's distraction?
Nora intends to write, but each notification on her phone draws her attention away. After checking it, she struggles to remember where she stopped.
- Answering every notification as quickly as possible
- Checking all her apps just before starting
- Turning off nonessential notifications while writing
- Reviewing her writing schedule after every interruption
Focus on what repeatedly pulls her attention away.
Show solution
- Turning off nonessential notifications while writing
Changing the environment can reduce the need to resist temptation repeatedly. Each interruption also creates work: finding your place again.
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5. Elige la respuesta correcta.
Which pattern does Rina's choice illustrate?
Rina wants the certification her course will provide next year. She means to study each evening, but often plays a game instead because its reward arrives immediately.
- Giving immediate rewards more weight than future benefits
- Rejecting a goal because it no longer matters
- Waiting until essential information becomes available
- Comparing two rewards that arrive at the same time
Notice when she receives each benefit.
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- Giving immediate rewards more weight than future benefits
Future benefits can feel less powerful than rewards available now. Making progress visible can give a long-term project a more immediate reward.
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6. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué le impide a Andre empezar?
Andre knows his subject and has time to write. However, he refuses to begin a first draft unless he can be certain that it will need no changes.
- Uncertainty about which subject to discuss
- A need for feedback on a completed draft
- A lack of available working time
- An expectation of perfection before beginning
¿Qué nivel de exigencia se ha fijado para un primer intento?
Show solution
- An expectation of perfection before beginning
El perfeccionismo puede llevar a postergar cuando los errores parecen inaceptables. Un primer borrador es útil precisamente porque te da algo que mejorar.
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7. Completa el espacio en blanco.
El plan debe vincular una rutina diaria existente con una acción específica.
Lena makes her exercise plan easier to act on: "___."
- I intend to become more active in the future
- After I brush my teeth each morning, I'll walk for ten minutes
- I'll go for a walk whenever I happen to feel motivated
- I should probably exercise more often
Una señal útil identifica un momento que ya ocurre de forma regular.
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Lena makes her exercise plan easier to act on: "After I brush my teeth each morning, I'll walk for ten minutes."
Vincular una acción con una señal clara crea un plan de tipo si–entonces. Esto reduce la necesidad de decidir cuándo empezar cada vez.
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8. Elige la respuesta correcta.
What is the purpose of Ahmed's deal with himself?
Ahmed feels overwhelmed by a report. He makes a deal with himself to work on it for just five minutes, giving himself permission to stop afterward even if it is unfinished.
- To measure exactly how long the entire report will take
- To make finishing the report today a condition of success
- To make starting feel less demanding than completing the whole task
- To delay all action until he feels fully motivated
His commitment concerns the beginning, not the final result.
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- To make starting feel less demanding than completing the whole task
A short work period can lower the barrier to starting. Continuing may become easier, but the strategy does not depend on finishing everything at once.
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9. Elige la respuesta correcta.
Which change directly addresses the difficulty described?
Poor sleep can weaken attention and self-control. Since regularly cutting his sleep short, Ben has found it harder to stay focused and has begun putting off routine work.
- Protecting enough time for regular sleep
- Extending his working hours further into the night
- Setting higher quality standards for every routine task
- Adding more tasks to make his schedule feel urgent
Consider what changed before his concentration became worse.
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- Protecting enough time for regular sleep
Procrastination is not always just a motivation problem. Physical conditions such as insufficient sleep can make managing attention harder.
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10. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué respuesta combina la autocompasión con la responsabilidad?
Self-compassion means acknowledging a setback without attacking yourself. It does not mean pretending that the setback has no consequences.
- I missed the deadline, so there is no point in trying again.
- I missed the deadline, but that should not matter to anyone.
- I missed the deadline because I am a hopeless person.
- I missed the deadline. I can acknowledge the impact and take a useful next step.
Busca una respuesta que acepte el error sin convertirlo en un juicio sobre la persona en su totalidad.
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- I missed the deadline. I can acknowledge the impact and take a useful next step.
La autocrítica severa puede añadir vergüenza a una tarea que ya es difícil. Tratarte con amabilidad también puede incluir reparar el daño y cambiar tu manera de abordar la tarea.
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11. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué conclusión práctica respalda este hallazgo?
In an experiment, people proofreading texts performed better with evenly spaced deadlines than with a single deadline at the end.
- More deadlines guarantee better results for every kind of task.
- Intermediate deadlines can help people make progress on a longer project.
- People perform best when they leave all the work until the final deadline.
- Deadlines remove the need to plan the work between them.
El hallazgo respalda una posibilidad útil, no una garantía para todas las situaciones.
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- Intermediate deadlines can help people make progress on a longer project.
Las fechas límite intermedias dan a cada etapa un punto de cierre claro. Pueden limitar la cantidad de trabajo que se deja para cuando se acerca la fecha límite final, aunque su utilidad depende de la tarea.
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12. Elige la respuesta correcta.
¿Qué pueden concluir los investigadores a partir de esta encuesta por sí sola?
A survey measures stress and procrastination at the same time. People reporting more stress also tend to report more procrastination. The survey does not track which began first.
- Stress causes procrastination, rather than the other way around.
- Procrastination causes stress, rather than the other way around.
- The two are linked, but the survey does not establish cause and effect.
- Reducing stress would eliminate procrastination for everyone surveyed.
Que dos cosas ocurran al mismo tiempo no revela cuál influye en la otra.
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- The two are linked, but the survey does not establish cause and effect.
El estrés puede fomentar la evitación, mientras que las tareas postergadas pueden aumentar el estrés. Una causa común también podría afectar a ambos; una encuesta realizada una sola vez no permite distinguir entre estas posibilidades.