Why People Procrastinate
Explore why we put things off, discover practical ways to get started, and look at what research can tell us.
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Questions with solutions-
1. 正しい答えを選んでください。
What makes this procrastination rather than sensible waiting?
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.
Consider whether waiting helps her or creates a problem she can already see.
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- She delays unnecessarily despite expecting a negative result.
Not every delay is procrastination. Waiting for necessary information can be sensible; putting something off despite expecting harm is different.
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2. 正しい答えを選んでください。
What is Eli gaining from the delay right now?
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
Separate the effect on his feelings from the effect on the bill.
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- Temporary relief from an unpleasant feeling
Procrastination can serve as short-term mood repair: avoiding a task reduces discomfort now but may create more stress later.
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3. 空欄を埋めてください。
The starting task needs to be small and concrete.
"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
Look for a limited action with a clear result.
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"Work on my presentation" feels too vague. A clearer first step is "Write a title and three main points."
A concrete next action reduces the decisions you must make before starting. A broad goal does not always tell you what to do next.
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4. 正しい答えを選んでください。
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.
- Answer every notification as quickly as possible.
- Check all her apps just before starting.
- Turn off nonessential notifications while writing.
- Review her writing schedule after every interruption.
Focus on what repeatedly pulls her attention away.
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- Turn 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. 正しい答えを選んでください。
Which pattern does Rina's choice illustrate?
Rina wants the qualification her course will provide next year. She enjoys the lessons, but often chooses 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. 正しい答えを選んでください。
What is preventing Andre from starting?
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
What standard has he set for a first attempt?
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- An expectation of perfection before beginning
Perfectionism can encourage delay when mistakes feel unacceptable. A first draft is useful precisely because it gives you something to improve.
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7. 空欄を埋めてください。
The plan needs to connect an existing daily routine to a specific action.
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
A useful cue identifies a moment that already occurs regularly.
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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."
Linking an action to a clear cue creates an if–then plan. It reduces the need to decide when to begin each time.
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8. 正しい答えを選んでください。
What is the purpose of Ahmed's agreement?
Ahmed feels overwhelmed by a report. He agrees to work on it for just five minutes, with 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. 正しい答えを選んでください。
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.
- Protect enough time for regular sleep.
- Extend his working hours further into the night.
- Set higher quality standards for every routine task.
- Add more tasks to make his schedule feel urgent.
Consider what changed before his concentration became worse.
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- Protect 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. 正しい答えを選んでください。
Which response combines self-compassion with responsibility?
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.
Look for a response that accepts the mistake without turning it into a judgment of the whole person.
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- I missed the deadline. I can acknowledge the impact and take a useful next step.
Harsh self-criticism can add shame to an already difficult task. Being kind to yourself can still include repairing harm and changing your approach.
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11. 正しい答えを選んでください。
Which practical conclusion does this finding support?
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.
The finding supports a useful possibility, not a guarantee for every situation.
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- Intermediate deadlines can help people make progress on a longer project.
Intermediate deadlines give each stage a clear endpoint. They can limit how much work gets pushed toward the final deadline, although their usefulness depends on the task.
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12. 正しい答えを選んでください。
What can the researchers conclude from this survey alone?
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.
Two things occurring together does not reveal which influences the other.
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- The two are linked, but the survey does not establish cause and effect.
Stress may encourage avoidance, while delayed tasks may increase stress. A shared cause could also affect both; a one-time survey cannot separate these possibilities.