The Procrastination Equation
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labor statistics, 100-1
Law of Attraction, 131
laziness, 2, 38
leadership, 203-10
learned helplessness, 21-22, 225-26n2
learned industriousness, 153
LeechBlock, 167
Lefebure, Molly, 82
leisure (domain), 83
liar loans, 107
Liberman, Nira, 26
life domains survey, 83-85, 84
limbic system
animals, 47, 50
and brain damage, 46
children, 47
evolution, 45, 231-32n7
and intentionality, 190
and market research, 74-76
role, 44, 73-74
and stimulus control, 178-79
Lincoln, Abraham, 90, 90n
love, 155-56
Loewenstein, George, 29
Lukacs, Georg, 279n11
lung cancer, 92
Mac, Bernie, 98
Madison, James, 110
magical thinking, 131, 131n
Mahabharata, 95, 96, 249n26
Mail Goggles, 167
managers, 102, 143-44, 206
Manichaeism, 93-94
ManicTime (software), 188
Marcus, Gary, 54n
Mark Antony, 59
market research, 74-77
marmosets, 54
marriage, 155
martial arts, 120-21, 123, 125
Martinez, Mark, 175
Maslow, Abraham, 169
massive multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPG), 154-55
Matching Law, 29-30
materialism, 74. See also consumerism
Mating Mind, The (Miller), 56
maturity, 12, 144
Mazur, James, 51-52
MBAs, 143-44
McGregor, Ewan, 168
medical procrastination, 23, 91-93, 196
MeeTimer, 167
Melville, Herman, 166
mental accounting, 288n54
mental contrasting, 129-30
Mercury, 4
Mesla, David, 76
meta-analysis, x-xi
Microsoft, 104, 105
Microsoft Outlook, 178
military overconfidence, 130
Millan, Cesar, 52, 237n32
Miller, Geoffrey, 56
mindfulness meditation, 284n38
mini-goals, 187
Mischel, Walter, 173, 174-75, 177, 212n
Moby-Dick (Melville), 166
Mocniak, Michael, 87, 142
Modern Times (film), 140
modernization, 66-67, 212-13
Monteverde, Miguel, 103
Moon, Keith, 90
mortgages, 107
motivation
* beliefs/expectancy, 117
chain, 143-44
fixed interval schedule, 65, 66
fixed ratio schedule, 66n
* optimism, 118-19, 119
variable reinforcement, 65, 65, 66
motivational psychology, 65
movie stars, 67
movies
development, 67
inspirational, 127
multi-tasking, 105
Musashi, Miyamoto, 175
MySpace, 71
NATO, 256n36
“Nature of Procrastination, The” (Steel), xi, 86
negative self-talk, 126
neglect, 57
networking, 73. See also social networking sites
neurobiology. See brain; limbic system; prefrontal cortex
New Thought Movement, 131
New York Times, The, 71, 105
New Year’s resolutions, 132
New Yorker, The, 11
Nichomachean Ethics, 58
Nineteen Eighty-Four (Orwell), 33
Nobel Prize, 101, 113
O*NET program, 158
O'Donoghue, Ted, 29
Obama, Barack, 114-15, 144
obesity, 216
occupations, 11-12, 223n6
Odyssey, The (Homer), 162-64, 164, 165, 167, 171
Oettingen, Gabriele, 128, 129
Offer, Avner, 78, 252n23
Office Space, 140
Office, The (TV), 140
On Writing Well: The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction (Zinsser), 34
Opera Solutions, 177
optimal foraging, 54
optimism, 21-22, 21n, 117-19, 119, 205, 265n28
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 100
organizational team procrastination, 102-5, 103
Orwell, George, 33
Outward Bound, 121-22
Overcoming Procrastination (Ellis), 239n44
overconfidence, 21, 130-32, 137, 138
overeating, 93, 212-13
overoptimism, 117-18
overregulation, 211
Owen, Owen, 55
packaging, 74
Pali Canon, 59, 95
Panglossian thinking, 130-31, 282n31
paperwork, 142
parental controls, 168, 217
parenting, 47-50, 83, 84, 122-23
Parker, Dorothy, 11
partnering, 153-54
patience, 3, 44, 47, 48, 52, 55
pay day advances, 107
Peale, Norman Vincent, 131, 246n27
perfectionism, 12-13
performance
documenting, 124, 125
and flextime, 207-8
mental re-creations. See mental contrasting
peak hours, 148-49, 150
and perfectionism, 13
rituals of, 189-90
and switching attention, 105
persistence, 14, 121, 155
“Person from Porlock” excuse, 81, 82
personal digital assistants (PDAs), 77-78, 104, 133
personal trainers, 134, 180, 190, 191
pessimism, 20, 118, 121, 126, 131, 132-33
pets, 47, 50, 52
PhD Comics, 87
PhDs, 86-87
piece-rate systems, 140, 269n3
Pillars of Islam, The, 95
Pinsky, Robert, 82
Piozzi, Hester, 59n
planning, biological origin, 44
planning fallacy, 118
pleasurable vs. unpleasant tasks. See value
pleasure, biological origin, 44
political activism, 83
political procrastination, 58-59, 109-14
Polivy, Janet, 132
polymorphic procrastination, 102-5, 103
Ponak, Allen, 251n14
pop-ups, 178
Popular Science, 67
porn sites, 103-4, 171, 251n14
positive psychology movement, 21-22
positive self-statements, 120, 126, 259n7
Postman, Neil, 78
poverty, in retirement, 108
Powell, Felix, 259n7
Power of Positive Thinking, The(Peale), 131
powerlessness, 8, 134-37. See also learned helplessness
praise, 204, 207, 210
precommitment, 165-172, 200, 202-3, 217, 278n6
predation, 53, 54
predictability, 181
prefrontal cortex
animals, 50-51
evolution, 231-32n7
and exhaustion, 47
and impulse control, 49-50, 52
and market research, 75, 76
maturation, 47-50
role, 73-74
pregnancy, 55-57
pride, 206
Principles of Psychology (James), 136n
procrastination
biological basis, 40, 43-57
cluster pattern, 83
defined, 3-4, 53
economic cost, 58, 100-15, 250n3
history, 57-60
hours, 101-2
* impulsiveness connection, 13-14, 25-26, 30, 31, 161-62
life domains survey, 83-85, 84
log, 137
misdiagnosis, xii
pattern, 7-9
personal price, 80-99
<
br /> quiz, 4-6
reasons for, 7, 15-17, 38. See also excuses
statistics, 57, 100-1
top goal, 11
ubiquity, 214, 215
“Procrastination” (fan page), 73
Procrastination Assessment Scale—Students, 23, 23n
Procrastination Equation, 15-40
elements, 27-31, 31n
time/motivation graph, 37, 39
work pace graph, 39, 40
Procrastination Support (group), 97
Procrastination Through the Ages: A Definitive History, 239n44
Procrastinator’s Handbook (Emmett), 97
procrastinators—profile, 4, 25, 40
demographics, 11-12
psychological, 12-14. See also
self-assessment quiz
productive procrastination, 151-52, 180
professional organizers, 180, 190
projection bias, 278n8
promiscuity, 46, 49, 56, 93, 94, 213
prudence, 3
psychophysics, 269n6
Pugh, Emerson, 43
Quimby, Phineas, 131
Quincey, Thomas de, 81
Rabin, Matthew, 29
rachet effect, 269n3
rage, 213
Rahl, Colonel, 111-12
Rambler, The (periodical), 59
Ramsey, Gordon, 127
reading, 69-70
realistic optimism
success spirals, 120-25, 123n
vicarious victory, 125-28
wish fulfillment, 128-30
reality principle, 131
acknowledging powerlessness, 134-37
healthy pessimism, 132-34
reflection, 213
registered savings plans, 108
registration, late, 169-70
regret, 98-99, 165
rejection, 15, 20, 116
relevancy, 4, 143, 144, 184-85
religious procrastination, 93-96
remote control, 69
repetitive motion disorder, 77
reproduction, 55-57
RescueTime (software), 188, 217
Research in Motion, 77
retirement savings plans, 107-9, 106n
rewards
biological origin, 44
and expectancy, 27-28
timing, 24-25. See also instant gratification
Reynolds, Sir Joshua, 59n
Richler, Mordecai, 172
Rime of the Ancient Mariner (Coleridge), 80
Ringenbach, Paul T., 239n44
Risk (board game), 63
risk-taking behavior, 49
role models, 126, 205
Romalis, John, 171
romance domain, 83
Ross, Harold, 11
routine/habit, 76-77, 188-91
Rumsfeld, Donald, 130
RuneScape, 154
Russia, 112, 255-56n36
Sabini, John, 134
Salary.Com, 101
sales jobs, 15-16, 20, 88
satiation precommitment, 168-69, 172
satellite TV, 69
Save More Tomorrow plan, 108-9
savings, 88-89, 106-9
Sawyer, Robert, 188
Sayyiduna Ali Murtadha, 96
Scan Gauge, 286-87n49
Schatten, Kaaydah, 126
Scheier, Michael, 117
Schelling, Thomas, 278n6
Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), 173
Schouwenburg, Henri, 14
Scientific American, xi
scientific history, 58
scouting, 122-23
Second World War, 68, 255n36
Secret, The (Byrne), 131, 131n
self-actualization theory, 169, 280n16
self-assessment quiz, 18-20
self-confidence. See confidence
self-control, 13, 14, 25, 47-49, 54, 134, 147, 162, 192, 212, 216
self-deception, 9-10
self-development, 83-84, 98
self-doubt, 8, 117, 137
self-efficacy. See intentions
self-esteem, 122, 257-259n7
self-fulfilling prophecy, 20, 22
self-help industry, 132-33, 193-94
self-loathing, 226n4
self-perception, learned, 22
self-praise, 152-53
self-recrimination, 8
Seligman, Martin, 21-22, 21n
Sera, Matt, 120-21
service clubs, 127
sex, 55-57
Shantideva, 55
shopping, 118, 147. See also Christmas shopping; grocery shopping; impulse spending
Silver, Maury, 134
Singapore, wealth, 106
Skinner, B.F., 64, 68, 71
Slaney, Robert, 12-13
Slate magazine, 185
sleep, 149-50
S.M.A.R.T. goals, 184, 288n57
smoking, 75, 93, 132, 133, 134, 144, 169
snooze button, 167, 171
SnuzNLuz, 171
social networking sites, 71-72, 104
social support, 126, 127-28, 197, 198, 199
soil depletion, 112
Solitaire, 104
Southern California Edison, 181
speakers, inspirational, 127
species survival, 112, 113
spirituality, 83, 84, 117
St. Augustine, 93-94, 94n
St. Gabriel Possenti, 94n
St. Paul the Apostle, 169
St. Pierre, Georges, 120-21
Star Wars Galaxies, 154
starvation, 54
Steel, Toby, 98-99
stickK.com (website), 171
stimulants, 149
stimulus control, 178-83
stimulus cues, 189
Stone, Elizabeth, 49
stress, 82, 96, 147, 149
students
campus clubs, 35
campus environment, 33, 35
grades, 34, 86
and Internet use, 70-73
and justifying procrastination, 134-35
Procrastination Assessment Scale, 23, 23n
Procrastination Equation applied to, 33-37, 37
SATs, 173
time/motivation graph, 37, 228-29n17
time management, 87
work pace graph, 40.
See also academic dishonesty; dropouts; essay writing; MBAs; PhDs
sub-goals, 186, 186. See also mini-goals
success, celebrating, 209, 210
success cluster, 83-84, 98
success spiral, 120-25, 123n, 204, 259n8
Sudoku, 98, 105
sugar, 9, 54, 74, 75, 149, 213
Sun Tzu, 166
Super Troopers (film), 143
Surya Das, 95
24 Hour Party People (film), 167n
Talkswitch, 104
tangent tasks. See productive procrastination
Taras, Vas, 66
tarot cards, 4
tax deductions, retirement plans, 108
tax procrastination, 88, 181
Taylor, Frederick Winslow, 140-41
Taylorism, 140-41
teenagers, 47, 49, 56, 69
television, 79, 98, 180, 213, 216-17
development, 67
international comparisons, 69-70
viewing options, 70
temperature, increases. See climate change
temptation
biological origin, 46
covert sensitization, 175-77
delaying access to, 168
distancing from, 175
proximity to, 38-39, 64-66, 65, 75-76, 163-64, 164, 168, 172
resistance-susceptibility, 47
time sensitive, 177
Ten Commandments, The (film), 67
text messaging, 77, 105, 133, 196, 199, 200
“There Goes (Varoom! Varoom!)
That Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake
Streamline Baby” (Wolfe), 11
thought suppression, 173-74
Thaler, Richard, 109
Thucydides, 58
time
and Expectancy Utility Theory, 28-30
and irrational delay, 3-4
motivation element, 24-26
software, 188.
See also intention-action gap
time and motion studies, 140-41, 268n2
Toastmasters, 127
Today show, 92
Trainspotting , 168, 279n14
transactional leadership, 204, 208
transcranial magnetic stimulation, 46-47
transformational leadership, 204-8
Treatise of Human Nature, A (Hume), 26
Trope, Yaacov, 26
Trump, Donald, 12
Twitter, 71
unemployment, 11-12, 87, 116
Unilever Health Institute, 76
United States
congressional procrastination, 110-11, 111
cost of procrastination, 101
founding fathers, 110, 113-14
government debt, 109-10
household savings, 107
labor stats, 100-1
retirement planning, 106, 108
wealth comparisons, 106
universal default, 89
“Unlikely Beast” game, 173-74
unschedule, 169, 198
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 75
Ustinov, Sir Peter, 155n
Utthana Sutta (monk), 59
Valens, Richie, 90
value
and expectancy. See expectancy-value theory
malleable nature, 269n6
motivation element, 22-24
Vancouver, Jeffrey, 118, 130
variable reinforcement, 64-65, 65
vicarious victory, 125-28, 217
video games, 62-63, 78, 103, 104, 154-55, 180
video snacking, 103
virtuous circle, 143
vision, 205
Visnu Sharma, 249n26
visualization, 128, 143. See also creative visualization; mental contrasting
vocational psychologists, 156
Voltaire, 130
volunteerism, 74, 83, 124
Vroom, Victor, 170
Vyse, Stuart, 78n
Wansink, Brian, 76-77
War of Independence (U.S.), 111
Washington, George, 110, 111-12, 113-14, 257n44
water shortages, 112
Way of the Boddhisattva, The (Shantideva), 59
Wegner, Daniel, 174
Weight Watchers, 170, 171
White, Barry, 90
wild great tits, 50
wilderness programs, 121-22, 125
William the Conqueror, 166
willpower, 44, 58, 76, 134, 137, 147, 148
wills, 90-91, 190
winding-down routines, 149, 150, 182
wish fulfillment, 128-30
wish-fulfilling prophecy, 117
Wolfe, Tom, 10-11
Wordsworth, William, 80, 82
Work and Days (Hesiod), 58
work hour stats, 100-1
work/life balance, 182
work/play segregation, 182, 195-200
“World Scientists' Warning to Humanity,” 113
World of Warcraft, 68, 69, 154
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 10
writers, 10-11, 33-34, 59n, 80-82, 159, 159n, 166, 168, 185, 249-50n44
Young Presidents Organization, 102