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Procrastination Equation: A Mathematical Formula f D f ti l D l

www.procrastinus.com

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for Dysfunctional Delays

Piers Steel Haskayne School of Business

After a decade of work…

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Procrastination as a Vice

"If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he next comes g; gto drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination."

Thomas De Quincey

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An Ancient Vice

"Do not put your work off till tomorrow and the day after; for a sluggish worker does not fill his barn, nor one who puts off his work: industry

k k ll b t h t ff

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makes work go well, but a man who puts off work is always at hand-grips with ruin."

Famous Procrastinators

St. Augustine

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Leonardo da Vinci Samuel Coleridge

Though procrastinators are most motivated just before a deadline, overall they tend to be:

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Perils of Procrastination

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Less healthyLess wealthyLess happy

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Perfectionism

You best isn’t good enough.

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The Theory of Procrastination: Kid’s Magazine 1st Place of Print

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Only later found print here

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Motivation and the Big Three

1. Expectancy: The Power of Belief & Positive Thinking

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2. Value: The Power of Desire

3. Delay: The Power of Immediacy & Planning

Temporal Motivation Theory

Desire to Perform

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Perform

Temporal Motivation Theory

Despite the prevalenceOf expectancy times valenceThe evidence is mounting

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The evidence is mountingThat we need temporal discountingFor it would be futility to assess your utilityIn its absence

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A bird in the hand is worth… Expectancy ValueUtilityDelay

×=

Γ×

re to

Per

form

Desire to Perform

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Des

iMotivational Mismatch

These motivation problems don’t exist in a hunter-gathering society.

What you want is what you should do.Civilization means we have to do other than

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Civilization means we have to do other than nature intendedConsider:

FoodAngerSex

Five Specific Ways to Act Not as Nature Intended

1. Precommitment2. Energy Regulation3 Goal Setting

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3. Goal Setting4. Stimulus Control5. Routine Building

1. PrecommitmentUlysses tied to the mast

Eliminates the choice to do otherwiseThe precommitment must be sufficiently strong to prevent ANY relapse

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s o g o p e e e apse ctiv

e Va

lue

SpendingSaving

Preference Reversal

High

to P

erfo

rm

Death By Sirens

Live and Sail

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Time

Subj

ec Preference Reversal

FutureNow t1 t2Low

Des

ire t

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Our Sirens, Our Temptations

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2. Energy Regulation

Energy: The Fuel of ExcellenceLimited AND renewable resource

ExerciseE ti

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EatingSleeping

0

50

100

150U

tility

Desire to Socialize

High Energy LevelLow Energy Level

November 29th

to P

erfo

rm

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-100

-50

0

15-Sep 8-Oct 31-Oct 23-Nov 16-Dec

Time

December 5th

Des

ire t

3. Goal Setting

Try by the yard, life is hardTry by the inch, life is a cinch

"The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex overwhelming tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one.“

Mark Twain

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Key elements:Specific – Can you visualize it?Proximal – Is it timely?Challenging – Is it a stretch goal?

AL

OAL OAL

40

50

60

70

80

90

Util

ity

Background Temptations

No Goal SettingGoal Setting

to P

erfo

rm

Work Work Work

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SUB

GO

A

SUB

GO

FIN

AL G

O

0

10

20

30

40

0 15 30 45 60 75 90

Time

Des

ire t

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Touching The Void 4. Stimulus Control

Out of sight, out of mind

Office and sleep hygiene:

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p ygMore than just dirt

Use these locales for only one purpose Keep them distraction and temptation free

“The Magic Spoon of Ice Cream” Principle

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5. Routine Building

Habits: Our Angels and Devils

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Examples:The drive homeBrushing your teethRestarting the exercise program

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Final Thought: Procrastination Rising

We have been formally measuring procrastination since 1978

It has been significantly rising over the last 25 h d bt b it d th

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25 years, as has debt, obesity and other impulse related issuesIn a motivationally toxic world, understanding our vulnerabilities have never been more important