第2936期:Why we procrastinate

Is your house at its tidiest when you've got a deadline coming up? Do you have a list of jobs that you really need to do, but you really don't want to start doing? Procrastination can mean that we spend more time putting off a job than we'd ever actually spend completing it. Understanding why we do it might help us to understand how to stop doing it.

当截止日期临近时，你的房子是最整洁的吗？ 您是否有一份确实需要做但又不想开始做的工作清单？ 拖延可能意味着我们花在推迟某项工作上的时间比实际完成它所花的时间还要多。 了解我们为什么这样做可能有助于我们了解如何停止这样做。

There are different reasons why people procrastinate. Some people avoid tasks if they can relate them to traumatic situations in their past. Sometimes we don't do certain tasks because we're swamped with other things. If people are unhappy about being asked to do something, they might put it off to feel like they are regaining some control. Another common reason for procrastination is just the worry that doing something will be unpleasant or that we will not be able to do it well enough to satisfy ourselves.

人们拖延的原因有很多。 有些人如果能将任务与过去的创伤情况联系起来，就会逃避任务。 有时我们不做某些任务是因为我们被其他事情淹没了。 如果人们对被要求做某事感到不满，他们可能会推迟去做，因为他们感觉自己正在重新获得一些控制权。 拖延的另一个常见原因是担心做某事会令人不愉快，或者我们无法做得足够好来满足自己。

This last kind of procrastination can be a result of our mindset. People with a perfectionist mindset are likely to have a very rigid idea of what success in a task looks like. This is coupled with being anxious not to fail at that task. Psychology lecturer Annemiecke Apergis-Schoute points out that procrastination can be the result of a struggle between our brain's reward and threat systems. If the threat of failure or discomfort is greater than the potential reward from doing the task, we're likely to avoid it.

最后一种拖延可能是我们心态的结果。 具有完美主义心态的人可能对任务的成功是什么样子有非常僵化的想法。 与此同时，我们还渴望不让这项任务失败。 心理学讲师 Annemiecke Apergis-Schoute 指出，拖延可能是我们大脑的奖励系统和威胁系统之间斗争的结果。 如果失败或不适的威胁大于完成任务的潜在回报，我们很可能会避免它。

Cognitive flexibility could help us to avoid procrastinating. If we change the way that we think about a task, it can be easier to start working on it. If we can challenge our expectation of what succeeding could be, and how uncomfortable working on the task will be, it can seem less threatening. Breaking down tasks into small components also makes them less daunting as well as providing a feeling of achievement when each of these steps is completed. It can also be useful to consider what triggers procrastination for you. Having a better understanding of this can help you get things done.

认知灵活性可以帮助我们避免拖延。 如果我们改变思考任务的方式，就会更容易开始处理它。 如果我们能够挑战我们对成功的期望，以及完成这项任务会有多不舒服，那么它看起来就不那么具有威胁性了。 将任务分解为小组件也可以让它们不那么令人畏惧，并且在完成每个步骤时提供一种成就感。 考虑一下是什么引发了你的拖延也很有用。 更好地理解这一点可以帮助您完成工作。