Understanding why we delay tasks may help reclaim productivity.
Procrastination, the deliberate but detrimental deferring of tasks, has many forms. Sahiti Chebolu of the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics uses a precise mathematical framework to understand its different patterns and their underlying reasons. Her insights could help tailor individual strategies to tackle the issue.
"Procrastination is an umbrella term for different behaviors," says computational neuroscientist Sahiti Chebolu from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics."If we want to understand it, we need to differentiate between its various types." One common pattern is that we defect on our own decisions: we might, for example, set aside an evening for the tax return, but when the time has come we watch a movie instead.
It might be tempting to lay the blame on our brain's preference for immediately rewarding activities. But there is definitely more at play: for each pattern of how the New York students deferred their task, Chebolu found multiple possible explanations."Uncertainty is another major factor in procrastination," she stresses. This could be the failure to predict how much time we will need to unearth all receipts for deductible expenses.
No matter in which category of procrastination you fall : no, you are not just lazy. Recognizing this and forgiving yourself for procrastinating in past is a good first steps towards more productivity.New research shows that trying to stifle boredom at work prolongs its effects and that alternating boring and meaningful tasks helps to prevent the effects of one boring task from spilling over to ...
Consumer Behavior Neuroscience Brain Injury Disorders And Syndromes Child Development Psychology Behavior
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The case of the missing black holes | ScienceDailyResearchers have applied the well-understood and highly verified quantum field theory, usually applied to the study of the very small, to a new target, the early universe.
Read more »
Graphene gets cleaned up | ScienceDailyEngineers establish the link between oxygen and graphene quality and present an oxygen-free chemical vapor deposition method (OF-CVD) that can reproducibly create high-quality samples for large-scale production.
Read more »
Mapping the mind with BARseq | ScienceDailyA team has scaled up the powerful brain-mapping tool BARseq. The technology is now capable of mapping millions of neurons throughout the brain. Identifying how neural connections are wired up over time is key to understanding the brain's perceptual abilities. It may also lead to better treatments for a variety of neurological conditions.
Read more »
The embryo assembles itself | ScienceDailyBiological processes depend on puzzle pieces coming together and interacting. Under specific conditions, these interactions can create something new without external input. This is called self-organization, as seen in a school of fish or a flock of birds. Interestingly, the mammalian embryo develops similarly.
Read more »
Fungus breaks down ocean plastic | ScienceDailyA fungus living in the sea can break down the plastic polyethylene, provided it has first been exposed to UV radiation from sunlight. Researchers expect that many more plastic degrading fungi are living in deeper parts of the ocean.
Read more »
Space Policy News -- ScienceDailySpace policy. Read the latest proposals, plans and research on space exploration.
Read more »