Nir EyalSpeaker on Behavioral Science, NYT Bestselling Author, Former Stanford Lecturer

Why do people procrastinate? #shorts

Name: Why do people procrastinate? #shorts
Uploaded: 2023-07-25T14:00:22+00:00
Duration: 27 s
Channel: Nir Eyal
Description: Nir Eyal explains that people procrastinate because they assume they will have time later and avoid the discomfort of starting a task. He recommends…

25 Jul 2023 · 0 min

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0:27

Nir Eyal explains that people procrastinate because they assume they will have time later and avoid the discomfort of starting a task. He recommends using very small work bursts (e.g., two to five minutes) to make progress, reduce discomfort, and better estimate how long the task will take, which helps sustain consistent effort until completion.

This is why people procrastinate, because they think, okay, I'll have time, I'll have time, I'll have time. And they avoid that discomfort of doing the task. And of course, the more they procrastinate, the more discomfort they feel. If you can just put in a little bit of time, do five minutes, do two minutes. Okay, Work on the task for two, literally two minutes. If you can do that, two minutes of progress, you can begin to start estimating. Here's how long it's going to take. And so if I just put in that consistent effort, I know eventually the task will get done.