This is a Lexicon entry: the mechanism, when it shows up, and the countermeasure. The full correction, with real-world cases and the audit prompt, hasn't been written yet.
Definition
The voluntary delay of an intended action despite expecting to be worse off for the delay. Procrastination Bias is not laziness - it is an emotional regulation problem. People procrastinate on tasks associated with negative emotions (anxiety, boredom, self-doubt) because avoidance provides immediate relief, while the costs are deferred. This is why task difficulty is a weaker predictor of procrastination than task-associated negative emotion. Addressing procrastination requires addressing the emotion, not the task.
When it shows up
Facing aversive or open-ended tasks: tax returns, dissertation chapters, difficult conversations, creative work with no deadline.
Failure mode
The discomfort of starting exceeds the discomfort of the deadline pressure, until very close to deadline. The task is delayed not because it is unimportant but because avoidance produces immediate relief.
Countermeasure
Make starting easier than continuing avoidance. Commit to 5 minutes. Break the task into the smallest possible first step. The anxiety about the task is worse than the task; starting resolves the anxiety.
Related traps
Also connected in the map2 more, locked
Credit & first seen
DiscoveredReviewed by Pychyl and Flett (2012) and Fuschia Sirois; Piers Steel's meta-analysis Procrastination (2010) is a key reference. source ↗
Also revealed
Entry #115 of 631 in The Lexicon · see the full Lexicon