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Mind

How to stop procrastinating and start getting things done

Procrastination can steal hours of our time, but the latest research has some answers about how to reduce it, finds David Robson in his new 60-second psychology column

By David Robson

18 April 2023

Distraught woman having salad for dinner while working on computer in the evening at home. ; Shutterstock ID 1581071689; purchase_order: -; job: -; client: -; other: -

Drazen Zigic/Shutterstock

PROCRASTINATION, we are often told, is the “thief of time”. When I notice my days slipping away in some unfulfilling activity, I can’t help but feel a sense of loss for all I might have achieved and guilt for failing to keep that burglar at bay.

According to the psychological research, our self-admonishment may only make it harder to break the habit, because procrastination is often a way of coping with stress and self-criticism. If I feel anxious about writing a new chapter of my book, for example, I may choose to hide my head in the sands of …

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