Beating Procrastination and Boosting Productivity

Key concepts students will learn:

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  Procrastination is not merely delaying tasks, but actively avoiding them despite expecting negative consequences, driven by an irrational desire to escape perceived threats.

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  The amygdala's release of stress hormones during challenging tasks can overpower the prefrontal cortex, leading to a fight, flight, or freeze response that favors immediate stress reduction over long-term goals.

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  While often misconstrued as laziness, procrastination frequently stems from a fear of failure and high personal standards, resulting in anxiety, depression, and shame due to the inability to meet self-imposed expectations.

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  Counterintuitively, overcoming procrastination involves cultivating self-compassion and addressing underlying negative emotions, rather than solely relying on strict time management, to mitigate the stress response associated with daunting tasks.