Never miss a story or episode from Life Kit. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to get our journalism delivered directly to your inbox.Procrastination is often misunderstood.Many of us chalk it up to laziness, see it as a modern phenomenon and think it simply can't be overcome.But those things aren't true, says Itamar Shatz, author of a book published in August, Solving Procrastination: The Science of Why We Put Things Off and How to (Finally!) Stop.
People have been struggling with getting things done throughout history (Mozart was a serial procrastinator).We also tend to push things off for a variety of reasons, like being a perfectionist.And procrastination is certainly something you can conquer, Shatz argues in his book.
The key, he says, is to stop thinking you simply have to work harder.Instead, change your approach.
"The really important thing is to figure out what is going to motivate you."Take this quiz, based on Life Kit's interview with Shatz, a social science lecturer at Cambridge University, and his book, Solving Procrastination, to see how much you know.You may learn a tool or two on how to overcome procrastination along the way.
Loading...Quiz: Are you too online? Take this quiz to assess your digital habits, and then learn how to engage with your electronic devices in a way that's intentional and appropriate.Do you lean optimistic or pessimistic? Take this quiz and find out.
A glass-half-full outlook can keep you engaged and hopeful in hard times.Take this quiz to find out your level of optimism, and then learn how to train yourself to become more optimistic.What's your attachment style? Take this quiz to find out.
According to the field of attachment theory, each person has a unique attachment style that informs how that person relates to intimacy: secure, anxious or avoidant.We talked with Amir Levine, a neuroscientist and co-author of the book Attached, about how your attachment style can impact your relationships.Quiz text written by Mala...