Dr. Timothy A. Pychyl, associate professor of psychology and director of the Procrastination Research Group (Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada), provides a series of short talks, interviews and question/answer podcasts that explain why we procrastinate and what we can do about it. An award winning educator, Dr. Pychyl challenges his listeners to explore their daily choices to act or postpone acting on their intentions. Do we head to the gym as intended, or slouch back on the couch thinking "I'll feel more like a workout tomorrow"? Do we tackle the task now, or do we avoid it arguing to ourselves that "I work better under pressure"? From losing 10 pounds to changing personal habits, Pychyl, a personality psychologist, focuses on the breakdown of intentional action - a problem commonly called procrastination. This series expands on three main themes: 1) irrational delay that sabotages personal productivity, 2) personality attributes that contribute to self-defeating behaviours, and 3) situational factors that undermine our ability to take or sustain action...
http://iprocrastinate.libsyn.com
Two hundred toenails: Strategies to get going on avoidance goals
Avoidance goals create a focus on avoiding or eliminating undesired outcomes. For example, avoid failing my exam. Approach-oriented goals involve reaching or maintaining desired outcomes; get an "A" on my exam. Although approach-oriented goals are related to more happiness and goal success overall, we all have avoidance goals in our lives. In this podcast, I discuss one of my avoidance goals and some strategies I use to help me get going on the task that is ripe for procrastination.
By popular request, I end this episode with my dog team howling good night after the evening feeding. If you'd like to learn more about my "other life" as a dog musher, check out this story from Mushing Magazine (Note: This is a 6 MB PDF document).
To learn more, see procrastination.ca. Our latest Carpe Diem cartoon has a focus on approach and avoidance goals.