Advantages, disadvantages and "best practices" for to-do lists. I use one constantly. It's not a cure-all for procrastination or for making goal pursuit more successful, but this simple tool is worth talking about. It's worth trying if you haven't really embraced the power of a plan.
Want to learn more? Check out procrastination.ca
Like the closing song? Me too. It's by Singer, Songwriter Matt Weidinger - check him out at mattweidinger.com

To-Do Lists: The Power and Peril of a Plan

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.  Drawing on the research literature, topics include: self-handicapping, anxiety, self-regulation, perfectionism, will power, coping styles, effects on health and well-being, impulsivity, temporal discounting, motivation and even purpose in life. Of course, Dr. Pychyl doesnâ€™t leave his listeners with the problem itself. Once these key factors have been established, he turns his attention to techniques that facilitate self change, habit-breaking implementation intentions, as well as strategies that help each of us to â€œcarpe diem!â€?  The emphasis is on self-understanding, practical advice and tools for change. We guarantee that you will find this an engaging series of podcasts that will provide you with tactics to increase personal productivity and well-being.

Self-Help

Health

Health & Fitness

An interview with Mr. Bhavin Prajapati who discusses "getting stuck" with his M.A. thesis and the journey he took to both understand why he was procrastinating and what to do about it. You might be interested in reading a post that Bhavin wrote that summarizes at least part of this journey. To learn more about procrastination and our research, see procrastination.ca The closing song is by singer, songwriter Matt Weidinger - check him out at mattweidinger.com

Academic Procrastination: A Graduate Student's Story

An interview with Scott Taylor who completed his undergraduate honours thesis at Carleton University. Scott studied the relations between ADHD, Executive Function and procrastination. His research is the most recent and the most rigorous study in the area. Scott explains his research and the findings, but perhaps more importantly he reflects on personal experiences that may help listeners think through the challenges of ADHD and the potential for change. In this episode, I referenced the work of Russell Barkley and his book, "Executive Functions: What they are, how they work and why they evolved" To learn more about procrastination and our research, see procrastination.ca The closing song is by singer, songwriter Matt Weidinger - check him out at mattweidinger.com

ADHD , Executive Functions & Procrastination: An interesting new study

An interview with a first-year college student who went from procrastinator in high school to a productive, A+ student in college. Listen to how this happened. To learn more about procrastination and our research, see procrastination.ca The closing song is by singer, songwriter Matt Weidinger - check him out at mattweidinger.com

Ending the Procrastination Habit

An interview with Dr. Fuschia Sirois (University of Sheffield) about her recently published meta-analysis relating perfectionism to procrastination. Fuschia sets the record straight by summarizing the research literature which shows how perfectionism relates to procrastination. Reference Sirois, F.M., Molnar, D.S., & Hirsch, J.K. (2017). A meta-analytic and conceptual update on the associations between procrastination and multidimensional perfectionism. European Journal of Personality DOI: 10.1002/per.2098 If you're interested in this topic, you may want to listen to two previous podcasts with Dr. Gordon Flett (York University) on perfectionism and procrastination (Part 1 & Part 2). To learn more about procrastination and our research, see procrastination.ca The closing song is by singer, songwriter Matt Weidinger - check him out at mattweidinger.com

Perfectionistic Concerns, Perfectionistic Strivings: There's an important difference

An interview with Shane Littrell of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga about his procrastination research. Shane helps us understand the complex interplay of person and situation that influence our procrastination. To learn more, see procrastination.ca The closing song is by singer, songwriter Matt Weidinger - check him out at mattweidinger.com

To-Do Lists: The Power and Peril of a Plan

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