The Science of Procrastination

Procrastination is often dismissed as a simple lack of discipline.

拖延常常被視為單純缺乏自律而不被重視。

However, researchers increasingly view it as a problem of managing emotions.

然而，研究人員越來越將其視為情緒管理方面的問題。

We delay tasks that make us feel anxious, bored, or uncertain.

我們會拖延那些讓我們感到焦慮、無聊或不確定的任務。

Avoiding the task brings immediate relief, which reinforces the habit.

逃避任務會帶來立即的解脫，而這會強化這種習慣。

Unfortunately, the relief is temporary, and the anxiety soon returns even stronger.

不幸的是，這種解脫只是暫時的，焦慮很快就會捲土重來，而且更加強烈。

Being harsh on ourselves tends to make the problem considerably worse.

對自己苛刻往往會讓問題嚴重許多。

Studies show that self-compassion actually reduces the likelihood of delaying again.

研究顯示，自我關懷實際上會降低再次拖延的可能性。

Breaking a daunting project into small, concrete steps can also help.

把令人望而生畏的專案拆成小而具體的步驟，也會有所幫助。

Once we begin, the task rarely feels as unpleasant as we had imagined.

一旦開始，這項任務很少會像我們想像的那樣令人不快。