The Procrastination Equation

concretely—that is, with lots of detail on the particulars of who, what, where, and when. Actions or goals framed in abstract terms, like “engaging in self-development,” are less likely to be immediately pursued than goals framed in concrete terms, like “reading this book.”11 Similarly, the broad goal of “exercising” is less motivating than “running for an hour,” and “getting a promotion” is harder to act on than the more immediate goal of “writing this report.” Since we consistently frame long-term goals abstractly, the result is that we are more likely to postpone them, at least until they become short-term goals and we start thinking about them concretely.

Never put off till tomorrow,
what you can do the day after tomorrow.
MARKTWAIN

that many Greek farmers put up not only their farms but also their families as collateral. Procrastination led not only to a poor credit rating, but also to seeing your sons and daughters become the exclusive property of your richer neighbors.

Similarly, the ancient Greeks struggled with procrastination, as recounted by Hesiod. Living around 700 B.C., Hesiod was one of the greatest poets of Greek literature, rivaled only by Homer. In Hesiod’s epic 800-line poem, Work and Days, he exhorts: “Do not put your work off till tomorrow and the day after; for a sluggish worker does not fill his barn, nor one who puts off his work: industry makes work go well, but a man who puts off work is always at hand-grips with ruin.” This warning was especially important because the Greeks were in the midst of a financial crisis of such proportions

When our ancestors needed to do the basic four “F”s of survival—feeding, fighting, fleeing, and mating—

As I mentioned in the last chapter, scientific evidence of the connection between impulsiveness and procrastination is unequivocal.