World's Leading Expert On How To Solve Procrastination - Dr Tim Pychyl

He distinguishes procrastination from other delays such as purposeful scheduling choices, unavoidable disruptions, and delays caused by major emotional events (like grief), arguing that lumping all delay into “procrastination” leads people to beat themselves up unnecessarily.

He defines procrastination as voluntarily delaying an intended action while expecting to be worse off for the delay, and rejects the idea of “good procrastination,” saying it’s better described as purposeful delay.

He explains that avoidance is rewarding because it removes an aversive emotional state (fear, anxiety, stress, resentment), which reinforces the habit of putting things off even when it undermines long-term goals.

Drawing on his experience-sampling research with students, he describes how tasks often feel less stressful, less difficult, and more enjoyable once people finally start near a deadline—and people then regret waiting rather than claiming they “work better under pressure.”

He repeatedly returns to the idea that “what’s the next action?” (inspired by David Allen) helps translate vague projects into doable steps, and pairs this with implementation intentions (specific “when-then” plans) to make action more likely.