How Does The Science of Procrastination (and how to stop) Work?

Procrastination is when you know you should do something now, but you choose to play with toys or eat snacks instead, even though you know you'll feel better later if you just get it done.

Imagine your homework is like a big pile of blocks you need to stack. You know stacking them all will make a cool tower that stands tall and proud. But right now, you want to play with the red block that looks like a car, because that feels fun right now. That's procrastination!

Procrastination is like choosing a small, quick joy (like playing with your toy) over a bigger, longer joy (like finishing your homework and getting a sticker).

Sometimes, the work feels too hard or takes too long. Like trying to eat all your vegetables at once, it's not fun! But if you take one bite at a time, it gets easier.

Also, sometimes you're just tired, like after a really long day of running around and playing. Then even small tasks feel like mountains!

You can break the big pile of blocks into smaller parts. Do one or two blocks now, then take a short break. Maybe you can even do it while listening to your favorite song.

Or you could say to yourself: “I’ll just do 1 more thing, and then I’ll play!” That way, you give yourself permission to have fun after you work.