The Atlantic

The Mechanics of Preventing Procrastination

A new study finds that thinking about far-off events in terms of days, rather than years, makes people get started sooner.
Source: David Gray / Reuters

Procrastination is, in essence, stealing from yourself. The reason goals are so hard to reach, many psychologists think, is because each person believes they are really two people: Present Me and Future Me. And to most people, Future Me is less important than Present Me. Present Me is the CEO of Me Corp, while Future Me is a lowly clerk.

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