＃定義懶惰和拖延
If you’re stuck in what seems like an endless cycle of procrastination, guilt and chaos, you might be wondering, “Why am I so lazy?” or “Why can’t I just get myself together?”
Despite that common perception, laziness usually isn’t the reason behind procrastination, said Jenny Yip, a clinical psychologist and executive director of the Los Angeles-based Little Thinkers Center, which helps children with academic challenges.
“Laziness is like, ‘I have absolutely no desire to even think about this.’ Procrastination is, ‘It troubles me to think about this. And therefore, it’s hard for me to get the job done.’ That’s a big difference.”
Knowing why you procrastinate and learning how to combat it are the only ways to change your behavior, according to experts. Psychologist Linda Sapadin sought to help this self-improvement effort with her book “How to Beat Procrastination in the Digital Age.”
You could be the perfectionist, the dreamer, the worrier or the defier — these are all procrastination styles that Sapadin lists in her book.
| Word | Chinese | Definition |
| stuck | (adj.)困住 | unable to move, or set in a particular position, place, or way of thinking |
| procrastination | (n.)拖延 | the act of delaying something that must be done, often because it is unpleasant or boring |
| guilt | (n.)內疚 | a feeling of worry or unhappiness that you have because you have done something wrong, such as causing harm to another person |
| chaos | (n.)混亂 | a state of total confusion with no order |
| perception | (n.)觀點 | a belief or opinion, often held by many people and based on how things seem |
| psychologist | (n.)心理學家 | someone who studies the human mind and human emotions and behaviour, and how different situations have an effect on people |
| academic | (adj.)學術上的 | relating to schools, colleges, and universities, or connected with studying and thinking, not with practical skills |
| laziness | (n.)懶惰 | the quality of not being willing to work or use any effort |
| desire | (n.)慾望 | to want something, especially strongly |
| combat | (v.)與...戰鬥 | to try to stop something unpleasant or harmful from happening or increasing |
| beat | (v.)打敗 | to defeat or do better than |
| perfectionist | (n.)完美主義者 | a person who wants everything to be perfect and demands the highest standards possible |
| defy | (v.)反抗 | to refuse to obey a person, decision, law, situation, etc. |
＃拖延症確實不利於我們的生活
Procrastination can have practical consequences, such as falling behind at work or failing to achieve personal goals or to cross off errands from a to-do list. But there are also emotional or mental impacts. It has been associated with depression, anxiety and stress, poor sleep, inadequate physical activity, loneliness and economic difficulties, according to a January study of more than 3,500 college students.
“Particularly in America, where so much of our worth is tied up into what we do, how we work, what we produce — it can feel very shameful if you can’t do that,” said Vara Saripalli, a Chicago-based clinical psychologist. “It can leave people feeling very defeated and feeling like there’s no point in trying.”
Knowing why you procrastinate can make you self-aware, but you still need strategies to break the habit. “Otherwise, we’ll just keep repeating things,” Saripalli said. “The strategy you’re going to employ to beat procrastination is going to change based on the purpose procrastination is serving for you.”
Here’s how to explore which type of procrastinator you might be — though remember, you could embody the traits of more than just one type.
| Word | Chinese | Definition |
| practical | (adj.)實際的 | relating to experience, real situations, or actions rather than ideas or imagination |
| consequence | (n.)後果 | a result of a particular action or situation, often one that is bad or not convenient |
| errand | (n.)差事 | a short journey either to take a message or to take or collect something |
| associate | (v.)連結 | to connect someone or something in your mind with someone or something else |
| inadequate | (adj.)不足夠的 | too small in amount |
| shameful | (adj.)可恥的 | deserving blame, or being a reason for feeling ashamed |
| embody | (v.)展現、體現 | to represent a quality or an idea exactly |
＃類型1.完美主義者
A procrastinator is usually a perfectionist, Yip said.
“Because the perfectionist needs things done perfectly — all Ts crossed and Is dotted — it takes an insurmountable amount of effort. And if (they) don’t have a plan of how to get this task completed, then the perfectionist will get lost.”
＃類型2.擔憂者
Worriers tend to be indecisive and dependent on others for advice or reassurance before taking initiative on their own. They also have a high resistance to change, preferring the safety of the known.
Both perfectionists and worriers might put off starting tasks due to a fear of failure or criticism, said Itamar Shatz, a researcher at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and creator of the website Solving Procrastination.
Challenge those beliefs and your behavior by recognizing that perfectionistic standards are unrealistic, Shatz said. “Replace them with standards that are good enough instead while giving yourself permission to make some mistakes,” he added.
Avoid all-or-nothing thinking and give yourself a time limit for completing a task. (And then stick to that time limit — don’t just give up if you don’t meet it.)
| Word | Chinese | Definition |
| insurmountable | (adj.)難以克服的 | (especially of a problem or a difficulty) so great that it cannot be dealt with successfully |
| indecisive | (adj.)優柔寡斷的 | not good at making decisions |
| reassurance | (n.)安慰 | words of advice and comfort intended to make someone feel less worried |
| initiative | (n.)決斷能力 | the ability to use your judgment to make decisions and do things without needing to be told what to do |
| resistance | (n.)對抗 | the act of fighting against something that is attacking you, or refusing to accept something |
| criticism | (n.)批評 | the act of saying that something or someone is bad |
| stick to | (v.)堅持、忠於 | to limit yourself to doing or using one particular thing and not change to anything else |
＃類型3.夢想者
A “dreamer” procrastinator doesn’t like the nitty-gritty logistical details often needed to get projects done, Saripalli said. “They like to have ideas,” she added. “That stuff is fun. It’s kind of difficult or boring to then execute these visions.”
Dreamers might also think of themselves as people for whom fate will intervene, making proactive hard work and efficiency appear unnecessary.
And like a perfectionist, a dreamer might always want something better, Yip said. Train yourself to differentiate between dreams and goals, and approach goals with six questions: what, when, where, who, why and how. Change “soon” or “one day” to specific times. Write your plans into a timeline, specifying each step.
| Word | Chinese | Definition |
| the nitty-gritty | (n.)本質 | the basic facts of a situation |
| execute | (v.)履行 | to do or perform something, especially in a planned way |
| vision | (n.)想像 | an idea or mental image of something |
| fate | (n.)天意 | a power that some people believe causes and controls all events, so that you cannot change or control the way things will happen |
| intervene | (v.)干涉 | to intentionally become involved in a difficult situation in order to improve it or prevent it from getting worse |
| proactive | (adj.)積極主動的 | taking action by causing change and not only reacting to change when it happens |
＃類型4.對抗者
People with defiant procrastination tend to view life in terms of what others expect or require them to do, not what they want. This pessimism diminishes their motivation to complete tasks.
If you have this mindset, find positive ways to feel in control, Shatz said. Strive to act rather than react and try to work with a team or supervisor, not against them.
“If something doesn’t sit well with you, rather than being passive-aggressive about it, acknowledge what is or isn’t working and then have a conversation with whoever is giving you this assignment,” Yip said. “Defiers usually don’t feel equipped to have these conversations with who they see as authority figures, or they don’t believe that having the conversations would give them any benefit or positive outcome. … That’s not necessarily true.”
| Word | Chinese | Definition |
| defiant | (adj.)對抗的 | proudly refusing to obey authority |
| pessimism | (n.)悲觀主義 | emphasizing or thinking of the bad part of a situation rather than the good part, or the feeling that bad things are more likely to happen than good things |
| diminish | (v.)減少 | to reduce or be reduced in size or importance |
| strive | (v.)努力 | to try very hard to do something or to make something happen, especially for a long time or against difficulties |
| assignment | (n.)任務 | a piece of work given to someone, typically as part of their studies or job |
| authority | (n.)權威 | the moral or legal right or ability to control |
＃我們該如何解決拖延症後群
Just like working on anxiety or other mental health issues, addressing procrastination can be hard, especially if it comes from deep-rooted issues, Shatz said.
For some people who procrastinate, “their sense of self is so fragile that the idea of doing something and failing would just tip them over into complete worthlessness,” said Sean Grover, a New York City-based psychotherapist specializing in group therapy.
In such cases, “consider contacting a professional, like a psychologist, who might be able to help you,” Shatz added.
“Visualization works,” Yip said. “If you can visualize yourself completing (a task), then it becomes more achievable simply because you have an idea that it can be done.”
At the end of the day, how you approach life is “all about your belief system,” Yip said. “If you believe you can, you can. If you believe you cannot, you can’t. So whatever you believe, you’re right.”
| Word | Chinese | Definition |
| fragile | (adj.)脆弱的 | easily damaged, broken, or harmed |
| visualization | (n.)視覺化 | the act of visualizing something or someone (= forming a picture of it in your mind) |
| approach | (v.)處理 | to deal with something |
延伸學習資源（聽力訓練）：Why you procrastinate even when it feels bad
When listening, challenge yourself to answer below questions.
1.What is procrastination?
A:Prioritizing certain tasks over others
B:Refusing to complete certain tasks for ethical reasons
C:Making a poorly organized schedule for completing tasks
D:Avoiding certain tasks for no good reason
2.Procrastination is the result of our bodies trying to ____ us.
A:Sabotage
B:Protect
C:Harm
D:Desensitize
3.Which part of the brain is responsible for the fear response associated with procrastination?
A:Prefrontal cortex
B:Hippocampus
C:Amygdala
D:Pituitary gland
4.Which of these groups of people are most likely to be procrastinators?
A:People who struggle with self-control and impulsivity
B:People who struggle with low self-esteem and emotional regulation
C:People who struggle with low energy and general apathy
D:People who struggle with insomnia and dietary balance
5.Why have many researchers come to believe that strict discipline is not an effective way to combat procrastination?
A:Being too hard on yourself can make the task at hand feel more threatening.
B:Rigid schedules are too often subject to change.
C:It's impossible to discipline oneself.
D:Procrastination is a genetically inherited trait.
1.D 2.B 3.C 4.B 5.A
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