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Many think procrastination comes from laziness or poor time management. But a recent New York Times article lays the blame on the negative emotions we associate with the thing we’re putting off.  Here are two ways experts say we can get to that thing we’re avoiding.

Brown University’s Dr. Judson Brewer says you must first tackle the risk/ reward aspect of procrastination.  We often feel rewarded when we put things off, then we feel bad about it.  To break the cycle, forgive yourself for procrastinating. Research found that students who forgave themselves for procrastinating on one exam procrastinated less the next time. 

Author Gretchen Rubin suggests making it more inconvenient to procrastinate and more convenient to complete the task.  Try placing obstacles between you and temptation. One example:  create a hard-to-remember password for that irresistible social media account.

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