I was unaware of this, but it seems that announcing your plans makes you less likely to accomplish them.

As I see it, you could use this knowledge either as a tool to foster procrastination, or a means to keep yourself driven to get things done.

In retrospect, my own behavior with respect to projects totally bears out these findings.

Having trouble getting things done? Is your procrastination controlling you instead of allowing you a fun respite from your obligations? Here are some ideas that may help.

vlogger zefrank made a special show the other day on a topic near and dear to our hearts at procrastinators.org. If you haven’t checked him out before he has a strange mix of comedy, newsiness, and every so-often, SONG! He recently got a real job so he’ll be going offline soon, so make sure to check him out if you haven’t.

zefrank on procrastination

Researchers have formulated a motivation formula called Temporal Motivational Theory.  But I hereby rename it The P function, because it determines how likely we are to procrastinate.

A dolphin with extra fins has been discovered (by which I mean captured). Scientists assume this mutation is an evolutionary throwback to before cetaceans lost their back legs.

To me it seems clear that this is just a new body mod fad for bottlenose adolescents.

Never lose a throw for shotgun again.  These handy strategies for outmaneuvering your opponent can give you the edge to master the most epic and time-honored battle of wills ever invented: rock paper scissors.

Hats off to these guys for mastery of procrastination. It took two years of development, but they proved that spinning a hard-boiled egg can make it jump. Who funded that research, I have to wonder?

It’s true! Haven’t you ever been behind some old granny on the expressway, anxious and angry to somehow pass them because they had the audacity to be driving the speed limit? Have you ever violently jerked into the next lane to get around them? Did you feel bad for hitting that small animal, whatever it was?

Okay, so maybe that’s just me.

Regardless, when you get some too-clever people who want to make that very point, you end up with a Meditation on the Speed Limit.

Simply awesome.

Here at pc.org, we normally assume a fun, casual definition of procrastination. Putting off boring tasks can be fulfilling because it allows us to feel in charge of our time. To some people though, it might not be so much fun.

We’ve been waiting patiently, and now Raytheon engineers have finally created the first robotic penguin lunar space probe. For security reasons, it does not actually resemble a penguin.

I’m sorry, but this is just too good to pass up.

A small pond in Hamburg, Germany that is normally home to a bunch of toads and crows has suddenly unleashed a disgusting fury. It seems that nearly 1,000 of the amphibious residents have puffed up like a balloon and exploded.

…

What more is there to say?

Apparently, there’s this group out there that has been calling up random internet users and conducting a survey to ask how they feel about spam email.

No comment on whether the group will next be sending out a mass email asking people about their views on telemarketing…

This startling discovery brought to you courtesy of a survey by Microsoft, as reported here. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m going to stop procrastinating.. right after I catch up on slashdot. And penny arcade. And tv.

According to researchers, the effects of global warming could reach an unstoppable turning point. However, if they are wrong, a lot of rich people could lose a lot of money for no reason. Besides, the worst that could happen if they are right is that the entire ecosystem on Earth could be irreparably damaged. Oh, right, we’re still trying to convice the current administration that global warming EXISTS! So much for signing the Kyoto accord.

According to researchers, people will be the most miserable they can be all year on this coming Monday, January 24th. This isn’t an Onion article people, this is science. There’s a formula and everything: “/8W+(D-d) 3/8xTQ MxNA. Where W is weather, D is debt – minus the money (d) due on January’s pay day – and T is the time since Christmas.”

And we all know, if there’s math, it must be true, especially if the formula is more than one line and contains variables. It’s so “confusing” you should just nod your head, and hide under the covers.

Cheerio!