It's time to buckle down, open your computer... and check your phone.

該是埋頭苦幹的時候了， 去打開電腦……還有……滑滑你的手機。

Maybe catch up on your favorite YouTube channel?

也許去看看你最喜歡的 YouTube 頻道有什麼新內容？

Actually, you should probably make dinner first.

其實，你可能應該先弄晚餐。

You usually like cooking, though it's hard to enjoy with this work hanging over your head, and oh— it's actually pretty late!

你很喜歡煮飯，不過心頭一直有報告的事讓很難享受在煮飯的樂趣中，然後，時間就很晚了！

Maybe you should just try again in the morning?

也許應該早上再來試著寫看看？

This is the cycle of procrastination, and I promise you, we have all been there.

這就是拖延的循環，我向你保證，大家都拖延過。

But why do we keep procrastinating even when we know it's bad for us?

但為什麼我們明知拖延對我們不好，還是不斷拖延呢？

To be clear, putting something off isn't always procrastinating.

先說清楚，推遲某件事不見得一定是拖延。

Responsible time management requires deciding which tasks are important and which ones can wait.

負責任的時間管理需要知道哪些事情是重要的，哪些可以等待。

Procrastination is when we avoid a task we said we would do, for no good reason, despite expecting our behavior to bring negative consequences.

拖延是指無緣無故地逃避自己說過會做的事情，儘管知道自己這樣的行為會帶來負面後果。

Obviously, it's irrational to do something you expect to harm you.

顯然，做一些你認為會傷害你的事情是不合理的。

But ironically, procrastination is the result of our bodies trying to protect us, specifically by avoiding a task we see as threatening.

但諷刺的是，拖延是我們的身體試圖保護我們的結果，特別是透過避免執行我們認為具有威脅性的事情。

When you realize you need to write that report, your brain responds like it would to any incoming threat.

當你意識到你需要寫那份報告時，你的大腦會像對待任何即將到來的威脅一樣做出反應。

Your amygdala, a set of neurons involved in emotional processing and threat identification, releases hormones including adrenaline that kick off a fear response.

杏仁核是參與情緒處理和威脅識別的神經元，它會釋放包括腎上腺素在內的激素，從而引發恐懼反應。

This stress-induced panic can overpower the impulses from your prefrontal cortex, which typically help you think long term and regulate your emotions.

這種由壓力引起的恐慌會壓倒前額葉皮層的衝動，而前額葉皮層通常可以幫助人長期思考並調節情緒。

And it's in the midst of this fight, flight, or freeze response that you decide to handle the threat by avoiding it in favor of some less stressful task.

正是在這種戰鬥、逃跑或凍結反應下，你決定透過避免威脅來處理威脅，轉而從事一些壓力較小的事情。

This response might seem extreme—after all, it's just a deadline, not a bear attack.

這種反應可能看起來很極端，畢竟，這只是繳交期限，並不是熊的襲擊。

But we're most likely to procrastinate tasks that evoke negative feelings, such as dread, incompetence, and insecurity.

但我們最有可能拖延會引起負面情緒的事情，例如恐懼、無能和不安全感。

Studies of procrastinating university students have found participants were more likely to put off tasks they perceived as stressful or challenging.

針對會拖延的大學生所做的研究發現，受試者比較可能推遲他們認為有壓力或很困難的事物。

And the perception of how difficult the task is increases while you're putting it off.

當拖延時，自身對於該事物難度的感受就會增加。

In one experiment, students were given reminders to study throughout the day.

在一項實驗中，學生一整天都會被提醒要讀書。

While they were studying, most reported that it wasn't so bad.

當他們在讀書時，大部分人回報的感受都不太差。

But when they were procrastinating, they consistently rated the idea of studying as very stressful, making it difficult to get started.

但當他們拖延時，他們都很一致地認為想到要讀書就覺得很有壓力，導致很難踏出第一步。

Because procrastination is motivated by our negative feelings, some individuals are more susceptible to it than others.

因為拖延背後的動機是我們的負面感受，而有些人又比其他人更容易受到影響。

People who have difficulty regulating their emotions and those who struggle with low self-esteem are much more likely to procrastinate,

不太能控管好情緒的人以及為自卑所苦的人拖延的可能性就高很多，

regardless of how good they are at time management.

不論他們有多擅長時間管理。

However, it's a common misconception that all procrastinators are lazy.

然而，大家常會誤以為拖延的人就很懶散。

In the body and brain, laziness is marked by no energy and general apathy.

就身體和大腦來說，懶散的特徵是沒有能量和普遍的冷淡。

When you're feeling lazy, you're more likely to sit around doing nothing than distract yourself with unimportant tasks.

當你覺得很懶的時候，你比較有可能會只是坐著不幹嘛，而不是用不重要的事物來讓自己分心。

In fact, many people procrastinate because they care too much.

事實上，許多人拖延是因為他們太在乎了。

Procrastinators often report a high fear of failure, putting things off because they're afraid their work won't live up to their high standards.

拖延者通常會表示他們極度害怕失敗，把事情推遲是因為他們怕他們所做的無法達到他們的高標準。

Whatever the reason for procrastination, the results are often the same.

不論拖延的理由為何，結果通常都一樣。

Frequent procrastinators are likely to suffer from anxiety and depression, ongoing feelings of shame, higher stress levels and physical ailments associated with high stress.

經常拖延的人比較有可能面臨的困擾包括焦慮及憂鬱、持續的羞恥感、更高度的壓力，以及和高壓力相關的身體病痛。

Worst of all, while procrastination hurts us in the long run, it does temporarily reduce our stress level, reinforcing it as a bodily response for coping with stressful tasks.

最糟糕的是，雖然從長遠來看拖延會傷害我們，但它確實會暫時降低我們的壓力水平，並將其強化為應對壓力任務的身體反應。

So, how can we break the cycle of procrastination?

那麼，要如何打破拖延的循環呢？

Traditionally, people thought procrastinators needed to cultivate discipline and practice strict time management.

傳統上，大家認為拖延者需要培養紀律並練習嚴格的時間管理。

But today, many researchers feel the exact opposite.

但現今，許多研究者的看法相反。

Being too hard on yourself can layer additional bad emotions onto a task, making the threat even more intense.

對自己太苛刻會給任務帶來額外的不良情緒，讓威脅更加強烈。

To short-circuit this stress response, we need to address and reduce these negative emotions.

為了減緩這種壓力反應，我們需要解決和減少這些負面情緒。

Some simple strategies include breaking a task into smaller elements or journaling about why it's stressing you out and addressing those underlying concerns.

一些簡單的方法包括將任務分解成更小的元素或記錄為什麼它讓你感到壓力並解決這些潛在的問題。

Try removing nearby distractions that make it easy to impulsively procrastinate.

試著消除周遭的干擾，這些干擾很容易導致衝動地拖延。

And more than anything, it helps to cultivate an attitude of self-compassion, forgiving yourself, and making a plan to do better next time.

最重要的是，它有助於培養自我同情的態度，原諒自己，並製定下一次做得更好的計劃。

Because a culture that perpetuates this cycle of stress and procrastination hurts all of us in the long term.

因為長期存在這種壓力和拖延循環的文化會傷害我們大家。