Name: 【聽Podcast學英文】為什麼我們會慣性拖延？ (Why do we procrastinate? ⏲️ 6 Minute English)
Uploaded: 2025-11-29T21:01:10.000Z
Duration: 6 min 24 s

Hello, this is Six Minute English from BBC Learning English.

哈囉，這裡是 BBC Learning English 的《六分鐘英語》。

I've got a deadline to meet today and I haven't finished my work yet.

我今天有一個截止期限要趕，但我工作還沒做完。

Let me guess, it's because you delayed and delayed and put your work off until the last minute as usual.

讓我猜猜，因為你一拖再拖，把工作一如往常地拖到最後一刻。

Someone who keeps delaying things that need to be done.

拖延者就是一直拖延需要完成的事情的人。

I work better when a deadline is approaching.

我在截止日期逼近時工作得比較好。

But did you know that people who procrastinate have higher levels of stress and lower well-being?

但你知道嗎？拖延的人有更高的壓力，也有較低的幸福感。

Procrastination is also linked with lower financial and career success.

拖延也與較低的財務與職涯成功有關。

So there's a lot of reasons not to do it.

In this program, we're discussing procrastination,

在本集節目中，我們將討論拖延症，

the act of delaying things that must be done until later, often because they're difficult and boring or unpleasant.

也就是把必須完成的事情延後，通常因為它們困難、無聊或令人不愉快。

And as usual, we'll be learning some new vocabulary along the way.

照例，我們也會一路學些新單字。

So without wasting any more time, I have a question for you, Sam.

所以不再浪費時間，我來問你一個問題，Sam。

The fact that procrastinating or putting things off is bad for us doesn't stop people doing it.

明知道拖延對我們不好，卻還是有人一直拖。

According to recent research by DePaul University in Chicago,

根據芝加哥迪堡大學近期研究，

what percentage of people procrastinate so much that it interferes with their day to day life?

有多少比例的人拖延到影響日常生活？

I'll guess that around 10% of people have a serious procrastination problem.

我猜大概 10% 的人有嚴重的拖延問題。

Okay, Sam, we'll find out the answer later in the program.

好，Sam，我們待會兒會公布答案。

Sam is certainly not alone in putting things off until the last minute.

Sam 把事情拖到最後一刻，其實並不孤單。

Here's Ella Al Shamahi, presenter of BBC Radio 4's Why Do We Do That?

以下是 BBC Radio 4《Why Do We Do That?》主持人 Ella Al Shamahi，

Talking to comedian Eshaan Akbar about his procrastination habitat.

與喜劇演員 Eshaan Akbar 對談他的拖延習慣。

Would you say, Eshaan, that you're a procrastinator?

Eshaan，你會說自己是拖延者嗎？

I am a serial procrastinator without a shadow of a doubt.

毫無疑問，我絕對是個重度拖延者。

Over the years I've told myself that I procrastinate because I work better under pressure.

多年來我告訴自己，拖延是因為我在壓力下工作得更好。

Eshaan thinks that he is a procrastinator without a shadow of a doubt.

Eshaan 認為自己毫無疑問（without a shadow of a doubt）是個拖延者。

A phrase which is used to emphasize that you are completely certain of something.

這是一個強調「完全確定」的片語。

Eshaan also says that like Sam, he works better under pressure when he feels stressed or anxious because of having too much to do.

Eshaan 也說，如同 Sam，他在壓力下工作得更好，也就是因為要做的事太多而感到焦慮或緊張時。

But maybe also like Sam, Eshaan has a problem organising his workload and managing his time.

但也許像 Sam 一樣，Eshaan 也有安排工作量和管理時間的問題。

My time management skills are okay, thank you.

我的時間管理能力還行，謝謝。

With me, it's more of an emotional response.

對我來說，這比較像情緒反應。

I see a mountain of work, feel threatened, and think, how on earth will I finish all that?

我看到一大堆工作，就覺得被威脅，心想「我到底怎麼可能做得完？」

What Sam says is supported by a theory of human evolution which explains how putting things off is an emotional response.

Sam 的說法得到一個人類演化理論支持，認為拖延其實是一種情緒反應。

Back when we were living in caves, life was dangerous and short and our ancestors were impulsive.

當我們還住在洞穴時，生活危險又短暫，我們的祖先很衝動。

They acted suddenly, on instinct without thinking about the consequences of what they were doing.

他們憑本能突然行動，不會思考後果。

Back then, being impulsive was a good thing.

在那個時代，衝動其實是好事。

But in modern life, we with work goals and deadlines.

但在現代我們有工作目標和截止日期。

When we are impulsive and get distracted, we procrastinate.

當我們太衝動、容易分心，就會拖延。

So rather than being a problem with time management, Sam should blame her caveman ancestors who acted on impulse.

所以，與其怪時間管理不好，Sam 應該怪她那些憑衝動行事的洞穴人祖先。

Let's listen again to comedian Eshaan Akbar talking about how he feels when he procrastinates.

我們再聽一次喜劇演員 Eshaan Akbar 談他拖延時的感受。

A lot of stuff you read about procrastination focuses on the time management element of it.

很多關於拖延的解釋都聚焦在時間管理上。

I've probably got a better sense that for me, it seems very squarely around the emotional aspect of it.

但我越來越覺得對我而言，拖延完全是情緒層面的問題。

Perhaps I get more emotional gratification from doing it last minute and I need to understand why.

也許我在最後一刻完成事情，會得到更多情緒上的滿足，我需要弄清楚為什麼。

Why I prefer that over the calm serenity of getting things done with oodles of time in my hands.

為什麼我會偏好那樣，而不是在手上有大把（oodles）時間時從容完成？

In the same way that our ancestors felt good living on impulse, Eshaan thinks he gets gratification, but

就像祖先憑衝動行動時感覺良好一樣，Eshaan 覺得他從最後一刻完成事情中得到滿足感（gratification）。

a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction from doing things at the last minute.

滿足感指的是一種愉悅與滿意的感覺。

What he doesn't understand is why he prefers to work under pressure instead of finishing calmly with oodles or lots of time.

他不明白的是，為什麼他偏好壓力下工作，而不是悠閒地在充裕時間中完成工作。

Unlike Eshaan, I'd rather finish my work feeling relaxed.

不像 Eshaan，我更喜歡放鬆地完成我的工作。

Well, breaking down the task into smaller stages also breaks down the level of threat you feel from your workload.

把工作拆成較小的階段，可以減少你對工作量的威脅感。

Also, forgiving yourself for procrastinating in the past seems helpful in avoiding procrastinating in the future.

另外，原諒自己過去的拖延，似乎有助於避免未來的拖延。

So forgive yourself and start making changes, Sam, before you end up like the time wasters in my question.

所以原諒自己吧，Sam，並開始做出改變，不然你會變成我問題中提到的那些浪費時間的人。

What percentage of people procrastinate so much that it interferes with day-to-day life?

Well, I guessed it was 10%, which was the wrong answer, I'm afraid.

嗯，我猜是 10%，但很遺憾答案錯了。

In fact, around 20% of us have a procrastination habit so strong it makes life difficult.

事實上，大約 20% 的人拖延得如此嚴重，以至於讓生活變得困難。

Okay, let's recap the vocabulary we've learned from this program on procrastination.

好吧，我們來複習今天學到的拖延相關單字。

Delaying or putting off doing things until later, often because they're difficult, unpleasant or boring.

拖延：把事情延後，通常因為困難、不愉快或無聊。

The phrase without a shadow of a doubt is used to emphasize that you are completely certain of something.

「without a shadow of a doubt」意指完全確定、毫無疑問。

If you're under pressure, you feel stressed or anxious because of having too much to do.

「under pressure」表示因為事情太多而感到壓力或焦慮。

Impulsive behaviour is sudden and spontaneous, done without thinking about the consequences.

「impulsive」指突然、憑本能行動，不考慮後果。

Gratification means a feeling of pleasure and satisfaction.

「gratification」是愉悅與滿足的感覺。

And finally, when you have oodles of something, you have a very large amount of something pleasant, like time.

「oodles」表示大量的、尤其是令人愉快的事物，例如時間。

I'm rushing off to finish my work, Neil, but

我要趕著完成工作了，Neil，但——

remember to make time to join us again soon here at 6 Minute English.

記得下次再來收聽我們的《六分鐘英語》。