Are you a pre-crastinator?

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA

Published May 22, 2014

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London - Whether it’s down to the lure of a good book, the internet, or the latest must-watch TV show, people often complain about getting distracted and putting off important tasks.

But while procrastination is considered a common phenomenon, a team of researchers have claimed that we are more likely to “pre-crastinate”, or get on with a tough job so we can stop worrying about it.

The study, published in the journal Psychological Science, asked people to choose between a physically demanding task which they could start sooner or an easier chore which they would have to put off.

Scientists found that people often opt to begin a task as soon as possible just to get it off their plate – even if they have to expend more physical effort to do so.

Lead researcher Dr David Rosenbaum, from Pennsylvania State University, said: “Most of us feel stressed about all the things we need to do. We have to-do lists which we carry with us in our heads.”

He added: “People wanted to complete one of the tasks they had to do so they could check that task off and were willing to expend extra physical effort to do so.” - Daily Mail

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