MASTER PROCRASTINATOR

MASTER PROCRASTINATOR

https://www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator/footnotes

BEFORE WATCHING

Discuss the questions in small groups:

1. Do you always get your things done in time, or do you always put them off till the very deadline lurches at your door?

2. How would you define procrastination? Why do people tend to procrastinate? What happens in the mind of a procrastinator?

3. How good are you at prioritizing and budgeting your time? Do you believe in the magical power of time management?

4. Would you like to attend time management courses?

5. Can procrastination be fought? If yes, then how? If not, then why?

6. Describe the last time you procrastinated.

DURING WATCHING

Give the definition (write the context from the video):

to pull an all-nighter –

to perplex –

puzzling -

instant gratification –

dormant –

mayhem –

MRI –

To lose one’s mind –

Epiphany –

AFTER WATCHING

Answer the following questions:

1. What was Tim Urban’s undergraduate specialization?

2. What happened when Urban had to write his senior thesis? Did he manage to meet the deadline? What was the quality of the paper?

3. How do brains of a normal person and a procrastinator differ?

4. What is the Rational Decision-Maker responsible for?

5. What role does the Instant Gratification Monkey play in time management?

6. Why is the Instant Gratification Monkey of little use in modern times?

7. Do the Instant Gratification Monkey and the Rational Decision-Maker overlap?

8. How can the Dark Playground be described?

9. What is a procrastinator’s guardian angel?

10. When Urban was asked to give a TED Talk, what was his preparation like?

11. What did the people who wrote to Urban share in their emails?

12. What is the difference between short-term and long-term procrastination?

13. Why does Urban think we are all procrastinators?

Activity

Think of a thing you keep putting off. Draw a diagram with precise steps of how you can achieve a result.