Education

Why you procrastinate — and how to still get things done | Tim Urban

Watch the full talk: A clip from Tim Urban’s TED Talk “Inside the mind of a master procrastinator” from TED2016 Tim Urban knows that procrastination doesn’t make sense, but he’s never been able to shake his habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done. In this hilarious and insightful talk, Urban takes…

Published

3 years ago

July 17, 2021

CYBER TECH TV

Watch the full talk:

A clip from Tim Urban’s TED Talk “Inside the mind of a master procrastinator” from TED2016

Tim Urban knows that procrastination doesn’t make sense, but he’s never been able to shake his habit of waiting until the last minute to get things done. In this hilarious and insightful talk, Urban takes us on a journey through YouTube binges, Wikipedia rabbit holes and bouts of staring out the window — and encourages us to think harder about what we’re really procrastinating on, before we run out of time.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design — plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You’re welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.

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TED’s videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at

So in college, I had to write a lot of papers.

Now, when a normal student writes a paper,
they might spread the work out a little like

this.

And I would want to do that.

But then, actually, the paper would come along,
and then I would kind of do this.

Now, I had a hypothesis that the brains of
procrastinators were actually different than

the brains of other people.

And to test this, I found an MRI lab that
actually let me scan both my brain and the

brain of a proven non-procrastinator, so I
could compare them.

So here’s the brain of a non-procrastinator.

Now, here’s my brain.

There is a difference.

Both brains have a Rational Decision-Maker
in them, but the procrastinator’s brain also

has an Instant Gratification Monkey.

Now, what does this mean for the procrastinator?

Well, it means everything’s fine until this
happens.

So the Rational Decision-Maker will make the
rational decision to do something productive,

but the Monkey doesn’t like that plan, so
he actually takes the wheel, and he says,

“Actually, let’s read the entire Wikipedia
page of the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding scandal,

because I just remembered that that happened.”

The Instant Gratification Monkey does not
seem like a guy you want behind the wheel.

He lives entirely in the present moment.

He has no memory of the past, no knowledge
of the future, and he only cares about two

things: easy and fun.

Now, sometimes it makes sense to be doing
things that are easy and fun.

But other times, it makes much more sense
to be doing things that are harder and less

pleasant, for the sake of the big picture.

And that’s when we have a conflict.

Turns out that the procrastinator has a guardian
angel, someone called the Panic Monster.

Now, the Panic Monster is dormant most of
the time, but he suddenly wakes up anytime

a deadline gets too close or there’s danger
of public embarrassment, a career disaster

or some other scary consequence.

But there’s a second kind of procrastination
that happens in situations when there is no

deadline.

So if you wanted to have a career where you’re
a self-starter—something in the arts, something

entrepreneurial—there’s no deadlines on
those things at first, because nothing’s happening,

not until you’ve gone out and done the hard
work to get some momentum, to get things going.

There’s also all kinds of important things
outside of your career that don’t involve

any deadlines, like seeing your family or
exercising and taking care of your health,

working on your relationship or getting out
of a relationship that isn’t working.

Now if the procrastinator’s only mechanism
of doing these hard things is the Panic Monster,

that’s a problem, because in all of these
non-deadline situations, the Panic Monster

doesn’t show up.

And it’s this long-term kind of procrastination
that’s much less visible and much less talked

about than the funnier, short-term deadline-based
kind.

And it can be the source of a huge amount
of long-term unhappiness, and regrets.

I had a little bit of an epiphany.

I don’t think non-procrastinators exist.

That’s right.

I think all of you are procrastinators.

Now, you might not all be a mess, like some
of us, and some of you may have a healthy

relationship with deadlines, but remember:
the Monkey’s sneakiest trick is when the deadlines

aren’t there.

We need to think about what we’re really procrastinating
on, because everyone is procrastinating on

something in life.

That’s a job for all of us, and it’s a job
that should probably start today.

Well, maybe not today, but you know.

Sometime soon.

Related Topics:Brain Comedy Decision-Making entertainment featured Goals Humor Internet productivity TED Talk TED Talks TEDTalk TEDTalks time Visualizations Work Writing

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86 Comments

sertaki

July 17, 2021 at 5:01 pm

Guess why I’m watching this video.

Reply
Hot Girls Video XXX

July 17, 2021 at 5:07 pm

Stop drifting for this moment of separation to last,

Reply
Ranjeet Odedra

July 17, 2021 at 5:15 pm

Repost ?

Reply
Pacmanshooter

July 17, 2021 at 5:15 pm

I am procrasting by watching this.

Reply
Mohammed Aejaz Ahmed

July 17, 2021 at 5:21 pm

Thanks for shortening that video, I’m motivated to learn angular now

Reply
Felip STR

July 17, 2021 at 5:22 pm

NIce!
thx

Reply
Maoux

July 17, 2021 at 5:38 pm

‘and how to still get things done’ ?

Reply
Indra Kurniawan

July 17, 2021 at 6:26 pm

I like the long version

Reply
Robert Leach

July 17, 2021 at 6:32 pm

I am 76 , change up Boy.

Reply
Yas Sin

July 17, 2021 at 6:33 pm

Lol i swear sometimes even my panic monster is a little afraid of the instant gratification monkey XD

Reply
123

July 17, 2021 at 7:07 pm

How many years old is this video?

Reply
Sathrimel

July 17, 2021 at 7:10 pm

Saved to watch later

Reply
Hanzo Hasashi

July 17, 2021 at 7:23 pm

Currently procrastinating applying for jobs 😅 go me

Reply
Dani de Janeiro

July 17, 2021 at 7:38 pm

Title: why you procrastinate and how to still get things done
Vídeo: haha silly monkey here comes the monster it happens to everyone see you tomorrow maybe
Me: huh?

Reply
Cabdullaahi Bootaan

July 17, 2021 at 8:19 pm

The monkey (procrastinator) snikiest trick is when there is no deadline.

Reply
ALI RAWAL

July 17, 2021 at 9:00 pm

Once again I have saved for watch later 🤣🤠

Reply
Harshraj Rathore

July 17, 2021 at 9:15 pm

Applying for jobs and getting one is not easy.

Reply
الأسود العنسي

July 17, 2021 at 9:33 pm

I will watch this video tomorrow.

Reply
Niklas

July 17, 2021 at 9:34 pm

Does Tim have adhd?
Because what he describes in this video is pretty much exactly how people with adhd work…

Reply
SimSim

July 17, 2021 at 9:49 pm

And here I thought that this was a follow up talk :/
Still enjoyed the vid though

Reply
Tarlan Kasra

July 17, 2021 at 10:07 pm

Of course it happened FYI it was “only” all over the news back in the day SMH.

Reply
Arthur He

July 17, 2021 at 10:39 pm

nooooo if it was full length I would procrasinate to watch it and I might get things done otherwise, but now it’s short so the monkey likes it and uses it to procrastinate

Reply
TheCommonGentry

July 18, 2021 at 12:50 am

feels weird. didnt think ted-ed would go in this trend threadd/post bumping. .. i genuine thought he did a follow up and the monkey was making a came back :,(

Reply
Jamaican Princess1974

July 18, 2021 at 5:14 am

That was funny at the end

Reply
Kiran kumar ♂️

July 18, 2021 at 5:24 am

Timetravellers are those who watching this again 😂

Reply
patna

July 18, 2021 at 5:33 am

Hard work pays off tomorrow. Procrastination pays off today!

Reply
Peter Polak

July 18, 2021 at 6:16 am

Ok bois let’s watch this for the fifth time, but this time in a shortened version

Reply
Jo

July 18, 2021 at 6:19 am

Have i watched this already?

Reply
Saara

July 18, 2021 at 6:23 am

Coincidence! Am presenting this as a topic for class presentation and am just preparing it few hours left🤦🏽‍♀️
Big procrastinator here🙋🏽‍♀️

Reply
Gaurav Mishra

July 18, 2021 at 7:15 am

Awesome video 😂😂 more like stand up comedy in disguise..

Reply
Karamdeep Singh

July 18, 2021 at 7:22 am

Lol recommended again by youtube

Reply
Nikolay Vakulich

July 18, 2021 at 7:44 am

Save to Watch Later

Reply
Chan WS

July 18, 2021 at 8:23 am

I’ve procrastinated so much the panic monster has gone away and my work still isn’t done

Reply
cosmiicc90

July 18, 2021 at 9:14 am

I’m literally procrastinating watching this video

Reply
Eduardo Cardoso

July 18, 2021 at 11:53 am

Subtitles in portuguese please

Reply
がだ

July 18, 2021 at 12:02 pm

Actually this is bullshit and the truth is that the monkey is all about future and past. It reminds me that the work will hardly mean anything in the long run and at the same time it reminds me of good times I had implying happiness would ever be lost.
One more thing, when the monkey have grown strong enough, it kills the panic monster.

Reply
j.s Varaba

July 18, 2021 at 12:07 pm

1

오늘도 영상 👀잘보고 갈께요~
📰구독 👍좋아요 ⏰알람 ……….👌오케이
(^^) (__)(^^)

Reply
n n

July 18, 2021 at 12:52 pm

the cover of this video reminds me of that meme with that dude with an obsessed crazy sight and “MURDER” written on the board

Reply
Christopher Sundquist

July 18, 2021 at 2:19 pm

This is a joke. A procrastinator simpley doesn’t do things unless they NEED to be done. They are satisfied with the way things are and don’t want to change unless they NEED to.

Reply
Mr Rod

July 18, 2021 at 2:25 pm

I am in the comments for the puns

Reply
Sloth Belly

July 18, 2021 at 4:11 pm

stop reminding me that i have work to do when i procrastinating, that creepy.

Reply
Kris Bari

July 18, 2021 at 4:46 pm

I’m too lazy to watch this video 🤧
Okay! Watch it later

Reply
Marcus Hanna

July 18, 2021 at 5:28 pm

“…and it’s a job that should probably start today. Well, maybe not today. You know…sometime soon…”

-*spoken like a true procrastinator*

Reply
mosbyaj

July 18, 2021 at 7:08 pm

Bookmarked so I can watch this later.

Reply
MaJR The Chief

July 18, 2021 at 7:52 pm

Yeaaaah!

Reply
Cegomez

July 18, 2021 at 8:48 pm

I think I have become the monkey

Reply
TheAdventure bro

July 19, 2021 at 12:57 am

My monkey must be the size of King Kong

Reply
Bhargav Nanekalva

July 19, 2021 at 2:59 am

… and what is the answer to the second part of the question?
“and how to still get things done”

Reply
Paul Dill

July 19, 2021 at 3:20 am

Story of my life.

Reply
$

July 19, 2021 at 5:31 am

It’s a long video I’ll watch it later

Reply
Nick Nelson

July 19, 2021 at 6:11 am

I’ll watch this later.

Reply
ccm800

July 19, 2021 at 7:38 am

Looks like he may have procrastinated those slides 🙂

Reply
sondra russell

July 19, 2021 at 8:13 am

I definitely need to save this to watch later

Reply
BENZON ANIME NOSTALGIA

July 19, 2021 at 8:18 am

Thank you TED

Reply
supercalafragilisticjoy

July 19, 2021 at 10:20 am

I was excited for a moment because I thought TED had brought him on again

Reply
Mystery_tech Nepal

July 19, 2021 at 12:59 pm

This thing has been already said in geet years ago

Reply
John M

July 19, 2021 at 12:59 pm

I watch this as I have 4 pieces of work due in 4 weeks. About 12000 words total. These are my final pieces of work and then I graduate.

Reply
Alistair Strachan

July 19, 2021 at 2:26 pm

I know I am procrastinating doing some work by watching this.

Reply
EM.M.A

July 19, 2021 at 2:47 pm

I’m liker no 3333

Reply
M. Farhan Reshaina

July 19, 2021 at 7:29 pm

Dude really need some designer

Reply
Thomas De Quincey

July 20, 2021 at 12:33 am

Watch the original vid. It’s better.

Reply
YANRY

July 20, 2021 at 8:51 am

Just my Two penny:-
Why do you blame yourself in ancient time there was no sense of time Hence No procrastination
Don’t blame yourself blame 9to5 society

And Great achievements are only achieved where there is no sense of time

Reply
shelly white

July 20, 2021 at 11:38 am

Never procrastinate especially when it involves making money and investing. procrastinating promotes poverty and laziness

Reply
- Anthony Szymon
  
  July 20, 2021 at 11:42 am
  
  wise words, the investment market has been tough this days, how do you pull through?
  
  Reply
- shelly white
  
  July 20, 2021 at 11:46 am
  
  @Anthony Szymon My financial consultant is MORLEY PERCY and I first came in touch with her from an investment podcast, you can get in touch with her by looking up her name online, all her details are public.
  
  Reply
- jay pritchett
  
  July 20, 2021 at 11:48 am
  
  @shelly white i have heard of Morley Percy, i think i will get in touch with her now. thank you for this valuable information, its never good to procrastinate
  
  Reply
Raphael Carizo

July 20, 2021 at 1:02 pm

Here I am procastinating with a video about procastination

Reply
Екатерина Забелло

July 20, 2021 at 5:31 pm

What was the moral ? The most educative part ? I know that we are All procrastinators. But is it good or bad? What should I do with it?

Reply
Tobi k

July 20, 2021 at 10:40 pm

First TED talk video with comments enabled! yay

Reply
Mayur savage

July 21, 2021 at 5:03 am

alright, Lets procrastinate procrastination.!

Reply
𝑴𝒂𝒚𝒖𝒓 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒂𝒓𓆃

July 21, 2021 at 5:03 am

alright, Lets procrastinate procrastination.!

Reply
Sainty

July 22, 2021 at 12:47 am

He has ADHD😄

Reply
Chantelle

July 23, 2021 at 1:01 am

I thought you were going to give me the answer on how to stop procrastinating 💀

Reply
Ana Maria

July 23, 2021 at 4:06 pm

a true INTP

Reply
Daniel Angelina

July 25, 2021 at 9:42 am

I’m glad that Maskoffweb, did a successful transaction for me I made 14,000 thousand from their service

Reply
Team D - Byron Lin

July 26, 2021 at 5:01 pm

Lol I don’t even have a panic monster

Reply
chacalou

July 28, 2021 at 3:31 pm

and i still don’t know how to get things done

maybe by just do it

Reply
Cassie Beasley

July 29, 2021 at 7:35 pm

My Ted, told me to stop searching and go to bed already 😂.

Reply
RAAZR

July 31, 2021 at 12:55 am

Shame the points at the end were cut out. He really hit home when he talked about how we miss out on so much in life because we don’t have something that pushes us to pursue those goals as there’s no deadlines for them.

Reply
Sadaf Nawaz

July 31, 2021 at 7:08 pm

This is absolutely case of mine😀

Reply
Jose S

August 1, 2021 at 10:52 pm

I finally finished watching the original video after taking an exam I had months to study for but crammed for at the last minute and nearly failed.

Reply
Mohammed Aejaz Ahmed

August 3, 2021 at 1:49 pm

I wonder how important this video must be that ted-ed shortened it to make everyone watch it.

Reply
A l i sh e r

August 3, 2021 at 2:25 pm

Comment: for Fun

Reply
Jeremie BP

August 4, 2021 at 1:39 pm

I’m having strange déjà-vu.

Reply
Jaden Anderson TV

August 10, 2021 at 12:48 pm

Just like me when I used all of my work uniforms. I let them pile up first for a few days before doing anything. I only put them into laundry and wash them the night when I don’t have anything to wear tomorrow. 😆

Reply
Mohamed Azmi

August 13, 2021 at 10:27 pm

Please.. add arabic translation 🙏

Reply

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