New Script - Teryn
(Sit down at the computer. Turn to look at the camera.)
Itâs 6 pm. Time to start my essay. Itâs due tomorrow so I really hope I can get it done on time. (Type âEssay #1â on the computer on a word document. Have an animated clock on the screen fast forward to 6 pm.) (Next cut to a scene where I am surfing the Internet reading the news while the animated clock fast forwards more.) (Then show a new clip of me playing a game on my cellphone â perhaps Angry Birds â while the clock fast-forwards even more.) (Finally cut to a scene where I google âhow to stop procrastinatingâ while the clock continues to run. Next cut the scene back to the word document where all I have written is âEssay #1â and âWhy canât I stop procrastinating???â The time is now 11 pm.)
(Next change the scene.)
Does this situation seem familiar to you? If it does donât worry. You are not alone. In fact, almost everyone has struggled with procrastination at some point in his or her life. Procrastination, which basically means putting off a task until later, can affect everyone. Yet, some people still procrastinate more so than others. (Move camera to person right next to me who has finished his entire essay and then back to mine.) What is going on in peopleâs brains when they procrastinate? How was âSamâ able to finish his whole entire essay before I even wrote a sentence? Letâs take a look at the brain science behind procrastination.
(Change the scene again.)
Whenever you do something that you enjoy or find pleasurable your brain releases a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine makes you feel good and can be released after exercise, sex, and food. For instance, I love doughnuts. When I bite into a doughnut, my brain releases dopamine, because I have satisfied a craving. (Bite into the doughnut and rub stomach.) Yum.
So what do dopamine and feeling good have to do with procrastination? Well when we have two options⌠1) to do the work that we need to get done such as writing the essay or 2) to do a more pleasurable activity such as playing Angry Birds⌠our brain is in conflict. An area of the brain called the prefrontal cortex is responsible for taking in information and making decisions. (Point to the prefrontal cortex on a brain.) So when we procrastinate, our brainâs prefrontal cortex is basically in a state of tug-of-war. Should I do this or should I do that? (Hold up hands on both sides.)
Most of the time we tend to give in to what feels better in the immediate moment. We give in to that kick of dopamine when we procrastinate. Overtime this dopamine kick modifies our brain cells and we become more and more likely to repeat this behavior. In my case, I play Angry Birds instead of writing my essay.
So to me feeling better meant playing Angry Birds instead of writing my essay. But Sam wrote his essay and did not even think about doing something else. What is his brain doing differently than mine? Well some people, such as myself, may be genetically more likely to be distracted by new temptations. Impulsive people may also be more easily distracted by choices that they think will be more enjoyable in the short term. Because of this they often put off their long-term goals, such as writing an essay, until later. People with poorer self-control may also be more likely to procrastinate.
But donât worry! Procrastination can be prevented. After all it is entirely your choice to make the best long-term decision.
For instance, it may be helpful to imagine yourself in the future. You may want to âtime travelâ, thinking of how much better you will feel after finishing a task. How might you feel in the future if you still did not finish writing your essay? You may also want to reward yourself in intervals. Why not try writing your essay for 30 minutes and then eating a chocolate bar as a reward?
Although some people are more likely to procrastinate than others, you do not have to be one of those people who are doomed to playing Angry Birds forever.














