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Do you ever have a task you need to complete but however urgent it may be, you just don't get on and do it? From doing the housework to writing an assignment, there's always something I can put off until tomorrow.

Being a procrastinator is quite easy. There are so many other more interesting distractions such as watching funny cat videos on the internet or catching up with friends on social media! But Benjamin Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, once wisely said that: 'You may delay, but time will not', in other words, the time we waste now is gone forever – so maybe I should pull my socks up and get on with what I should be doing.

The reason why many of us delay doing something is that we live for the present not the future. We are reluctant to engage in tasks that relate to the future – sorting something out now that will benefit us in the future doesn't seem like a priority. Daphna Oyserman, Professor of Psychology at the University of Southern California, says that "many things that are quite important about the future require that we start doing things now rather than waiting for later to happen ... waiting till later means that we won't have much time." So get on with it now rather than have a last-minute panic later!

But it's hard to muster any enthusiasm when there are tedious chores to be done, so how can I control my lack of focus and knuckle down to what really needs to be done? One idea is temptation bundling – doing two activities together – one that is boring but essential and one that you enjoy but isn't so productive. Planning is essential too and we should never underestimate how long things will take us. However, Dr Catherine Loveday from Westminster University warns us about a 'planning fallacy' thinking we can get something done quickly. She says "We never seem to get any better at judging time in the future and how long things will take us."

Maybe for now, I'll make a cup of tea, and ponder on these thoughts before I crack on with some important tasks – anyway, there's always tomorrow.

vocabulary

get on with sth 做什么事
put off doing = delay doing 延后，拖延
procrastinator (n) 拖拉的人
procrastination (n) 拖拉
procrastinate (v) 拖拉
distraction 分心的事，分散注意力的东西
pull my socks up 努力加油干，加把劲儿
live for the present 活在当下
reluctant (adj) 勉强的，不情愿的
be reluctant to do...不情愿做...
engage 参与
priority 优先考虑的事情，重要的事情
last-minute 最后一刻的
muster [ˈmʌstə(r)] 激起（某种感情）
muster one's enthusiasm 激起热情
knuckle down 开始努力工作
knuckle down to sth
temptation bundling 诱惑捆绑（把一件需要做但枯燥的事情和一件有趣的事情连在一起做，合二为一）
productive 有效率的
underestimate 低估
fallacy 谬论，谬见
ponder 沉思，考虑
ponder on these thoughts
to crack on 赶快加速继续（工作）
catch up with friends on social media 和朋友在社交软件上聊天
tedious chores 乏味的杂务

make sentences

I was reluctant to go to Greece for my holiday because of the heat but once I got there, I loved it.
I had to do some last-minute Christmas shopping because I'd forgotten to buy my mother a present!
I can't go to the movies tonight, I've got to make studying for my exams a priority.
I've got to knuckle down and get on with tax return otherwise I'll get a big fine.
I think she underestimated how much work there was to do – it took her weeks to decorate her house.