For generations, (0) PSYCHOLOGISTS (PSYCHOLOGY) assumed that people put off important tasks simply because they lacked discipline. More recent research, however, suggests that 1PROCRASTINATE is far less about laziness than it is about the 2AVOID of negative feelings. When a task feels overwhelming or threatens our sense of self-worth, the mind tends to postpone it in order to dodge the possibility of 3FAIL. We then 4RATIONAL the delay, telling ourselves we work better under pressure or that we simply need more information before we begin. Experts emphasise that 5MOTIVATE speeches and strict schedules rarely help if the underlying emotional issue is not addressed. What is required instead is a patient, almost self-compassionate 6PERSIST in sitting with the discomfort long enough to make a start. Harsh self-criticism, counterintuitively, has been shown to be 7PRODUCE, since it tends to deepen the very anxiety that triggered the avoidance in the first place. For anyone wishing to break the cycle, psychologists recommend breaking tasks into small units and acting 8STRATEGY during short, protected windows of focused work.