The Procrastination Equation—discussed in detail by Piers Steel in his book by the same name—accounts for every major scientific finding on procrastination and draws upon the best current theories of motivation. It looks like this:
Motivation = ( Expectancy x Value ) / (Impulsiveness x Delay )
Expectancy refers to the perceived odds of getting a reward and whether we expect success or failure. Value refers to the pleasantness of doing a task, and the size of its reward. Impulsiveness refers to the tendency to get distracted or lose focus on a task. Delay refers to the time between the present and a task’s reward or completion.
This poster is a summary of the immediate things you can do to stop procrastinating and get motivated, organized by which part of the procrastination equation the action helps to improve.