Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator | Tim Urban | TED

56,182,459

1,940,287 0

Published 2016-04-06

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.

For more from Tim Urban, visit Wait But Why: www.waitbutwhy.com/

Visit TED.com/ to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

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.

Follow TED on Twitter: twitter.com/TEDTalks
Like TED on Facebook: facebook.com/TED
Subscribe to our channel: youtube.com/TED

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 www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-te…. 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 media-requests.ted.com/

All Comments (21)

@nprpodcasts 1 year ago

Enjoying this talk? You'll love the brand new TED Radio Hour series – Mind, Body, Spirit. Hear TED speakers share their eye-opening ideas on how we think, move, and feel. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2TjQf2riraLkqqFGxK65JI-leCAxm1eD
@ericu4093 3 years ago

I'm asking myself, how many people are watching this video, procrastinating, and not finishing their school project?
@samruddhik2 4 years ago

Morning : I study better in the evening Evening : I study better in the morning
@Riptide09 6 months ago

It's been 4 years that I've kept this video on my "watch later" list, today is the day I'll finally watch it.
@kaitlincullis8029 21 days ago

A big tip I can pay forward to fellow procrastinators: the first step I always do is promise myself I WILL NOT work on whatever my task is that day and ONLY do all preparation for it without actually starting work. This means I get everything I need ready, opening up tabs that I need to get the job done and planning out exactly what needs to be done to get it finished. Usually when I have it all laid out in front of me like that suddenly the task looks very small and manageable - and i then owe it to myself to complete on the task. This trick alone eliminates about 70% of my procrastination times. Kudos to Michael Kennedy's Success Method for this "mind trick" which works for me at least, I am working on the other mind hacks /gamifying to get my doctorate finished up
@MichaelHaneline 8 years ago

How many people are watching this instead of working on something they are supposed to be working on?
@Daidus 5 years ago

nothing in the fridge, guess i gotta clean my whole house now
@user-ve3iu1oz4m 6 months ago

I like how he makes it a presentation that could be explained to a 5 year old, but is so profound at the same time.
@traderyogen8675 3 months ago

YouTube recommended this 5 years ago and I marked it on watch later list ...after 5 years I'm watching this masterpiece.....
@AAA-master- 4 years ago

i bet almost everyone watching this has something better to do
@DarkBlade6690 8 years ago

Procrastinators unite... tomorrow!!!
@kausarmansuri4847 1 month ago

Hi... anyone watching in 2024?
@tocraneandcrane 2 months ago

I'm here because I've procrastinated for weeks (okay, months), have a deadline in the morning, have barely started, totally freaking out, and so I'm turning to this guy for inspiration lmao
@Chaziltasm 8 years ago

I'm procrastinating by watching a video about procrastinating.
@chloemiddleton6612 3 years ago

i'm sure that like 99% of the people who are watching this right now are procrastinating
@unitybhatt1346 1 month ago

He used a number of characters to convey some amazing and crucial information; he is a true genius.
@nayan8989 2 months ago

Tim Urban is damn right on this. I am a procrastinator and I knew it in 2019, but I was very good in my employment so I did neglected it. But rest areas of my life is incomplete because they haven't any deadline. This is the right moment to start a simple step toward my ultimate goal.
@sachingahrana310 4 years ago

Really the worst part of being a procastinator is the guilt you endure everyday. Man it legit hurts.
@ttongx9352 3 years ago

When procrastinators are in panic mode, they have unparrelled energy and temporarily the most productive person in the world.
@SuperAxat 4 months ago

what a storyteller. the characters, narrative and the lesson were beautifully delivered.