This week, the focus is on a topic that many listeners have asked to learn more about - anxiety. Dr. Bill Knaus brings his clinical insights to this discussion. Dr. Knaus presents a case study, explains various types of anxiety, relates anxiety to perfectionism (and other types of irrational thoughts), and summarizes strategies for change.

If you want to learn more about Dr. Knaus' work, check out his latest book End Procrastination Now. As well, The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Anxiety: A step by step program. (Knaus, W, New Harbinger, 2008) gives readers psychological tools for following through on addressing their parasitic anxieties and fears. It has a chapter on the procrastination anxiety connection.

You can learn more about our research group at procrastination.ca

When you're going to set an intention to complete a task, do you: (a) start at today and look forward to the first available opportunity to act, or (b) start at the deadline and look backward to choose a date? I asked this question of my Psychology Today blog readers. They provided some insightful answers that I discuss today in relation to our planning and procrastination.

If you want to learn more about our research, check out procrastination.ca.

I'm often asked what someone should do to reduce procrastination. One of my most common answers is, "It's not enough to have a goal intention, you need to have an implementation intention too." Today, I explain what an implementation intention is and how it works to overcome four common problems in goal pursuit.

Here is an Amazon link for The thief of time: Philosophical essays on procrastination

If you want to more about our research, see procrastination.ca

When we don't get the results we expect or hope for, we can imagine different outcomes, both better and worse. These are known as upward and downward counterfactuals. In the podcast today, I interviewed Dr. Fuschia Sirois from the University of Windsor (Ontario, Canada) who has explored the relation between counterfactuals and procrastination.

I've written about one of Fuschia's studies on my Psychology Today blog. You can find it here at Avoiding What Might Have Been.

You can learn more about our research at procrastination.ca

This is an extra podcast for the week. The focus is on listener feedback, particularly replies to whether or not I should podcast less frequently. The feedback was unanimous, keep it weekly, at least while you're able to on your sabbatical. I will.

Although I'm posting this to address the issue of podcast frequency, the listeners' comments and my feedback may interest you in terms of strategies for dealing with procrastination.

You can learn more at procrastination.ca

This is a very short podcast to announce a problem with and correction to my last podcast, as well as to ask if you think the iProcrastinate Podcast is too frequent. Should I move to a bi-weekly or monthly schedule? I want to hear from you. Email me at tpychyl@gmail.com

This week, I present another in my series of interviews with experts in the area. Dr. William (Bill) Knaus has published at least 5 books on the topic, his first in 1977 with the famous Albert Ellis (originator of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy). Bill is a clinician with years of experience counseling clients with the problem of procrastination. He offers some interesting insights including our culture of blame, fear of failure, the "Weedler" within each of us who makes excuses for our delays, as well as a metaphor for understanding internal conflict in our goal pursuit. I know that there is lots to be gained in listening to Bill talk about procrastination. He uses clear examples and offers practical strategies for change. I enjoyed it very much.

To learn more about our research group, see procrastination.ca. You can check out Bill's upcoming book, End Procrastination Now at amazon.com

Welcome to the first podcast of 2010! Today, I summarize a study completed as part of an M.A. thesis by Matt Dann. Matt explored the relation of approach and avoidance goals, as well as approach and avoidance personality with procrastination. His findings provide some insight into how we might more successfully re-frame our tasks to be approach rather than avoidance goals.

You can learn more about our research and access other resources at procrastination.ca.

Are you indecisive? Would you rather that someone else choose the movie you'll watch together or the food from a menu? If so, I think you'll enjoy this interview with Dr. Joseph Ferrari (DePaul University, Chicago). Dr. Ferrari is one of the world's foremost experts on the topic of procrastination, and he summarizes some interesting studies about decisional procrastination as well as what we might do to reduce this indecision in our own lives.

If you want to learn more about procrastination, check out procrastination.ca.

The new year looms ahead, and one of the expectations for this time of year is to set a new year's resolution. Do you have one? Do you expect to successfully act on this intention? In this podcast, I share some thoughts about why these resolutions often fail and what we can do to be more successful with change in the year ahead.