The Aporia · QUIZ: Ugh, I'll do it later. How much do you know about procrastination?

QUIZ: Ugh, I'll do it later. How much do you know about procrastination?

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Gharib, M. (2026, September 6). QUIZ: Ugh, I'll do it later. How much do you know about procrastination? NPR. https://www.npr.org/2026/09/06/nx-s1-5957512/quiz-ugh-ill-do-it-later-how-much-do-you-know-about-procrastination

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Quick Summary

Author Itamar Shatz argues that procrastination is not a modern phenomenon and can be overcome. He claims people have been struggling with getting things done throughout history, including famous composer Mozart, who was a serial procrastinator. According to Shatz's book "Solving Procrastination", the key to stopping procrastination is to change one's approach rather than working harder, by figuring out what motivates oneself. Shatz, a social science lecturer at Cambridge University, has written extensively on this topic in his book published in August.

Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-06, using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the same event (that is the story summary below).

AI analysis runs on qwen2.5:14b, locally

Story summary

Itamar Shatz, a social science lecturer at Cambridge University, has written a book called "Solving Procrastination: The Science of Why We Put Things Off and How to (Finally!) Stop" which challenges common misconceptions about procrastination. According to Shatz, people have been struggling with getting things done throughout history - even famous composer Mozart was a serial procrastinator. He argues that procrastination is not just about being lazy or a modern phenomenon, but rather it's about having the wrong approach and motivation. The key to overcoming procrastination, according to Shatz, is to change one's approach and figure out what will motivate them.

Written for “Procrastination Habits” on 2026-10-22, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

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How this article was measured signals, leaning charts, publisher record, byline, topics and claims

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Claims extracted

sentences that state something as happening or true

Uncertain

10%

2 of 21 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

60/100

NPR's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.

Outlets on this story

Education

Same framing elsewhere

articles that frame the event the way this one does

Analyzed 2026-09-06 · how these are computed

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Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

NPR · 809 article(s) · 3 correction(s) detected

Running correction rate · 3 correction(s)

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

Topics

Apple Podcasts Cambridge University Life Kit Life Kit's Spotify

Subjects

Life Kit ORG · 4× Shatz PERSON · 2× Alyson Hurt PERSON · 1× Amir Levine PERSON · 1× Cambridge University ORG · 1× Itamar Shatz PERSON · 1× Life Kit's ORG · 1× Malaka Gharib PERSON · 1× Mozart PERSON · 1× QUIZ PERSON · 1×

Narrative

The reasons you procrastinate — and how to finally stop But those things aren't true, says Itamar Shatz, author of a book published in August, Solving Procrastination: The Science of Why We Put Things Off and How to (Finally!) Stop.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-06

🔮 You may learn a tool or two on how to overcome procrastination along the way.

2026-09-06 · NPR

QUIZ: Ugh, I'll do it later. How much do you know about procrastination? · assertive framing

Claims (21 extracted, 2 hedged)

Ugh, I'll do it later. asserted

I → do → it

How much do you know about procrastination? asserted

you → know → procrastination

journalism → sign → inbox

Procrastination is often misunderstood. asserted

Procrastination → misunderstand → ?

Many of us chalk it up to laziness, see it as a modern phenomenon and think it simply can't be overcome. asserted

it → chalk → phenomenon

We → procrastinate → Things

People have been struggling with getting things done throughout history (Mozart was a serial procrastinator). asserted

Mozart → struggle → history

We also tend to push things off for a variety of reasons, like being a perfectionist. asserted

We → tend → reasons

And procrastination is certainly something you can conquer, Shatz argues in his book. asserted

Shatz → conquer → book

The key, he says, is to stop thinking you simply have to work harder. asserted

you → say → ?

"The really important thing is to figure out what is going to motivate you." asserted

what → figure → you

Take this quiz, based on Life Kit's interview with Shatz, a social science lecturer at Cambridge University, and his book, Solving Procrastination, to see how much you know. asserted

you → take → much

You may learn a tool or two on how to overcome procrastination along the way. uncertain

You → learn → way

The quiz: How much do you know about procrastination? asserted

you → know → procrastination

Take this quiz to assess your digital habits, and then learn how to engage with your electronic devices in a way that's intentional and appropriate. asserted

that → take → way

Do you lean optimistic or pessimistic? asserted

you → lean → ?

A glass-half-full outlook can keep you engaged and hopeful in hard times. asserted

outlook → keep → times

According to the field of attachment theory, each person has a unique attachment style that informs how that person relates to intimacy: secure, anxious or avoidant. uncertain

person → accord → intimacy

We talked with Amir Levine, a neuroscientist and co-author of the book Attached, about how your attachment style can impact your relationships. asserted

style → talk → relationships

This digital story was edited by Sylvie Douglis. asserted

story → edit → Douglis

We'd love to hear from you. asserted

We → love → you