Evidence of Learning #1

Date: ​January 24, 2020

Type:​ Secondary Learning - Ted Talk

Subject:​ Procrastination

MLA Citation:

Urban, Tim, director. ​Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator​. ​TED,​ Feb. 2016,

www.ted.com/talks/tim_urban_inside_the_mind_of_a_master_procrastinator/transcript?l

nguage=en.

Assessment:

Procrastination is defined as the act of postponing something until a later time.

Procrastination is often seen within schools, workplaces, and homes. Those who procrastinate

tend to put off assigned tasks or aspiring goals until a later time in favor of doing something else

less productive such as scrolling through social media or watching television. Unfortunately, a

majority of the assigned tasks have deadlines that the person must meet so a procrastinator often

has to pull an all-nighter to complete the task that they were assigned weeks ago. On the other

hand, if the task that they wish to complete does not have a set deadline procrastinators often fail

to ever complete the task. The added stress of trying to complete a task the night before it is due

or the shame in knowing you failed to complete something you told yourself you would do has

many people wondering: what makes a procrastinator do what they do? In ISM class this past
week we watched a Ted Talk by Tim Urban entitled ​Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator

where Urban delves into the mind of a procrastinator to answer the perplexing question of why

people put things off until the last minute.

After watching the video in its entirety in class I was able to understand more thoroughly

why procrastinators do the things that they do. I learned from Urban that inside the brain of a

procrastinator that there is both a “Rational Decision-Maker” and an “Instant Gratification

Monkey.” The “Rational Decision-Maker” attempts to make the person do what is required of

them while the “Instant Gratification Monkey” attempts to deter them from this path by enticing

them with other more enjoyable activities such as watching YouTube. This piece of information

that I gathered from this Ted Talk is relevant and important to me in the sense that I understand

that within my brain there is a figurative “Instant Gratification Monkey” that is trying to stop me

from doing my classwork. By being aware of its presence, I will be able to train myself to resist

its temptations and focus on what needs to get done. In ISM class in particular instead of putting

off my papers and other assignments until the night before I will begin the assignment a couple

of days before it is due and do a little bit of it each day. By instilling this routine in myself I aim

to make a habit of getting my work done early as opposed to listening to the “Instant

Gratification Monkey” in my brain and doing it last minute. The information I learned from this

Ted Talk has motivated me to change my life for the positive and be more productive in the

moment as opposed to putting everything off until the last minute. This habit I am trying to instill

in myself will not only help me in my ISM journey in terms of completing assignments on time

without the stress of trying to complete it last minute but in college and beyond as it is an

important trait to have in a world whereas an adult no one forces you to do anything.
 Additionally, I learned after watching this Ted Talk more about what happens inside of

my mind if I were to procrastinate an assignment until the last minute. According to Urban, if I

were to put off an assignment until the last minute what forces me to eventually stop listening to

the “Instant Gratification Monkey” is the figurative “Panic Monster.” This “Panic Monster”

scares off the “Instant Gratification Monkey” and is the reason why procrastinators can stay up

late doing assignments the night before. This newly attained piece of information is relevant and

important to me in the sense that I understand why I need to work hard to change my habits from

being a procrastinator into someone who is exceptionally productive. I do not want to live my

life in this vicious cycle of the “Instant Gratification Monkey” and “Panic Monster” fighting

each other off as it leaves me tired and my assignments completed, but not done to the best of

their ability. This information has caused me to question my current habits and attempt to change

them to be more productive. I am now more motivated to work hard to avoid falling into the

slippery slope of this vicious cycle. By being cognizant of trying to avoid falling into this cycle

by actively being productive, I can positively change my school life into being productive. This

would include things such as completing my ISM assignments early or studying over multiple

nights instead of just the night before. No longer will I be a victim to this cycle, but I will be a

productive person that completes their assignments early so I do not have to be stressed or tired,

and my assignments are done to the best of my ability.

All in all, this Ted Talk although not directly related to my topic has taught me that I

need to be more cognizant of my work ethic to be successful in any of my future endeavors.

There is no way I can become a successful medical oncologist in the future if I do not change my

work ethic into being someone who instead of listening to the “Instant Gratification Monkey”
and only doing work when the “Panic Monster” appears, is someone who listens to the “Rational

Decision-Maker” and get things done on time. Only after I have completed all of my assignments

will I be able to have leisure time. This is an important trait as a medical oncologist because I

need to be productive in the moment because people's lives hang in the balance on me doing my

job. If I fail to complete something because I listened to the “Instant Gratification Monkey”

instead of the “Rational Decision-Maker” the consequences of my actions will be detrimental for

both myself and my patients. In conclusion, Tim Urban’s Ted Talk has caused me to reevaluate

my work ethic so that I can be the most productive and successful version of myself not only

now, but in the future as well.