Tim Urban’s TED Talk “Inside the mind of the master procrastinator” (TED 2016) is a fascinating exploration of a topic that all of us can relate to: procrastination. He explains that procrastination is not just about laziness or lack of willpower—it’s actually a complex issue rooted in our brain’s reward systems and fear of failure.

Speech outline

Theme: How to find the motivation to overcome procrastination
Opening: Urban shares an anecdote about his experience with procrastination during school, using self-deprecation and humor.
Key Idea 1: The Instant Gratification Monkey prefers to experience pleasure in the moment, which leads to procrastination.
Key Idea 2: The Rational Decision-Maker gets pushed aside by the Instant Gratification Monkey.
Key Idea 3: The Panic Monster scares away the Instant Gratification Monkey and allows the Rational Decision-Maker to take control.
Closing: Urban asks the audience to become aware of their reasons for procrastinating, and he leaves them with a humorous and inspiring advice to break the cycle of procrastination “sometime soon.”

Public speaking techniques

Visual aids: Urban uses playful images to help the audience understand abstract concepts, showing how they interact with each other in the mind of a procrastinator, the “Dark Playground.”
Humor: Urban masterfully uses humor in his words and images to get the audience on his side and keep them engaged. He has a natural comedic ability, and he uses this to his advantage as a speaker.
Storytelling: Urban frames abstract concepts in the context of his personal story, which keeps the audience engaged with his message.

“It’s that long-term procrastination has made them feel like a spectator, at times, in their own lives. The frustration is not that they couldn’t achieve their dreams; it’s that they weren’t even able to start chasing them.”

Why is this TED Talk important and relevant?

Here are a few statistics on procrastination:

80% to 95% of college students procrastinate.
50% of college students and 20% of adults are chronic procrastinators.
88% of the workforce admits to procrastinating at least one hour daily.

To call procrastination a universal experience would in no way be an overstatement!

Tim Urban is the founder of the popular blog Wait But Why and writes about various topics, from cutting-edge science and technology to human psychology and societal norms. His witty and insightful style has captivated a loyal following of millions of readers. Among the many TED Talks about procrastination, Urban’s talk has become the gold standard. Perhaps it’s his humorous approach that makes him a YouTube favorite.

👉 Check out the full list of the most popular TED Talks all time.

Bonus talk

Urban returns to the stage to discuss the Eisenhower Matrix, a tool for overcoming procrastination.

Tim Urban, “The power of procrastination (and how to conquer it)” (RSAC 2018)

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