Welcome to the TEMPO Toolkit
What is the TEMPO Toolkit?
TEMPO stands for Taming Emotions to Manage Procrastination Openheartedly. It is a free evidence-based self- help resource that shifts the narrative about procrastination from one of criticism and blame to one of compassion and support.
TEMPO is an interactive pdf toolkit packed with information, reflective exercises, and strategies grounded in science to help you understand and address the challenging emotions that drive procrastination.
TEMPO was created by Dr Fuschia Sirois, a world-leading expert on the psychology of procrastination, and co-produced with insights from people with lived experience of procrastination and/or ADHD. Find out more about how TEMPO was developed here.
Dr Sirois’ theory and research has reframed our understanding of procrastination from being viewed as a character flaw or simply poor time management, to a problem driven primarily by difficulties in managing task-related emotions.
TEMPO takes this knowledge and distils it into an accessible, interactive toolkit to help people who struggle with procrastination better understand the role of emotions in procrastination so that they can better manage them and reduce procrastination.
You can find more answers to common questions about TEMPO here.
What is procrastination?
Whilst most people recognise that procrastination is a form of delay, it’s important to note that NOT ALL delay is actually procrastination or harmful. Procrastination by definition is a specific form of delay that is harmful, and this view is supported by decades of scientific evidence.
Although you may have seen blog posts or lay articles that claim that procrastination can be beneficial (i.e., positive procrastination, structured procrastination), these are myths and unsupported claims that mistake other forms of delay for procrastination.
The TEMPO addresses true procrastination, a very specific form of delay that involves voluntary, and unnecessary delay of important and intended tasks despite knowing on some level that doing so will be harmful for oneself and/or others.
Because procrastination is harmful, people often feel shame, guilt, and are harshly self-critical about their procrastination. The TEMPO was designed to help address these and other distressing feelings that can lead to further procrastination gently, compassionately, and in an evidence-backed way to help reduce the harms of procrastination.
Who is TEMPO for?
TEMPO was designed to help anyone who struggles with procrastination break free from the thoughts and emotions that drive this common self-regulation problem.
TEMPO is a self-help resource for anyone interested in engaging with reflective exercises and science-backed strategies to better understand and manage their procrastination. Those who commit to engaging fully and regularly with TEMPO will therefore get the most out of it.
TEMPO can be used by people who struggle with procrastination in general, or with procrastination of specific tasks, such as with academic tasks, health-related tasks, or procrastination in the workplace.
In developing TEMPO, we included feedback from neurodivergent individuals (i.e., those with ADHD), making it suitable for both neurodivergent and neurotypical people. You can read more about how the TEMPO was developed here.
The TEMPO toolkit can also be used by counsellors, coaches, and clinicians to support those who struggle with procrastination.
TEMPO User
“It has been a very useful resource! I have been able to do much more in the last weeks than I was used to do before thanks to the understanding of my emotions towards the tasks. . . Overall, I do not only feel more productive, but truly happier.“
TEMPO User
“Great tool. A lot of information in one place and what’s important, it’s not trivial.”
TEMPO User
“It’s really well set out and very easily digestible. The interactive elements really force you to think about what you’ve read, it works really nicely.”
TEMPO User
“I didn’t consider that it could be something I could overcome in my life, I’d just sort of accepted it. This has made me feel like it might be possible to change it.’’
TEMPO User
“Vey helpful! I think it will make a difference for me. I found the sections easy to understand and laid out nicely.”
TEMPO User
“Thank you for this tool kit. It has come at just the right time for me as I enter the final count down to submitting my PhD thesis with no chapters written and my data not analysed. Seeing procrastination as a human mistake like any other human mistake lessens the shame and makes it feel less terminal.”
TEMPO User
“The six sources of negative emotions was really useful. I can see the ones that affect me and understanding that has given me extra confidence to deal with my procrastination.”
TEMPO User
“Very useful to have it distilled into a brief toolkit that drills down into the fundamental issues, and to give a feeling of “ok, I can do this!”. An added bonus were the visuals – the little yellow figure was very sweet and expressive, and made me feel more compassionate towards my own procrastination issues.”
TEMPO User
“The information in the PDF is super, super valuable. I am grateful for the research and the thoughtfulness in the information.“
TEMPO User
“Very clear and easy to follow…. Great design. Enough areas for me to reflect and write my answers. The best information I have ever read about procrastination.”
TEMPO user
“I loved the interactive form, it was fabulous. The layout was engaging and interesting too. I hope to return to this frequently until I’ve got it memorised!”
TEMPO User
“I appreciate that is was not too long and I can easily revisit it to refresh as I learn to give myself support. Thank you!“
Get started with TEMPO
The TEMPO toolkit is currently free for anyone to use. Note that TEMPO is for non-commercial use only.
To access the TEMPO you will need to register first by going to the Register page. From there you will be redirected to a brief, optional survey that will help us understand people’s reasons for using TEMPO and their current understanding of procrastination. Afterwards you will reach the TEMPO download page.
