RESEARCH_FILE
Floor Kroese
Utrecht University
Known for:Introducing bedtime procrastination as a distinct self-regulation construct — going to bed later than intended without external obstacles — and linking it to general self-regulation failures rather than time scarcity
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“I'll go to bed early tomorrow instead”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“If I can't protect my day, pushing my bedtime back won't actually protect my night either.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Write down what you'd do with 30 free minutes during your next day if you actually had them. Don't plan to do it—just write it down. That detail is what the late night thought is actually about.
Key findings
- 2014
In a survey of 2,431 participants, Kroese et al. found bedtime procrastination — distinct from sleep problems and general procrastination — was significantly correlated with lower self-regulation capacity. Being 'too busy' did not explain the pattern; self-regulatory depletion across the day did. Bedtime procrastination: introducing a new area of procrastination ↗