An Australian and New Zealand study has found that the length of a deadline is key to preventing procrastination and that shorter time frames meant that tasks were more likely to be completed. Macquarie University professor Maroš Servátka and his Otago Business School co-authors Stephen Knowles, Trudy Sullivan, and Murat Genç invited 3,276 New Zealanders to finish a five-minute survey and earn $10 for a charity. One group had a week to complete the survey, while a second group was given a month. Finally, a third group had no deadline at all. The completion rate was the highest when no deadlines are specified, followed by week-long, then month-long deadlines. “If we are given a short deadline, this means that the task is urgent, and therefore we are likely to prioritise that task,” Servátka said. “If we are not given a deadline, the urgency is implied by the request itself. No deadline …