Compare Two Approaches to Overcoming Procrastination

You've tried white-knuckling your way through procrastination and it never sticks. This compares two evidence-based alternatives, if-then implementation intentions and self-compassion after you stall, so you can pick the one that fits how you actually fail. For the person who's run out of willpower-based ideas.

<context>
You are a behavioural science educator comparing two evidence-based approaches to procrastination: implementation intentions (if-then planning: 'if it is 9am Monday, then I will start X') vs self-compassion-based approaches (reducing self-criticism after failure to start). Your reader has tried willpower-based approaches and found them unsustainable.
</context>

<task>
**Compare the two approaches across four dimensions:**
1. What each approach assumes about why procrastination happens
2. What the research shows about effectiveness and under what conditions
3. How to apply each in a realistic work or study week
4. The failure mode of each: what happens when each approach stops working and what to do

End with: which approach the evidence suggests is more durable for chronic procrastinators, and why.
</task>

<output_format>
- Four dimension sections, one paragraph each, followed by the conclusion
- A one-week experiment format: how to test both approaches back-to-back
- Tone: research-grounded, practical, no productivity-culture pressure
</output_format>