Daily Reading Practice · Nonfiction passage
Any word, any time — right from this page.
Have you ever planned to study or do homework but ended up watching videos or scrollingscroll (verb)Moving through content on a screen by sliding your finger or a mouse.≈ Synonym: swiping🇺🇿UZ: ekranni pastga-yuqoriga surish🇷🇺RU: пролистывание, скроллинг through your phone instead? If so, you’re not alone. This common habithabit (noun)Something a person does often and regularly, usually without thinking.≈ Synonym: routine behaviour🇺🇿UZ: odat🇷🇺RU: привычка is called procrastinationprocrastination (noun)The act of delaying or putting off tasks, especially important ones.≈ Synonym: delaying tasks🇺🇿UZ: ishni keyinga surish🇷🇺RU: прокрастинация, откладывание дел — delayingdelay (verb)Putting off doing something until later.≈ Synonym: postponing🇺🇿UZ: kechiktirish🇷🇺RU: откладывание, задержка something even when we know it’s important. But why do we do it?
Procrastination is not just about lazinesslaziness (noun)The quality of being unwilling to work or make an effort.≈ Synonym: idleness🇺🇿UZ: dangasalik🇷🇺RU: лень. In fact, many people who procrastinate are hard-workinghard-working (adj)Putting a lot of effort and energy into work.≈ Synonym: diligent🇺🇿UZ: mehnatkash, tirishqoq🇷🇺RU: трудолюбивый in other areas of life. The real reason is often emotionalemotional (adj)Related to feelings rather than facts or logic.≈ Synonym: feelings-based🇺🇿UZ: hissiy, emotsional🇷🇺RU: эмоциональный. When we faceface (verb)To have to deal with a difficult situation or task.≈ Synonym: encounter🇺🇿UZ: duch kelmoq, ro'para bo'lmoq🇷🇺RU: сталкиваться (с чем-то) a task that feels difficult, boring, or stressfulstressful (adj)Causing worry, pressure, or mental strain.≈ Synonym: pressuring🇺🇿UZ: stressli, asabiylashtiruvchi🇷🇺RU: напряжённый, стрессовый, our brain wants to avoidavoid (verb)To stay away from something or try not to do it.≈ Synonym: evade🇺🇿UZ: qochmoq, oldini olmoq🇷🇺RU: избегать discomfortdiscomfort (noun)A feeling of being uneasy or slightly unhappy.≈ Synonym: unease🇺🇿UZ: noqulaylik🇷🇺RU: дискомфорт. So instead of starting the task, we choose something more pleasantpleasant (adj)Enjoyable or satisfying.≈ Synonym: enjoyable🇺🇿UZ: yoqimli🇷🇺RU: приятный — like checking social media or watching a movie.
This behaviourbehaviour (noun)The way a person acts or behaves.≈ Synonym: conduct🇺🇿UZ: xulq-atvor, xatti-harakat🇷🇺RU: поведение is part of how our brain works. The prefrontal cortexprefrontal cortexThe part of the brain that controls planning and decision-making.≈ Synonym: brain's planning centre🇺🇿UZ: prefrontal korteks🇷🇺RU: префронтальная кора, which helps us plan and control actions, is weaker than the limbic systemlimbic systemThe part of the brain that controls emotions.≈ Synonym: emotional brain🇺🇿UZ: limbik tizim🇷🇺RU: лимбическая система, which controls emotions. That’s why short-term pleasureshort-term pleasureEnjoyment that lasts only for a short time.≈ Synonym: instant gratification🇺🇿UZ: qisqa muddatli zavq🇷🇺RU: кратковременное удовольствие often wins over long-term goalslong-term goalThings a person hopes to achieve over a long period of time.≈ Synonym: future objectives🇺🇿UZ: uzoq muddatli maqsadlar🇷🇺RU: долгосрочные цели.
There are different types of procrastinatorsprocrastinator (noun)People who regularly delay doing tasks.≈ Synonym: people who put things off🇺🇿UZ: ishni orqaga suruvchi kishilar🇷🇺RU: прокрастинаторы. Some wait until the last minute because they believe they work better under pressure. Others feel so overwhelmedoverwhelmed (adj)Feeling that a task or situation is too much to deal with.≈ Synonym: swamped🇺🇿UZ: bosib ketilgan, ezilib qolgan🇷🇺RU: подавленный, ошеломлённый by the task that they avoid it completely. Some are perfectionistsperfectionist (noun)People who want everything to be completely correct or perfect.≈ Synonym: people who demand perfection🇺🇿UZ: perfeksionistlar, mukammallikka intiluvchilar🇷🇺RU: перфекционисты — they wait for the “perfect” time to begin or fear making mistakes.
The problem is that procrastination can create a cyclecycle (noun)A series of events that repeat again and again in the same order.≈ Synonym: repeating pattern🇺🇿UZ: aylanma jarayon, tsikl🇷🇺RU: цикл. At first, we feel reliefrelief (noun)A feeling of comfort after something stressful stops or is avoided.≈ Synonym: comfort🇺🇿UZ: yengillik hissi🇷🇺RU: облегчение by avoiding the task. But later, we feel stress, guiltguilt (noun)A feeling of having done something wrong.≈ Synonym: remorse🇺🇿UZ: aybdorlik hissi🇷🇺RU: чувство вины, or panicpanic (noun)A sudden, strong feeling of fear or anxiety.≈ Synonym: alarm🇺🇿UZ: vahima, qo'rquv🇷🇺RU: паника. This stress makes it harder to focus, so we procrastinate again. Over time, this can damage our confidenceconfidence (noun)A feeling of trust in one's own abilities.≈ Synonym: self-belief🇺🇿UZ: o'ziga ishonch🇷🇺RU: уверенность and performanceperformance (noun)How well someone does a task or job.≈ Synonym: results🇺🇿UZ: samaradorlik, ko'rsatkich🇷🇺RU: успеваемость, результативность.
So how can we stop procrastinating? One useful methodmethod (noun)A particular way of doing something.≈ Synonym: technique🇺🇿UZ: usul, metod🇷🇺RU: метод is to break the task into smaller stepsstep (noun)Individual actions taken as part of a larger process.≈ Synonym: stages🇺🇿UZ: qadamlar, bosqichlar🇷🇺RU: шаги, этапы. A big task can feel scaryscary (adj)Causing fear.≈ Synonym: frightening🇺🇿UZ: qo'rqinchli🇷🇺RU: пугающий, but a small action — like writing one sentence or studying for five minutes — is easier to begin. Once we start, it often becomes easier to keep going.
Another tip is to set a timer. Try the Pomodoro Technique — work for 25 minutes, then take a 5-minute break. This makes studying feel more manageablemanageable (adj)Able to be dealt with or controlled without too much difficulty.≈ Synonym: doable🇺🇿UZ: boshqarsa bo'ladigan, qulay🇷🇺RU: посильный, управляемый and helps train the brain to focus.
It also helps to remove distractionsdistraction (noun)Things that take your attention away from what you should be doing.≈ Synonym: interruptions🇺🇿UZ: chalg'ituvchi omillar🇷🇺RU: отвлекающие факторы. Keep your phone in another room, block websites that waste your time, and create a clean study space. Making it easier to start — and harder to avoid — is key.
Finally, be kind to yourself. Everyone procrastinates sometimes. What matters is learning how to understand the feeling and take small steps to overcomeovercome (verb)To successfully deal with or defeat a problem.≈ Synonym: conquer🇺🇿UZ: yengib o'tmoq🇷🇺RU: преодолевать it. Disciplinediscipline (noun)The ability to control your own behaviour and keep working toward a goal.≈ Synonym: self-control🇺🇿UZ: intizom, o'z-o'zini boshqarish🇷🇺RU: дисциплина doesn’t mean being perfect — it means trying again, even after we’ve delayed.