One dimension of autonomy is the ability to carry out one’s autonomous chosen intentions.  Thus, alongside the “legislative” executive autonomy, there is also executive autonomy. This this too can be “scaffolded” or buttressed in various ways.  Drawing on work on the “extended mind” (Clark/Chalmers), Joseph Heath and I wrote an essay for the book, The Thief of Time:  Philosophical Essays on Procrastination on “Procrastination and the Extended Will”. The collection has been getting some excellent press, including this article in the New Yorker.

Since then, I’ve given a couple of talks on notion of the extended will and have couple of articles planned on the topic (but I’m putting off finishing them for the moment, to work on other things!) David Chalmer’s blog entry about one of the talks generated some interesting discussion here.

I am currently directing a related 4-year, €500,000 research project funded by the Health Lifestyle Solutions program of the Dutch Society for Technology and Science (STW) (jointly financed by NWO’s National Initiative on Brain and Cognition and Philips Research). The topic is “Promoting Effective Intentions: Volitional Scaffolding, Implementation Intentions, and Bedtime Procrastination” and aims to do both conceptual and experimental research into procrastination, the extended will, and how to use e-coaching strategies to assist the formation of implementation intentions, which have been proven effective in reducing procrastination.

In January of 2011, the psychologist Timothy Pychyl (Carleton University) interviewed me for an hour-long  podcast about these issues.

1. •Link to Pychyl’s research site about self-regulation failure and procrastination
   

2. •Link directly to the podcast or get it via iTunes