Why Do We Procrastinate?
The reasons underlying our decisions, or lack of, are numerous. Let’s go over a few
Today I was reading Tribe Of Mentors from Tim Ferriss, and I came across the notion that we need to address procrastination. And even though it seems like an obvious statement, we do nothing about it. Where does this urge come from (of postponing what should be done now)?
To be able to make changes in our lives, first, we need to understand why we couldn’t do it already. And the reasons underlying our decisions, or lack of, are numerous. Let’s go over a few.
Failing to see far ahead is one of the most common causes of procrastination. In my field of expertise, this has significant weight. Almost every procrastinator that I know fails to start exercising regularly due to the inability to see themselves 30 years from now. The spark needed to take action fails to light up because of this. So the next time you stop to think about procrastination, try putting things into perspective. Imagine yourself 30 or 40 years from now and think about what you would have given to take action today. The moment you do this exercise, what truly matters in your life will become clear. In a previous article, I elaborate further in this context.
Fear of failure is another great villain in keeping us from reaching the desired outcome. While we strive for success, as we should, failure is an inherent part of what it means to be human. And by failing soon, the cost of starting over will be infinitely cheaper than later on. Plus, frustration promotes learning if you treat it as so. To many of us, we potentialize the learning curve by failing miserably. Stoicism helps a lot to understand how to navigate these emotions. I recommend watching Tim Ferriss’s TED talk many years ago. He explains the importance of defining your fears instead of your goals, and what would be the worst possible scenario.
Instant gratification is a master in causing procrastination. Our brains are repeatedly seeking the feeling of pleasure from various hormonal activities. We often give in to temptation for this reason. Understanding this process is key to defining objectives and elaborating an action plan. To better internalize the concept of instant gratification, I highly recommend two protagonists in the field. The first one is Robert Sapolsky, a professor of Human Behavioral Biology at Stanford University. You can watch his lectures in full on Youtube. The second one is writer Tim Urban. In his TED talk, he illustrates, in a fun and compelling way, how the monkey brain influences his decision-making daily.
To finish, last but not least, the lack of planning in our daily activities causes more damage than we can imagine. We often underestimate the power of planning until a month has vanished, and we have not done that thing that we committed ourselves to do regularly. To plan is to actively think and decide what is a priority and what can be pushed forward. Furthermore, your plan must be in a place where you cannot overlook it. And yes, it takes perseverance. A decent strategy to avoid burning out is to determine a maximum of 3 essential activities for the next day. No matter what goes on, these three things must be completed. It is reasonable to say that 3 is a good number. It’s a doable number.
As we get used to planning, the road becomes clearer to navigate, and the burden becomes progressively smaller. So do not underestimate its value.
In conclusion, procrastination is human. Don’t beat yourself up for doing it as it lives within all of us. But instead, take action to change what you can. For meaningful changes to occur, sacrifices are necessary, as well as constant accountability. To reach something worthwhile, we have to let go of previous realities, and in the beginning, it is not easy. Whenever you feel overwhelmed by this sensation and the unbearable feeling to give up, jump back to putting things into perspective. It will all become clear once again.
Strength to you!
