Time is more valuable than money. Why do we squander it?
Why We Procrastinate written by Leo Babauta
Let’s take a quick look at what makes us procrastinate. There are several reasons, which are
related in various ways:
1. We want instant gratification . Resting on the couch is thought of as nicer, right now, than
going on a run. Reading blogs is easier, right now, than reading a classic novel. Ch ecking email
or Facebook is easier, now, than doing that project you’ve been putting off. Eating chocolate
cake is tastier, right now, than eating veggies.
2. We fear/dread something . We might not write that chapter in our book because there are
problems w ith the writing that we haven’t figured out (often because we haven’t thought it
through). Or we might be afraid we’re going to fail, or look ignorant or stupid. We’re most often
afraid of the unknown, which has more power because we don’t examine this fea r — it just lurks
in the back of our minds. Dreading or fearing something makes us want to put it off, to postpone
even thinking about it, and to do something easy and safe instead.
3. It’s easy – no negative consequences right now . When we were in school and had a teacher
looking over our shoulders and scolding us if we didn’t do our work, we tended to do the work
(until some of us learned that we could tune out the scolding, that is). But when we got home,
sometimes no one would be looking over our should ers … so there wasn’t any immediate
negative consequence to watching TV or playing games instead. Sure, we’d get a bad grade
tomorrow, but that’s not right now. The same is true of using the Internet or doing other kinds of
procrastination tasks — we’ll pa y for it later, but right now, no one is getting mad at us.
4. We overestimate our future self . We often have a long list of things we plan to do, because
we think we can do a lot in the future. The reality is usually a little worse than we expected, but
that doesn’t stop us from thinking the future will be different yet again. For the same reason, we
think it’s OK to procrastinate, because we’re going to do it later, for sure. Our future self will be
incredibly productive and focused! Except, our future se lf is also lazy, and doesn’t do it either.
Damn future self.
Four Powerful Solutions
Now that we know the problems, the solutions aren’t that hard to figure out. Just don’t put them
off, OK?
1. Stop and think . When we allow the above thoughts to go on with out really being conscious
of them, we procrastinate. When we actually pause and think about those thoughts, we can
rationally see that they’re wrong. Instant gratification in the form of goofing off or eating junk
food can lead to problems later. Fears ar e overblown and shouldn’t stand in our way. Not having
negative consequences now doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences later. Our future self isn’t
as bad -ass as we like to think. So think about what you’re doing, and start to do the more rational
thing . Use the strategies below as well, but thinking is the start. 2. Enjoy the process . When we dread something, we put it off — but instead, if we can learn to
enjoy it, it won’t be as hard or dreadful. Put yourself in the moment, and enjoy every action. For
example, if you want to go out to run, don’t think about the hard run ahead, but about putting on
your shoes — enjoy the simplicity of that action. Then focus on getting out the door — that’s not
hard. Then focus on warming up with a fast walk or light jo g — that can be nice and enjoyable.
Then feel your legs warm up as you start running a little faster, and enjoy the beautiful outdoors.
This process can be done with anything, from washing dishes to reading to writing. Enjoy
yourself in the moment, without thinking of future things you dread, and the activity can be very
pleasant and even fun. And if it is, you won’t put it off.
3. Set up accountability . If no one is looking over our shoulder, we tend to let ourselves slack
off. So set up a procrastination -proof environment — find people to hold you accountable. I
joined an online fitness challenge this month, for example, so that I’d report my workouts to the
forum. I’ve done the same thing for running, quitting smoking, writing a novel. You can even
just u se your friends and family on Facebook or email.
4. Block your future self . Your future self is just as likely to put things off. So block that sucker.
Use a program like Freedom to block your Internet access for a predetermined amount of time,
so your fut ure self has to actually focus instead of reading blogs. Turn off your cable TV, get rid
of the junk food in your house, cut up your credit cards … do whatever it takes to make it really
hard for your future self to procrastinate or give in to temptation, or at least force your future self
to pause and think before he does anything dumb.