Overcoming Procrastination

The harsh truth about procrastination is that it’s our biggest time waster.

Procrastination = We delegate work to our Future Selves.

Right now, our list of unfinished tasks are the result our Past Selves delegating the work to us - the Current Self.

So, how do we break this loop?

How do we overcome procrastination?

Why does procrastination happen?

Why does cleaning my room rise up my priorities list when I know I have to prepare for taxes?!

Let’s look at how procrastination happens…

If we examine James Clear’s habit loop graph, we can see that behaviors are caused by cues, craving, response, then a reward.

How can we leverage this to our advantage?

If our behaviors are caused by triggers, then the solution is:

Make good triggers inescapable.

Make bad triggers invisible. (Ruthless elimination)

What are the triggers?

When a trigger sparks in our brain, we then have a thought about it.

This thought is either good or bad.

Then, it creates either good or bad feelings.

Depending on how we feel, we take action based on those feelings.

Diagnosing this further…

We avoid the temporary bad feelings of an important task, then waste precious time by doing something that’s more stimulating (i.e., scrolling on your phone).

So… procrastination is a mood regulation problem?

How do we make our brains like doing hard work? And also make it feel good doing it?

How do we make our brains avoid distractions?

One method is leverage boredom.

Intentionally make yourself bored.

Ruthlessly eliminate stimulating triggers (only you know what these are for yourself).

When boredom arises, lean into it.

When the pain of boredom is grows larger than the temporary pain of the important task, you’re be eager to do it.

You’re actually excited to do it.

You’re also resetting the baseline of dopamine hits for your brain from stimulating activities - breaking out of the cycle of addiction over time.

This comes to the last part of the habit loop - Rewards.

We want to reward work completed.

If you’ve taken psychology 101, our primal brains want to be rewarded.

• This can be as simple as enjoying a candy bar for completed tasks.

• This can be as big as a booking that vacation for completing the major project.

This is different for everyone, but indulge in a reward when you’ve accomplished that important task/project.

You control this loop.

Don’t let the loop control you.

John :)

P.S. I have a favor to ask, what’s a big problem you’re facing at the moment?

From productivity, self-development, to reclaiming time.

If this problem could be alleviated, what would it mean to you?

You can reply to this email with your answer (this can be as short as 1 sentence). You could also reply in the poll below 🙂 

This will help me identify and research solutions that are helpful for you and potentially others.