Procrastination

99% of people procrastinate.

The other 1%?

Probably lying.

Procrastination is not a modern behaviour.

Even ancient philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle had a word for it:

We procrastinate for many reasons:

I’ve found myself guilty of all of these.

I’m by no means master of getting my shit done.

But I have found a few things extremely helpful for overcoming procrastination and getting more done in less time…

We all know that life would be a whole lot better if we stopped procrastinating.

So why do we do it?

The brain.

The brain has a tendency to value immediate rewards more highly than future rewards.

And pleasure now is a lot more tangible than pleasure in the future.

“Future you” would be happy if you completed an important piece of work well before a deadline.

But, “current you” knows the deadline isn’t imminent and would prefer to do something else.

So we put it things off…

The problem is not doing the work, it’s starting the work.

I find,

Being in the middle of procrastination is often more painful than being in the middle of doing the work.

It’s just the fucking starting…

Law of Resistance from the War of Art:

How to Stop Procrastinating Right Now

I will admit, the best antidote to procrastinating is just, well…

“Doing the thing”.

But that’s not very satisfying.

I didn’t lead you down here just to say.

“Start”.

So here are some ideas…

The 2-Minute Rule:

If you keep putting something simple off.

It becomes a nag.

Every time you see it again is taking precious mental energy.

Keep your mental inbox of menial tasks as clear as possible.

BONUS:

1. Time Boxing: If something usually takes you an hour, try and do it in 45 minutes. Creating time pressure makes you work much more efficiently.

2. Start with a challenge. Do the hardest work first thing as you are far more likely to procrastinate something hard.

3. Find a reward. Try to save something you enjoy until after you finish. This can be a good forcing function.

4. Start small. Big, important tasks can be daunting and lead to procrastinating. Break the task down into the smallest units possible and do them one at a time.

5. Avoid your phone before working. Resisting your phone stops you getting caught up in notifications and news.

6. Keep a clean environment. Limit distractions where you work and rest.

Cheers for reading.

Remember. You’ll never know the answer to how much are you capable of unless you just start and try something.

Whatever you’re putting off.

There’s no time to waste.

Do it now.

What are you waiting for?

H

MMM V1.11

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