The Psychology of Procrastination
Does this sound familiar?
You go to bed at night after you've written a list of things you want to do. And then the following day, you don't feel like doing anything on that list.
Let's say, you've decided to lose weight. Working out will be on your list. But instead of working out the following day, you procrastinate. You feel it's a lot of work.
This has happened to me many times than I can admit. Did you notice that the more you keep procrastinating working out:
- You keep thinking about working out.
- You don't have any sleep because you haven't worked out.
- You don't feel accomplished, instead, you feel lazy.
Once you decide to work out, the pain and guilt subsides. And you feel more accomplished. That's what happens when you procrastinate.
When we procrastinate, the pain that we feel is more than when we take action. After crossing the action line we feel less pain. This is because the problem with procrastination is taking the first step.
Taking that first is always very important to overcome procrastination. There are two ways to make it easier for you to take the first step.
2-minute rule.
I first read this rule in the book Atomic Habits. James Clear suggests spending 2 minutes or less doing a task. Here's the thing, after two minutes you'll find the momentum of continuing with the task flow.
Break your tasks into manageable bits
Imagine this: You want to clean your house but you don't know where to start. You start feeling overwhelmed. As a result, you keep procrastinating. But if instead, you decide to clean different sections every day, you're less likely to procrastinate.
For example, you can start by decluttering your closet. The next day you can organize your closet. And before you know it, you'll be done cleaning the whole house.
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