5 Mind Tricks That Can Help You Defeat Procrastination
How to train your mind to stop putting things off.
Procrastination is one of the most wide-spread 21st-century woes.
Entertainment algorithms endlessly compete for our attention. Ubiquitous information streams prevent us from focusing on one task at a time. And most importantly, we wrestle with our inner desire for entertainment, instant gratification, and comfort.
In short, the fight against procrastination is constant and challenging. It is, however, also necessary.
According to the Mirriam Webster Dictionary, procrastination is the act of “putting [something] off intentionally and habitually.”
Consequently, by letting external distractions steal our focus, we deliberately allow ourselves to delay important work. Worse still, people who are prone to distractions make a habit out of putting crucial tasks off.
So, how do we regain our focus and get things done? To fight procrastination, we must first understand its roots.
The act of putting off work is mostly a mental process. We encounter a blockade that stops us from doing what we should be doing — and leads us to comfortable distractions and immediate gratification.
In the words of Psychology Today,
“Procrastination is driven by a variety of thoughts and habits, but fundamentally, we avoid tasks or put them off because we do not believe we’ll enjoy doing them and want to avoid making ourselves unhappy, or we fear that we won’t do them well.”
As such, instead of facing potentially unpleasant work, our mind turns to more enjoyable ideas. That’s where a controlled mindset comes to fruition.
By changing our thought patterns when it comes to work and distractions, we stop the causes of procrastination before they take over our days. On this basis, here are five mind tricks that can help you defeat procrastination.
Trick #1: Get to know the master procrastinator in your mind
Many people see themselves as “habitual procrastinators.”
I never get anything done. I start my days well, but when the first distractions appear, my productivity is gone.
Some people struggle more with procrastination than others, but we all have a human tendency to avoid uncomfortable situations. In other words, we all have a master procrastinator in our minds.
Nevertheless, his role — whether he’s starring or firmly in the background — depends on our degree of self-discipline.
In a viral blog post entitled Why Procrastinators Procrastinate — followed by an acclaimed Ted Talk, Wait But Why founder Tim Urban argues that everyone has a “rational decision-maker” in their mind. The mind of procrastinators, however, is also home to an “instant gratification monkey.”
He describes the mind of a procrastinator in the following terms:
“It seems the rational decision-maker in the procrastinator’s brain is coexisting with a pet — the instant gratification monkey. This would be fine — cute, even — if the rational decision-maker knew the first thing about how to own a monkey. But unfortunately, it wasn’t part of his training, and he’s left completely helpless as the monkey makes it impossible for him to do his job.”
Consequently, if you want to stop the master procrastinator — the part of your brain that values instant gratification over long-term benefits — you need to learn how to “own the monkey.”
Ask yourself what the monkey wants and how you can tame it.
If you know that your monkey wants entertainment, you need to change its expectations. The master procrastinator in your mind wants entertainment 24/7, but you need to teach it that social media, Netflix, and Youtube only happen at a specific point in the day.
Learn about the ambitions of your master procrastinator and try to change them. Over time, you’ll become better at taming the monkey, and soon, you’ll be able to control it.
Trick #2: Ask your future self for advice
Another mind trick to avoid procrastination is to consult your future self.
Next time you realize that your focus is slipping — and that some kind of distraction is taking your mind off work, pause for five minutes and ask a simple question:
“What would my future self say about this?”
The trick will help you understand the effects of your procrastination.
You might face a difficult assignment, but your future self will remind you that instant gratification won’t eliminate the challenge. It will merely create a deferral.
Better still, you’ll fend off automatic distractions. By forcing yourself to stop whatever you’re doing for a few minutes, you’ll avert the scenario of procrastinating without noticing.
Trick #3: Combine instant gratification with habits that include long-term rewards
Much like asking your future self for advice, speeding up the long-term advantages of uncomfortable activities is a powerful anti-procrastination tool.
In this regard, one of the best tactics is to make the long-term rewards visible by using the strategy known as “temptation bundling.” The concept comes from University of Pennsylvania economist Katy Milkman and consists of the following:
“Only do [THING YOU LOVE] while doing [THING YOU PROCRASTINATE ON].”
In simple terms, couple acts of instant gratification with habits that provide long-term rewards.
You could, for example, listen to your favorite music while exercising. Another possibility is to combine your next Netflix session with household chores.
The idea is to take an unpleasant task — something you’re procrastinating on — and insert it into a habit that creates instant gratification.
Trick #4: Separate essential and non-essential things in your mind
Many people procrastinate as a result of multitasking.
In this context, we have a million to-dos and fail to distinguish between the ones we need to complete today and the ones that can wait.
We feel overwhelmed by the apparent size of our to-do list — creating a breeding ground for distractions.
That’s where the separation of “essential” and “non-essential” tasks comes into play.
Sit down every night and check your to-dos for the next day. Rank them by importance and time investment. Once you’ve finished your ranking, take the first three and allocate a specific time pocket of the next day to them.
Personally, early morning is my most productive period. That’s why I always complete my three most crucial tasks in the morning. Because I define them the night before, my mind already knows what to expect upon getting out of bed. This simple mind trick enables me to focus in the morning and stop procrastination in its tracks.
Trick #5: Get your mind into the best possible starting position
Finally, to defeat procrastination once and for all, you need to get your mind into the right starting position.
In short, eliminate all the thoughts, ideas, and mindsets that could justify procrastination.
One of the best ways to attain this starting position is to write down the reasons for past your work deferrals.
Most people will come up with justifications along the following lines:
- pure laziness;
- the urge for instant gratification;
- being scared of the size of the project;
- external distractions; and
- uncomfortable work.
For each of your points, come up with a plan on how to beat that justification.
If all your procrastination comes from laziness, build up your motivation one step at a time with discipline-furthering activities. Win against your instant gratification cravings by defining specific moments for it and training your patience. Break the work down into smaller parts to reduce your anxiety. And finally, take on a few unpleasant daily rituals — like cold showers — to become comfortable in discomfort.
The sources of your procrastination are often simple to comprehend, and once you grasp their inner workings, you can eliminate them with positive action.