How To Use Psychology To Solve Procrastination
We all procrastinate sometimes. You know that project you’ve been putting off for weeks? That book you want to write but just can’t seem to start? The pile of laundry glaring at you from the corner of the room?
Procrastination is extremely common. But while procrastinating might be normal, it often leads to stress, guilt, and missing important deadlines.
The good news? You can use insights from psychology to tackle procrastination and get things done. In this article, we’ll talk about:
- Why we procrastinate in the first place
- How fighting procrastination is like escaping danger
- Why having a “vision of hell” can defeat procrastination
- How to calculate the real cost of procrastination
Why We Procrastinate
Experts point to many potential reasons for procrastination. Some common ones include:
- You find the task unpleasant or boring
- You feel overwhelmed by the scope of work required
- You doubt your abilities and fear failure
- You prioritize short-term mood boosts over long-term gains
Human brains did not evolve to manage lengthy to-do lists or intricate projects. We’re wired to seek quick rewards and avoid pain.
Modern life requires overriding those instincts — a skill we must learn rather than inherit.
Understanding why you tend to procrastinate can help you identify better strategies to overcome it. Are you avoiding an unpleasant task? Feeling too overwhelmed? Skeptical of your abilities?
Pinpoint the root cause, then target solutions appropriately.
Run Towards Goals Like You’d Run From Danger
Here’s an interesting study on motivation:
Researchers took hungry rats and had them run a maze to get food. Then they added a new variable — the scent of a cat, triggering feelings of danger.
The rats ran the maze far more quickly when scared by the cat odor despite seeking the same reward!
This demonstrates a useful concept: you can bolster motivation by creating an “fear of hell” behind your goals — a state worse than not achieving them.
For example, if your goal is launching a business, envision bankruptcy and insolvency as the “cat” nipping at your heels.
If you don’t write that book, will profound regret and self-loathing take hold? Use that vivid countervision to drive you forward!
Calculate the Tangible Cost of Procrastination
Procrastination has defined costs beyond vague guilt. Putting things off:
- Wastes massive amounts of time
- Obstructs personal growth and learning
- Prevents completing important tasks
- Distracts from bigger goals
Do the math yourself:
- How many hours do you waste procrastinating per day on average? Per week?
- What is an hour of your time genuinely worth? Factor in future earning potential.
- Calculate the yearly value lost to procrastination. The lifetime total.
The costs are probably far higher than you imagine. Use concrete numbers to make the price of procrastination sink in.
You might as well take a moment to read my most popular article:
Transform motivation into action by:
- Starting small to build momentum
- Creating accountability and tracking progress
- Rewarding yourself for tackling procrastinated tasks
Over time, action snowballs to displace stagnation. Procrastination feeds on itself until disrupted through self-awareness and deliberate effort.
So next time you catch yourself endlessly scrolling social media instead of working:
- Identify what need it addresses (boredom? insecurity?)
- Envision an undesirable end-state if habits don’t change
- Calculate wasted time’s tangible impact
- Build small actions to pivot trajectory
With consistent effort, psychology can help defeat procrastination for good. The first step? Stop putting off solving the problem!
