The Cure For Procrastination
It Has Nothing To Do With Time Management
· Forget about time management (for now)
· The battle of self
· The prescription
∘ Does this need to be done?
∘ Do I need to be the one to do it?
∘ What is the most important thing I could do now?
· Final ThoughtsPossessing the knowledge of what to do, but not doing it…
Robin Sharma equates it to not knowing.
… But humankind has been battling with this syndrome for centuries.
In a letter to Lucilius, Seneca quoted Epicurus saying —
“The fool, with all his other faults, has this also, he is always getting ready to live.”
Bro.
This was in 63AD — 65AD.
It’s crazy to think around 2000 years later people still need a reminder to refrain from putting things off to a later date and start life immediately.
You still hear slurs like “When I’m X I will…,” “One day I’ll X,” and “I just don’t feel like it.”
Seneca and Epicurus call you a fool — don’t come at me; I’m just the messenger.
Life is here and now. It must be lived today.
This doesn’t mean recklessly abandoning your priorities to have fun.
It means marching to the beat of the drum which leads you to your desired future self.
Forget about time management (for now)
Obviously the word “procrastination” didn’t exist back in 63AD…
It only came about in the 16th century.
Greek philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle used “Akrasia” to describe the same behavior which was just as prevalent in their day.
They defined it as acting against your better judgment.
In other words, when you know what you should be doing but you choose to do something else.
For example, watching Love Island all evening instead of working on your side hustle.
You have Akrasia.
This has nothing to do with how you manage your time and everything to do with self-regulation.
“Self-regulation is most predictive of procrastination tendencies.” — Robert M. Klassen et al, 2008, Academic procrastination of undergraduates: Low self-efficacy to self-regulate predicts higher levels of procrastination.
The present self is being prioritized over the future self.
I know it sounds a bit woo woo but just hear me out…
You exist in three states: past, present, and future.
Your behaviors in the present are guided by the outlook of your future, which is influenced by how you define your past — this determines the limits of what you can achieve in the future.
Defining a clear goal constructs an ideal future self for you to move toward in the present.
How you view yourself in the future is what orchestrates your actions in the present.
A blurred future self leaves gaps in your vision.
These gaps are filled on an ad hoc basis by past experiences, assumptions, and beliefs (your memory).
Even though you’re still moving toward a future version of yourself, the lack of clarity creates a void.
We can call that void “unfulfillment.”
Unfulfilment must be attended to. The issue is it can only be done in the present; that’s where the action takes place.
Basically, all I’m saying is this…
The problem of procrastination isn’t about the ability to manage time. It’s deeply rooted in a lack of future clarity.
How can you regulate yourself if you don’t know where you’re going?
When there’s nothing you’re moving towards, there’s no boundaries for what you can do.
It makes sense to prioritize the present moment by indulging in frivolities; this is how you experience the release of gratification you would usually get from moving towards an ideal future version of yourself.
The only downside is it is at the expense of your mental and physical health.
The battle of self
You’re in a tug-of-war with who you were, who you are, and who you wanna be.
Who you were wants to go back and change how things played out while avoiding it from ever happening again in the future.
Who you are wants to keep things the same. The mantra for this geezer is “less change means more certainty.”
Who you wanna be wants to pull you into uncertainty.
They’re all at loggerheads.
When faced with a difficult task, the version of self you most identify with takes precedence.
If that’s the past or present, you’ll probably avoid the task.
“But why?” you ask. Good question.
Let me paint a little picture for you…
Imagine you’re in a thick forest.
No torch and there’s no other source of light; it’s completely pitch black.
Your mates, social media, and other influences have told you about great things that sit at the other end of the forest — due to modern technology, you’ve also seen a few glimpses too.
The only issue it’s flipping dark.
You didn’t know this is what you’d have to go through to get there.
The only justification you have for going through with it is “X told me I’ll get Y if I do.”
The past self says, “What if it’s a trap.”
The present self says, “This is too hard. I can’t do this.”
Regardless, deciding to march on means pushing your way through.
Eventually, you get tired and just stop.
Now let’s flip it to the future self…
The forest is still pitch black, but this time you’re ready.
You’ve seen exactly what sits on the other side — in fact, it was designed by you.
You’ve also found a few people who’ve walked the path before.
To avoid getting lost, you attached a harness to them with a lead.
Wherever they go, you follow.
Your future self says, “Finally. Some adventure.”
They’re pulling you through the forest.
You don’t have time to be scared or procrastinate.
You’re being dragged.
Can you see why I say procrastination is a clarity issue?
You’re avoiding difficult tasks cos there’s not a good enough reason to do them.
You must PUSH your way through hardship, which drains your energy.
The present self thinks it’s easier to just rest — “You’ve worked hard enough to get here.”
The past self wants to put the mistakes you made on the way right and avoid them from happening again — “Let’s go back and fix the tree we knocked over.”
The prescription
Having a clear vision doesn’t mean tasks will become easier.
It will still be hard.
The only thing that changes is the significance they hold.
They’ll no longer be blockers; they’ll be checkpoints.
Getting a difficult task done sets a new standard — there’s still something higher to aim for.
So how do you win the battle against yourself?
First of all, you need a vision. It must be one you’ve designed yourself — use this story for guidance.
Once you’ve got some clarity, filter every decision through these three questions…
Does this need to be done?
Not everything needs to be done.
You don’t need to hang out with friends — It’s nice to do it.
If you’re someone who likes spending time with others, find people who force you to be better.
This way you’re still getting value from doing things you like to do.
I don’t need to go to the spa every Sunday, but I do it cos it refreshes my mind.
It adds value.
Do I need to be the one to do it?
You also don’t have to be the one to do everything.
The fact a task needs to be done isn’t grounds for you to do it.
For example, you need to eat.
Unless you’re a chef on the other side of the forest or there’s some other form of value you can extract from doing it (i.e., bonding with family), then don’t do it.
Pay someone else.
What is the most important thing I could do now?
If it will move you closer to the other side of the forest, it’s important.
But there’s constraints…
There’s always constraints.
Sometimes you don’t have the resources to do certain tasks. This just means you’re thinking too many steps ahead — retract a little.
The most important task you can do now is what you have the resources to complete in the present moment.
It doesn’t have to be more than one thing — the fewer the better.
Just focus on getting that one thing done.
Final Thoughts
Procrastination is the offspring of those who misunderstand the meaning of “living in the moment.”
This isn’t a time-management issue; it’s a clarity one.
If you knew where you were going, recklessly abandoning your priorities to pursue your short-term needs would be the least of your concerns.
You’d be strictly focused on following the path.
If you wanna clear procrastination once and for all, be bold enough to have a vision.
Thanks for reading!
Join my email list with 500+ people to get a FREE eBook on the most effective way to achieve your goals.
