Procrastination

Contrary to popular belief, procrastination can be viewed as an efficient strategy for completing tasks. By waiting until the last minute and working intensely for a short period, people can achieve acceptable results with less overall effort.
Procrastination Efficiency, Last-Minute Panic, Acceptable Results

It turned out that I was like, kind of waiting till the last minute for everything because I had too much to do. And it turned out kind of awesome. And that is a terrible idea. And today, what we’re going to teach you is how to not do that, and how to not procrastinate to be successful. Because the crazy thing that I realized as I was doing that is that procrastination isn’t a problem. It’s actually a solution.

• Have you ever intentionally procrastinated on a task and still achieved an acceptable outcome? How did this experience shape your view of procrastination?
• While procrastination can be an efficient strategy in the short term, what are the potential long-term consequences of relying on this approach?

Procrastination is not a monolithic concept. It can be broken down into three distinct types: idealistic procrastination (perfectionism), avoidance procrastination (emotional), and operational procrastination (overwhelm). Understanding the specific type of procrastination at play is crucial for developing targeted solutions.
Idealistic Procrastination, Avoidance Procrastination, Operational Procrastination

The first thing that we’ve got to do is understand that procrastination is not monolithic, and that there are three or four discrete kinds of procrastination. And the more that we tunnel down into what kind of procrastination you have, will actually start to understand how to create tailored suit solutions for that particular variant.

• Reflect on your own procrastination habits. Which of the three types do you most often experience?
• How can understanding the specific type of procrastination you’re dealing with help you develop more effective strategies for overcoming it?

Idealistic procrastination, or perfectionism, is rooted in the ego’s desire to avoid criticism and maintain a sense of superiority. People may procrastinate because they don’t feel ready or believe they need to do the task perfectly, otherwise it’s not worth doing at all.
Perfectionism, Ego Protection, All-or-Nothing Thinking

So why does the mind want to be perfect? Right? What does being perfect do for us? And it comes down to the ego because when you do something perfectly, no one can criticize you for it. Right? When you can do something perfectly. You do it better than everyone else.

• How has your ego contributed to idealistic procrastination in your own life? What fears or insecurities might be driving this type of procrastination?
• What steps can you take to challenge perfectionistic thinking and embrace the value of imperfect action?

Avoidance procrastination is driven by the desire to avoid negative emotions associated with a task. The brain tries to protect us from these unpleasant feelings, leading to procrastination. To overcome this type of procrastination, it’s important to practice emotional awareness and digestion.
Emotional Avoidance, Brain Protection, Emotional Awareness

So remember that our brains job is to protect us from what not the outside world. Our brains job is to protect us from our dumb asses. Right? So our brain is sitting there and saying, Hey, don’t tell them right now. Because they’re gonna yell at you, and that’s gonna hurt. So don’t do it. Don’t do it. Don’t do it. Remember that negative emotions are the override switch for behavior.

• Think of a task you’ve been avoiding due to the negative emotions it evokes. What specific emotions are you trying to avoid?
• How can practicing emotional awareness and digestion help you face and move through these challenging feelings, rather than avoiding them through procrastination?

Operational procrastination occurs when the brain is overwhelmed by the magnitude of a task and doesn’t know where to start. To overcome this type of procrastination, it’s essential to break the task down into smaller, actionable steps.
Overwhelm, Task Breakdown, Actionable Steps

So when my mind is trying to conduct a task like I need to, let’s say, get a job. The problem is that our mind can’t really break that task down into parts. And we’ll talk about this a little bit later in neuroscience as well. But essentially, when there’s a large task, like getting a job, it’s like how do you do that? What are the steps and unless our brain can figure out the steps, we don’t really know how to start acting.

• Think of a large, overwhelming task you’ve been procrastinating on. How can you break this task down into smaller, more manageable steps?
• What tools or strategies can you use to help you operationalize complex tasks and avoid procrastination due to overwhelm?

Research has shown that individuals with an implementation orientation, focusing on specific when, where, and how details of a task, are more likely to achieve successful outcomes. By breaking tasks down into concrete, actionable steps, procrastination can be reduced and performance enhanced.
Implementation Orientation, Specific Planning, Successful Outcomes

When they think about when where how in a specific thought they don’t think about getting an A on a chemistry test. They don’t think about doing well on chemistry. What they think about is I’m going to crack open this chemistry textbook on Wednesday at 3pm. In the library, when we break down the tasks, they become easier to do and our outcomes become better.

• How can you apply an implementation orientation to a task you’ve been procrastinating on? What specific when, where, and how details can you plan out?
• How might adopting an implementation orientation across various areas of your life impact your overall productivity and success?

By understanding the three types of procrastination and applying targeted strategies such as challenging perfectionistic thinking, practicing emotional digestion, and breaking tasks down into actionable steps, individuals can overcome the root causes of their procrastination and achieve more successful outcomes. While procrastination may offer short-term efficiency, developing a proactive, implementation-oriented approach is key to long-term productivity and success.

Think about the goal you are trying to achieve. Starting from the final step to achieve the goal, list out actions in reverse-chronological order of what it would take to get there.

For the task you are procrastinating, break down the steps down into individual components that you can execute in small bite-sized pieces you can do in a day.

Goal

Goal: