Don't Read This Later

Why you procrastinate and what you can do about it.

My name is Natalia, and I procrastinate.

A lot.

When I say I procrastinate, I mean that I’m not just a member of the Procrastination Club, I’m the President. If there was a prize for who can procrastinate the longest and most often, I would win every year. And, if said fictional awarding body gave out lifetime achievement awards, I’d be the heavy favorite.

I really can’t emphasize enough how much I live by a, “Why do it now when I can do it later?” philosophy.

In fact, the very idea for this week’s topic came from my reluctance to get started on this any earlier than yesterday, when I finally started to grow afraid that I wouldn’t have time to write anything, and my fans (that’s you!) would think I’d given up and abandoned them after only 3 short weeks.

Of course, you don’t get procrastination accolades for putting off only recreational activities like Substack posts.

You get them for putting off making appointments, paying bills, drafting emails, making phone calls, submitting applications, etc., etc., etc.

No matter how big or small a task, I wait, and I wait, and I wait until it’s a 5 alarm fire, which causes me to go into a panic spiral because at the end of the day, I am nothing if not a rule follower who WILL get things done by the designated deadline.

And I do! And then I say, “Wow, that sucked. I will NEVER procrastinate again.” Until, of course, the next time a deadline looms when I absolutely procrastinate, and the cycle continues.

If you can relate, you too, may have a future in the Procrastination Hall of Fame. And, like me, you probably get SO frustrated because WHY can’t you just do what you need to do?

Let’s explore together.

What is Procrastination?

Procrastination is defined as the “voluntary delay of an intended action despite knowing that this delay may lead to negative consequences.”

Just reading that sentence makes me scratch my head in bewilderment. For WHY would anyone voluntarily choose a negative consequence? Why would we choose the stress, anxiety, fear, self-criticism, decreased productivity, and guilt that procrastination brings? What’s happening that makes otherwise perfectly rational actors behave so irrationally?

Self-Regulation, Discipline, & Willpower

In some cases, the task we’re avoiding may just be unpleasant. Our brains are wired to avoid unpleasant. But in instances involving neutral or even pleasurable tasks, it all starts with our ability (or in this case inability) to self-regulate.

Self-regulation, i.e., willpower or discipline, is our capacity to control our emotions, behaviors, and desires. It’s our ability to show up in the world in the way that we want to.

I recently took a strengths finding quiz (more on that another time), and it turns out that my lowest ranked strength is self-regulation. This is not a big surprise, but it is a huge bummer because higher scores on self-regulation correlate with things like:

• Better psychological adjustment

• Less psychopathology

• Higher self-esteem

• Less binge-eating and alcohol abuse

• Better relationships

• Better interpersonal skills

• More secure attachment

• Optimal emotional responses

I can pretty confidently say that I am not a psychopath. And, yes, I recognize that’s something a psychopath might say, but I promise I’m probably not. And, in truth, I’ve been largely unaffected by most of these potential pitfalls.

But my lack of discipline has meant that I have trouble sticking with routines, I’m often impulsive (like when I decided to start a Substack and share it with my entire personal and professional network before I even knew how this platform worked), and as aforementioned, I often find myself procrastinating and getting myself into situations that are both highly stressful and highly avoidable.

Sound familiar?

Mercifully, the research shows that self-regulation is not a personality trait that you’re either born with or not. Self-control is malleable, buildable, and within our reach.

But here is something really important to understand about self-control and willpower. To exert them requires mental resources and energy, and we only have a limited pool of those from which to draw. Our mental resources get depleted over the course of the day. As a result, we’re less able to control our responses and do the thing we know we need to do in order to avoid the negative consequence we know will result if we don’t.

---

We now interrupt the flow of this article to introduce research studies.

---

What Does the Science Say?

One of my favorite studies on this topic involved a group of participants who were split into 3 groups. Group 1 was given a plate of radishes and a plate of cookies. They were told they could eat all the radishes they wanted, but none of the cookies. The second group was given only cookies. The third group was not given any food at all (rude).

The researchers then gave all of the groups unsolvable puzzles to see how long they would persist in attempting to solve them.

Group 3 (no food) persisted for 20 minutes and 9 seconds.

Group 2 (cookie only group) persisted for 18 minutes and 9 seconds

Group 1 (radishes only group) persisted for a mere 8 minutes and 35 seconds.

What does this tell us?

The act of resisting the tempting cookies depleted the radish group's self-control "reserves," leaving them with less energy to work on the puzzles.

In another study, researchers looked at judges who were making parole decisions. They analyzed how the timing of the judges’ meal breaks impacted their rulings. Here’s what they found:

Early in the morning and right after a meal break, judges were more likely to grant parole, with favorable decisions reaching about 65%. However, as the time since the last meal increased, the likelihood of a favorable ruling decreased to nearly zero before the next break. Decision fatigue and hunger depleted the judges’ mental energy reserves, significantly impacting the outcomes of these cases.

---

We now return to our regularly scheduled flow.

---

Energy Depletion & Repletion

When energy levels are low, our ability to initiate and stay engaged with tasks weakens, which often leads to procrastination. This is especially true if the task feels difficult or uninteresting.

As we saw with our judge friends, energy depletion also impairs decision-making abilities, making it harder to prioritize tasks and decide on what to do, which can lead to task avoidance.

And, when energy is low, we tend to seek activities that provide immediate gratification, like scrolling through social media or binging a show on Netflix, rather than taking on challenging or boring tasks.

What kinds of things deplete our energy?

• Stress

• Making decisions

• Taking initiative

• Multi-tasking

• Sleep deprivation

• Substances (e.g., alcohol)

• Premenstrual cycle

• Low blood sugar

• Physical pain

Looking at this list, things are starting to make more sense. Perhaps we don’t procrastinate because we’re defective. Maybe we’re just depleted.

If your procrastination is stemming from energy depletion, don’t fret. There are many ways you can refuel your mental reserves. Some ideas:

• Eating a snack (preferably complex carbohydrates, protein, and nutrient dense)

• Having rules to live by to avoid decision fatigue (e.g., creating a work uniform, meal prepping, etc.)

• Naps and sleep

• Laughter

• Spending time with others

• Mindfulness meditation

• Consciously cultivating positive emotions (like gratitude, joy, or awe)

What if My Energy is Fine? Why Else Do I Procrastinate?

Beyond energy depletion, some people procrastinate because they intuitively understand that even seemingly simple tasks can be deceptively complicated and time consuming. They focus on the total amount of effort it takes to complete a a task instead of thinking about the small steps involved.

For example, if you have something like “Reply to John’s email” on your To-Do list, it seems easy enough. Just sit at your computer and answer the man!

But, if replying to John entails you looking through long email chains, downloading spreadsheets, reaching out to Rhonda in Accounting, and making thoughtful recommendations, you will be more inclined to put it off.

Sometimes procrastination is a time travel problem. Meaning, we tend to overestimate how willing our future selves will be to do the thing our present self doesn’t want to do. For example, present moment me doesn’t have any interest in organizing my closet. But tomorrow me? She will Marie Kondo the sh*it out of that closet. More often than not, though, we’re wrong about our future selves. Especially if we’ve put them in situations involving stress, rush, and overwhelm.

Yet another reason people procrastinate is perfectionism. For those who struggle with this, the thought of not being able to do something perfectly paralyzes them into doing nothing at all until they can no longer avoid it.

So, what can you do about these forms of procrastination?

The first thing is to recognize an important fact:

Procrastination is something we do, not who we are.

This might seem like semantics, but this subtle mindset shift reminds us that procrastination is a behavior, not an identity. And behaviors can be changed.

On a more tactical level, here are three practices you can try to help you kick your procrastination habit to the curb.

1. Next Action

   This involves asking yourself, “If I did feel like [insert action item you most definitely do not feel like doing], what would the first next action be?” Once you have an answer, you do it.

   

   How to Implement: Let’s say that the task you’re avoiding is going to the gym. You might say, If I did feel like going to the gym, the first next action is to change into gym clothes. Then…you do it. The next thing you might do is put on gym shoes. So, you do it. The next thing you might do is grab your keys. You get the gist. Your brain likes to close the loop on things, so once you start taking action, your brain will likely lead you to finish the task at hand.

2. Mind Mapping and Breaking into Smallest Possible Chunks

   Mind mapping is a visual tool that helps structure information so that you can see connections and relationships between different tasks. You start by creating a diagram that begins with a central idea and branches out into related subtopics, much like a tree. By visually organizing tasks, you get more clarity about what needs to be done, which reduces feelings of overwhelm - a common reason to procrastinate. Mind maps also help you identify the most important tasks and prioritize them, which can increase motivation to start.

How to Implement: (1) Start with a central idea or task in the center of the page. (2) Draw branches to subtopics or smaller tasks related to the central idea. (3) Use keywords, images, or symbols to represent each branch for easy recall. (4) Continue breaking down tasks until you have actionable steps.

Similarly, “chunking” involves breaking down large pieces of information or tasks into smaller ones, which makes them easier to process and complete. By dividing tasks into smaller pieces, the work becomes less daunting and the tasks are easier to concentrate on. Plus, completing small chunks provides a sense of achievement and progress, motivating you to keep going.

How to Implement: (1) Identify a large task or project that you tend to procrastinate on. (2) Break it down into smaller, actionable tasks. (3) Assign a specific time frame or deadline for each small task. (4) Focus on completing one chunk at a time, allowing for breaks in between to maintain energy and motivation.

3. The 7-Minute Rule

   Starting a task is often the hardest part. But if you limit the initial commitment to a short, manageable, non-threatening time frame - like 7 minutes - you can overcome the inertia that’s keeping you from getting started. Once you start working, it's often easier to continue because you’ve built up momentum and motivation.

   

How to Implement: (1) Identify a task or project that you’re avoiding. (2) Set a timer for 7 minutes. (3) Begin the task with the intention to stop after 7 minutes. (4) When the timer goes off, evaluate how you feel. Often, you’ll find the task wasn’t as bad as you feared, and you’ll keep going. But if it was as bad (or worse), you can stop, without guilt. Sometimes, you really aren’t ready to tackle a task.

These strategies help organize information, reduce overwhelm, and make tasks more approachable, ultimately enhancing productivity and wellbeing and helping you avoid procrastination.

Are you willing to give them a try? Or do you have any tips and tricks that have worked for you? Help a sister out and let me know in the comments.

Until next week, stay well, friends.