Stage 1 · Lesson 1 of 6
Procrastination is about feelings
Procrastination is not a time management problem or a character flaw. Researchers Tim Pychyl and Fuschia Sirois describe it as a way of managing mood: a task makes you feel anxious, bored, confused or inadequate, and putting it off gives you quick relief.
Opening your phone, cleaning your room or "just checking" one more video all make the bad feeling go away for a moment. The cost comes later, as stress, guilt and a bigger task. This explains why you can procrastinate on things you care about, like a project you are proud of or a job application you really want.
Common trapcalling yourself lazy, which adds shame to the pile of feelings and makes you even more likely to avoid the task tomorrow.
A question to check yourself and an AI practice session come when you add the roadmap to your account. Add it
Resources for this stage
Start with
- VideoFreeInside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator (Tim Urban, TED2016)
Tim Urban (TED2016)
A funny, honest talk on what goes on inside a procrastinator's head
Practise
Also worth your time
Struggling right now? If you are in danger or thinking about harming yourself, contact local emergency services or a crisis line: Find a helpline (any country), Umang (Pakistan), Tele-MANAS, 14416 (India).