4 Methods to Stop Procrastination: It's Your Brain’s Way of Protecting You
Procrastination isn’t really a “problem.”
It’s more like my brain’s way of shielding me from something tough. Most of the time, after I finally tackle something I’ve been avoiding, I look back and think, “Yeah, that was hard for a reason.”
- After finishing an article, I see it took way longer than I thought.
- After writing code for a new feature, I realize it was way more complicated than expected.
There’s usually a good reason for procrastinating, even if we don’t consciously know it. Your gut or emotions pick up on big roadblocks, but your logical side is still saying, “Just get it done! What’s the holdup?” Then we beat ourselves up.
Step one in handling procrastination is cutting yourself some slack: you don’t have a “problem” to “fix.”
Of course, powering through with sheer willpower rarely works (and usually makes things worse). What you really need is a system:
1. Break it down into small steps, tiny enough to finish in an hour.
If writing the whole article feels like too much, just start with an outline.
Still too much? Jot down 10 possible ideas.
2. Set a one-hour timer.
The nice thing about breaking things down is, you don’t have to get the time estimate exactly right.
You just have to trick your brain into thinking, “This is easy, I can totally finish it in an hour.”
My favorite hack is to set a one-hour timer and tell yourself, “I’m getting this done in the next hour.”
And even if it ends up taking three hours, who cares? At least I'm not procrastinating anymore.
3. Find a trigger that gets you started, and let the rest follow.
For me, it’s sitting down, putting on my headphones, and starting the first tiny task. Once that happens, the rest kind of takes care of itself.
4. Block out distractions once you’re in the zone.
If you’re finally getting into it, don’t let anything mess up your flow:
- Turn off social media.
- Switch on Do Not Disturb.
- Put your phone out of sight.
- Let people around you know you’ll be focusing for the next hour.
If you need help keeping social media out of reach, try Clarymind
See it as a “smart warning
Instead of beating yourself up over procrastinating, try seeing it as a “smart warning.” It’s like your wiser self is saying, “There’s some uncertainty here. Don’t dive in yet.”
It’s not about not being good enough. If something’s that tough, it’s just going to take more time. I now mentally prepare for things to take three to five times longer than I think they will. This mindset has helped me deal with procrastination, and it’s been great for my anxiety too.
I used to get stuck in this cycle:
Task feels hard → procrastinate → feel anxious → scroll social media → run out of time → task gets harder → procrastinate again → repeat.
I’m not saying Clarymind will magically end procrastination (because, let’s be real, nothing can), but it can help you stay off social media and break that cycle.
Originally published in Essential Thinking, this post is translated and shared here with permission.