Procrastination: A Scientific Guide on How

to Stop Procrastinating

Procrastination is a challenge we have all faced at one P

point or another. For as long as humans have been
around, we have been struggling with delaying, avoiding, B
and procrastinating on issues that matter to us.

During our more productive moments, when we temporarily

P
figure out how to stop procrastinating, we feel satisfied
and accomplished. Today, we're going to talk about how
to make those rare moments of productivity more routine. B
The purpose of this guide is to break down the science
behind why we procrastinate, share proven frameworks P
you can use to beat procrastination, and cover useful
strategies that will make it easier to take action.

What is Procrastination?
Human beings have been procrastinating for centuries.
P
The problem is so timeless, in fact, that ancient Greek
philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle developed a word B
to describe this type of behaviour: Akrasia.

Akrasia is the state of acting against your better B

judgment. It is when you do one thing even though you
P
know you should do something else. Loosely translated,
you could say that akrasia is procrastination or a lack of B
self-control.
Here's a modern definition: Procrastination is the act of P
delaying or postponing a task or set of tasks. So, whether
you refer to it as procrastination or akrasia or something
B
else, it is the force that prevents you from following P
through on what you set out to do.

Why Do We Procrastinate?

Ok, definitions are great and all, but why do we

P
procrastinate? What is going on in the brain that causes
us to avoid the things we know we should be doing?
B

This is a good time to bring some science into our

P
discussion. Behavioural psychology research has revealed a
phenomenon B
called “time inconsistency,” which helps explain why
procrastination seems to pull us in despite our good P
intentions. Time inconsistency refers to the tendency of
B
the human brain to value immediate rewards more highly
than future rewards. The best way to understand this is
P
by imagining that you have two selves: your Present Self
and your Future Self. When you set goals for yourself — B
like losing weight or writing a book or learning a language
— you are actually making plans for your Future Self. You P
are envisioning what you want your life to be like in the
future. Researchers have found that when you think about B
your Future Self, it is quite easy for your brain to see
P
the value in taking actions with long-term benefits. The
Future Self values long-term rewards. However, while the B
Future Self can set goals, only the Present Self can take
action. When the time comes to make a decision, you are P
no longer making a choice for your Future Self. Now you
are in the present moment, and your brain is thinking B
about the Present Self. Researchers have discovered that
the Present Self really likes instant gratification, not P
long-term payoff. B
So, the Present Self and the Future Self are often at
P
odds
B

with one another. The Future Self wants to be trim and

fit, but the Present Self wants a donut. Sure, everyone
P
knows you should eat healthy today to avoid being
overweight in 10 years. But consequences like an increased
risk for diabetes or heart failure are years away.
B

Similarly, many young people know that saving for

P
retirement in their 20s and 30s is crucial, but the benefit
of doing so is decades off. It is far easier for the
Present Self to see the value in buying a new pair of B
shoes than in socking away $100 for 70-year-old you. (If
you're curious, there are some very good evolutionary
reasons for why our brain values immediate rewards more
P
highly than long-term rewards.)This is one reason why you
might go to bed feeling motivated to make a change in
your life, but when you wake up you find yourself falling
back into old patterns. Your brain values long-term
benefits when they are in the future (tomorrow), but it
values immediate gratification when it comes to the
P
present moment (today).
B

P
The Procrastination-Action Line

You cannot rely on long-term consequences and rewards to

motivate the Present Self. Instead, you have to find a
way to move future rewards and punishments into the
present moment. You have to make the future
consequences become present consequences.
This is exactly what happens during the moment when we
B
finally move beyond procrastination and take action. For
example, let's say you have a report to write. You've P
known about it for weeks and continued to put it off day
after day. You experience a little bit of nagging pain and
anxiety thinking about this paper you have to write, but
not enough

to do anything about it. Then, suddenly, the day before

the deadline, the future consequences turn into present
consequences, and you write that report hours before it is
due. The pain of procrastinating finally escalated, and you
crossed the “Action Line.”

There is something important to note here. As soon as you

cross the Action Line, the pain begins to subside. In fact,
being in the middle of procrastination is often more
painful than being in the middle of doing the work. Point A
on the chart above is often more painful than Point B.
The guilt, shame, and anxiety that you feel while
procrastinating are usually worse than the effort and
P
energy you have to put in while you're working. The
problem is not doing the work, it's starting the work. If B
we want to stop procrastinating, then we need to make
P
it as easy as possible for the Present Self to get
started and trust that motivation and momentum will B
come after we begin.
P

BP

PB
II. How to Stop Procrastinating Right P
Now
B
There are a variety of strategies we can employ to stop
procrastinating. Below, I'll outline and explain each B
concept, then I'll provide you with some examples of P
strategy in action.
B
P

Option 1: Make the Rewards of Taking Action

More Immediate
If you can find a way to make the benefits of long-term
choices more immediate, then it becomes easier to avoid
procrastination. One of the best ways to bring future
P
rewards into the present moment is with a strategy
known as temptation bundling.
B

Temptation bundling is a concept that came out of

behavioral economics research performed by Katy Milkman
at The University of Pennsylvania. Simply put, the
strategy suggests that you bundle a behaviour that is P
good for you in the long-run with a behaviour that feels B
good in the short-run.

The basic format is: Only do [THING YOU LOVE]

while doing [THING YOU PROCRASTINATE ON].

Here are a few common examples of temptation bundling:

P
 Only listen to audiobooks or podcasts you love
while exercising. B
 Only get a pedicure while processing overdue P
work emails.
B
 Only watch your favorite show while ironing or
doing household chores. P

 Only eat at your favorite restaurant when conducting

your monthly meeting with a difficult colleague.
This article covers some specific exercises you can
P
follow to figure out how to create temptation bundling
ideas that work for you. B

Option 2: Make the Consequences of

Procrastination More Immediate

There are many ways to force you to pay the costs of

procrastination sooner rather than later. For example, if
you are exercising alone, skipping your workout next week
won’t impact your life much at all. Your health won’t
P
deteriorate immediately because you missed that one
workout. The cost of procrastinating on exercise only B
becomes painful after weeks and months of lazy
P
behaviour. However, if you commit to working out with a
friend at 7 a.m. next Monday, then the cost of skipping B
your workout becomes more immediate. Miss this one
P
workout and you look like a jerk.
B
Another common strategy is to use a service like Stick to
place a bet. If you don't do what you say you'll do, then
the money goes to a charity you hate. The idea here is to
put some skin in the game and create a new consequence B
that happens if you don't do the behaviour right now.
P
B
Option 3: Design Your Future Actions

One of the favourite tools psychologists use to overcome

procrastination is called a “commitment device.”
Commitment devices can help you stop procrastinating by
designing your future actions ahead of time. P

For example, you can curb your future eating habits by

B
purchasing food in individual packages rather than in the
bulk size. You can stop wasting time on your phone by
P
deleting games or social media apps. (You could
also block them on your computer. B

Similarly, you can reduce the likelihood of mindless P

channel surfing by hiding your TV in a closet and only B
taking it out on big game days. You can voluntarily ask to
P
P
be added to the banned list at casinos and online
gambling sites to prevent future gambling sprees. You can
B
B
build an emergency fund by setting up an automatic P
transfer of funds to your savings account. These are all P
B
examples of commitment devices that help reduce the B
odds of procrastination.

Option 4: Make the Task More Achievable

As we have already covered, the friction that causes

procrastination is usually cantered around starting a P
behaviour. Once you begin, it’s often less painful to keep
working. This is one good reason to reduce the size of
B
your habits because if your habits are small and easy to P
start, then you will be less likely to procrastinate.

One of my favourite ways to make habits easier is to

use. The 2-Minute Rule, which states, “When you start a
B
new habit, it should take less than two minutes to do.”
The idea is to make it as easy as possible to get started P
and then trust that momentum will carry you further into
the task after you begin. Once you start doing something,
B
it’s easier to continue doing it. The 2–Minute Rule P
overcomes procrastination and laziness by making it so
B
easy to start taking action that you can’t say no.

Another great way to make tasks more achievable is to

break them down. For example, consider the remarkable
productivity of the famous writer Anthony Trollope. He
published 47 novels, 18 works of non-fiction, 12 short
stories, 2 plays, and an assortment of articles and
letters. How did he do it? Instead of measuring his
progress based on the completion of chapters or books,
Trollope measured his progress in 15-minute increments.
He set a goal of 250 words every 15 minutes and he
continued this pattern for three hours each day. This
approach allowed him to enjoy feelings of satisfaction and
accomplishment every 15 minutes while continuing to work
on the large task of writing a book.

Making your tasks more achievable is important for two

reasons.

P
1. Small measures of progress help to maintain
momentum over the long-run, which means you’re
more likely to finish large tasks. B
2. The faster you complete a productive task,
the more quickly your day develops an attitude P
of productivity and effectiveness. 
I have found this second point, the speed with which B
you complete your first task of the day, to be of
particular importance for overcoming procrastination and
maintaining a high productive output day after day.