Procrastination Science: Brain, Habits, & Getting Things Done

0.000000    5.860000     Welcome to everyday explained your daily 20 minute dive into the fascinating house and wise of the world around you
5.860000    11.340000     I'm your host Chris, and I'm excited to help you discover something new. Let's get started. All right
11.340000    13.840000     Let's just admit it right off the bat
13.840000    18.540000     We've all been there that looming deadline. You just can't quite face. Mm-hmm. That
18.540000    24.000000     Messy garage that's been on the list for months or that email just sitting in draft exactly
24.500000    30.900000     silently judging you. It's like procrastination is this unwelcome yet, you know, strangely persistent
30.900000    37.140000     Companion, isn't it? Today we're taking a deep dive into something that trips up pretty much everyone. Yeah, procrastination
37.140000    43.880000     We've got some really fascinating sources that cut through the myths and get right to the core science of
43.880000    48.560000     Why we keep putting things off? Yeah, and what's truly insightful here
48.560000    51.980000     I think is we'll be exploring not just what procrastination is but the
52.940000    59.360000     Prizeing neuroscience and psychology behind it all will look at the brains internal tug of war will impact some common procrastinator
59.360000    66.820000     Archetypes and most importantly equip you with science-backed strategies ways to help you become more intentional and actually get stuff done
66.820000    71.860000     Right. So the big question we're really asking today is what's genuinely holding you back from starting?
71.860000    76.900000     You know, it's funny because the first thing we often think about procrastination is that it's just laziness
76.900000    79.820000     Yeah, pure and simple. Right. That's the common myth
79.820000    85.400000     But our sources are quick to correct that it's actually a lot more complex
85.400000    89.780000     In fact, sometimes it's even a sign of a high achiever someone striving for excellence
89.780000    95.080000     Who's just waiting for that elusive perfect moment to begin that perfect moment that never quite arrives?
95.080000    99.780000     Exactly, but as Janet daily wisely put it some day is not a day of the week
99.780000    107.800000     You can't schedule things for some day and if we connect this to the bigger picture this idea of putting things off is ancient
108.500000    115.900000     Seriously Greek philosophers like Socrates and Aristotle. They actually had a word for it. A crazier a crazier. Yeah, yeah
115.900000    120.680000     It basically means acting against your better judgment or you know a lack of self-control
120.680000    126.020000     It's that invisible force stopping you from following through even when you know exactly what you should be doing
126.020000    131.260000     It's like a universal human struggle and this is where the science really connects with our daily experience
131.260000    135.700000     Isn't it behavioral psychology talks about something called time inconsistency?
135.700000    139.660000     Mm-hmm time inconsistency. Imagine two versions of you
139.660000    142.340000     There's your future self. Yeah, right?
142.340000    147.980000     The one who says these grand goals like getting fit or finally writing that novel that future self
147.980000    151.980000     They value the long-term rewards sure the big payoff down the line
151.980000    156.140000     But then there's your present self who let's be honest only once instant gratification
156.140000    160.380000     Your future self might picture a healthy you but your present self
160.380000    168.620000     Oh, the present self just wants that donut right now. Oh, yeah, yeah, and this constant internal conflict between these two versions of
168.620000    175.020000     Ourself that's a primary driver of delay. It's like a tiny angel and devil on your shoulders except while both of them are you
175.020000    181.440000     So given that internal battle the real challenge becomes how do we actually get our present self to you know
181.440000    188.140000     Move to get going we need to find a way to make those future rewards and maybe even the punishments feel much more immediate
188.140000    195.300000     Okay, so bring the future closer exactly think about that report you knew about for weeks kept putting off putting off and then suddenly
195.300000    199.220000     Wrote in a panic hours before the deadline. Oh, I know that feeling well
199.220000    207.980000     Right the pain of procrastinating finally escalated past what psychologists call the action line and here's the real paradox of procrastination
207.980000    212.020000     Actually being in the middle of it is often more painful
212.180000    217.540000     You're filled with guilt shame anxiety than just doing the work itself. That's so true
217.540000    224.260000     The dread is worse than the doing precisely the real hurdle as our sources really highlight isn't doing the work
224.260000    229.100000     It's simply starting it getting over that initial hump and beyond just the brain chemistry
229.100000    236.660000     There are deeper psychological roots - right like we often procrastinate as a way to just avoid discomfort or anxiety or stress
236.660000    241.460000     Yeah, it's an avoidance tactic. It's like our brains built in new button for anything unpleasant
241.660000    248.360000     It's also strongly linked to perfectionism that endless waiting for everything to be absolutely perfect before you dare begin
248.360000    254.780000     Which of course means you never begin the perfect conditions never arrive and ironically it can stem from a fear of failure
254.780000    261.700000     Where you know not trying actually feels safer than trying and potentially not succeeding or sometimes
261.700000    266.860000     It's just feeling utterly overwhelmed thinking. I don't even know where to begin with this this huge thing
266.860000    273.500000     That feeling of being swamped. What's truly ironic as you pointed out earlier is we often procrastinate not because we don't care
273.500000    280.660000     But because we care too much exactly. It's a coping mechanism for those intense feelings and you know in today's world
280.660000    287.060000     This hyper connected world we live in instant gratification isn't just a preference. It's basically the new normal
287.060000    295.780000     Oh totally notifications pop-ups right algorithmically tailored content all the stuff is engineered really to hijack our brains reward circuitry
296.380000    302.860000     Brain scans in people who are chronic procrastinators actually show reduced activity in the pre-sental cortex
302.860000    306.220000     That's your brain's CEO the planning and decision-making part
306.220000    312.060000     Okay, so the rational part quietens down it quietens down and instead the reward system
312.060000    316.340000     Creating those quick dopamine hits from distractions lights up like a Christmas tree
316.340000    319.400000     This creates what's known as the intention action gap
319.400000    324.620000     Intention action gap. Yeah, meaning even a tiny bit of friction the smallest hurdle
324.940000    331.340000     Can send us chasing those easier quicker rewards online or wherever and the more we indulge in those quick wins
331.340000    338.060000     The less satisfying the long-term rewards actually feel it makes it incredibly hard to commit to tasks that need sustained effort
338.060000    345.340000     It's a vicious cycle that modern tech often well feeds into okay, so that's the why a lot going on there now
345.340000    353.940000     Let's turn to maybe the who because knowing your specific style of delay your flavor of procrastination is often the first step to beating it
353.940000    359.300000     Absolutely self-awareness is key our sources outline five main types, and it's kind of like a personality quiz
359.300000    367.900000     But for your avoidance habits. There's the thrill seeker a self-doubt or the overdoer the perfectionist and the avoidant and while each has
367.900000    374.780000     Sort of unique reasons for putting things off they all share that one common thing right that struggle with just getting started
374.780000    377.100000     Yeah, let's unpack these a little bit first up
377.100000    378.180000     You mentioned the thrill seeker
378.180000    382.260000     This is the person who actually thrives on that last minute rush because it feels
382.780000    389.220000     Well exhilarating the adrenaline junkie of deadlines pretty much as researcher Tim Pichel notes
389.220000    395.740000     They seek immediate pleasure and excitement and are resistant to anything that smacks of delay or a waiting period
395.740000    401.980000     Basically, they want what they want now and this tendency often flares up when a task feels boring or difficult
401.980000    408.260000     So they rely on that jolt of adrenaline from the impending deadline to finally, you know, spur them into action
408.260000    416.460000     Okay, then the overdoer this one this one hits close to home for a lot of people maybe myself included sometimes I think they can relate
416.460000    419.140000     This is the person who tries to do everything
419.140000    425.460000     Way too much they pile on tasks make plans that are just physically impossible to execute and
425.460000    430.860000     Inevitably end up feeling totally overwhelmed and what happens when you're overwhelmed you shut down you shut down
430.860000    435.700000     Yeah, you put things off or you don't finish them at all. It's the surprising trap. We're trying to do more
436.500000    441.820000     Actually leads to doing less burn out city. Yeah, absolutely. Then there's the self-doubter
441.820000    450.700000     This type is often plagued by those nagging thoughts like am I really capable of this can I actually pull this off the imposter syndrome type could be related
450.700000    452.980000     Yeah, they fear they aren't good enough
452.980000    457.660000     So they'll delay or just give up entirely out of a fear failure even when
457.660000    462.460000     Objectively, they probably have the skills. It's often based on these like
462.980000    469.260000     Irrational beliefs about their own abilities. Okay, and how's that different from the avoidant you mentioned avoidant too good question
469.260000    476.260000     They seem similar, but the avoidant type specifically puts off tasks because they're terrified of making a mistake getting it wrong
476.260000    483.100000     Ah, so less about am I good enough and more about I don't want to mess this up exactly for them
483.100000    487.940000     Inaction feels like the safest choice especially when a task feels big or overwhelming
488.140000    495.660000     It's less about deep-seated self-worth and more about simply not wanting to get it wrong and finally the perfectionist we touched on this
495.660000    501.300000     This is where those incredibly high standards collide often quite frustratingly with in action
501.300000    509.020000     The perfectionist delays starting because they're convinced it has to be absolutely perfect the conditions have to be perfect the plan has to be perfect the outcome
509.020000    515.580000     Perfect, which of course often leads to tasks never actually getting completed because perfect never comes
515.820000    520.980000     Never does as one of our sources really nails it perfectionism is the enemy of progress
520.980000    526.940000     They just get trapped in this loop of waiting for ideal conditions that simply don't exist. Okay, that's
526.940000    533.180000     Quite the lineup of procrastination styles. Yeah, but now for the genuinely good news, right?
533.180000    537.860000     Our sources really emphasize that your brain can absolutely be rewired
537.860000    543.740000     This isn't some fixed wiring issue. You're just stuck with forever. That's the hope. Yes neuroplasticity
543.740000    547.580000     neuroplasticity it means we can consciously retrain our brains
547.580000    549.900000     We can learn to crave
549.900000    555.100000     Follow through more than avoidance. It's about building new habits like one small brick at a time
555.100000    558.940000     And the first crucial step in that rewiring process as we mentioned is self-awareness
558.940000    564.540000     It really is about recognizing your triggers the next time you feel yourself procrastinating sliding into avoidance just pause
564.540000    571.140000     Pause for a moment and genuinely ask yourself why? Okay, like what am I actually avoiding here exactly?
571.140000    577.460000     Are you avoiding something specific discomfort? Maybe a difficult conversation a potential failure and then think
577.460000    583.220000     How will continuing to procrastinate make me feel in the long run guiltier more stressed
583.220000    590.100000     Understanding when and why you delay is truly the key. It unlocks the door to making lasting change
590.100000    596.740000     Right, so once you know why it's time to actually do something and often the best way is just begin with baby steps
597.060000    602.020000     I love this quote from Robert Collier if you procrastinate when faced with a big difficult problem
602.020000    606.740000     Break the problem into parts and handle one part at a time makes it less daunting totally
606.740000    612.180000     This is where that famous two-minute rule comes in handy James Claire talks about this when you start a new habit
612.180000    619.460000     It should take less than two minutes to do lower the barrier to entry exactly think of Anthony Trollup that incredibly prolific 19th century writer
619.460000    626.500000     He published over 40 books how by simply committing to writing 250 words every 15 minutes consistently
626.900000    631.140000     Small wins snowball into big motivation. You just need to like get your foot in the door
631.140000    638.740000     Yeah, build that momentum and building on that another practical step is to actively identify and maybe even list out the impact
638.740000    642.340000     Grab the pen and paper old school. Okay. Make two lists
642.340000    647.860000     Seriously one for what happens if you do procrastinate on this task the real consequences
647.860000    655.860000     And another list for what happens if you don't procrastinate if you actually do it the pros and cons basically kind of but really focusing on the impact
656.340000    659.220000     Take the time to carefully weigh the outcomes of each decision
659.220000    666.500000     You might be genuinely surprised by how much the long-term costs of delaying the stress the missed opportunities the rush work
666.500000    670.340000     Far outweigh any temporary benefit you get from avoiding it right now
670.340000    675.140000     This exercise helps bring those future consequences squarely into the present
675.140000    679.540000     Makes them feel more real. Okay, that makes sense now this next strategy
679.540000    682.820000     It feels a bit counterintuitive maybe
683.140000    686.820000     But our source to say it's absolutely crucial take a break and actually disconnect
686.820000    691.620000     Yeah, it seems weird when you're trying to get more done right but our devices are constantly pinging us
691.620000    697.060000     Yeah, right diverting our attention with these little siren calls of notifications the advice is
697.060000    700.340000     Log out of email
700.340000    702.020000     close slack
702.020000    706.020000     Switch off your phone or at least put it in another room reduce the temptation
706.020000    710.660000     Exactly the less accessible that quick hit of dopamine is from a new notification
711.060000    715.140000     The more likely you'll actually turn toward the deeper more meaningful work you're trying to do
715.140000    719.380000     And instead of striving for that you know often elusive work-life balance
719.380000    723.140000     Maybe in for counterbalance counterbalance. How does that work?
723.140000    728.260000     They give it like strategically shifting between different priorities as needed really focusing on one and switching
728.260000    731.940000     Rather than trying to perfectly blend everything all the time
731.940000    738.260000     Which often just leads to feeling scattered got it. Okay, another really powerful strategy building on making things immediate
738.660000    743.060000     Is to deliberately structure rewards and consequences make them feel instant. I do that
743.060000    746.100000     Well one clever way is through something called temptation bundling
746.100000    748.100000     The idea is simple
748.100000    754.420000     You only allow yourself to do thing you really love while you are simultaneously doing thing you procrastinate on
754.420000    758.820000     Ah, okay, like pairing something fun with something not fun exactly
758.820000    763.060000     So maybe you only listen to your absolute favorite podcast while you're exercising
763.060000    768.500000     Or you only get a pedicure while you're finally processing all those overdue work emails
768.660000    772.820000     Huh, I like that one another potent tool is using commitment devices
772.820000    778.900000     This is where you kind of design your future actions in advance making it harder for your present self to cave
778.900000    785.380000     Locking yourself in almost sort of it could mean deleting distracting social media apps from your phone before a big project
785.380000    791.540000     Or setting up automatic savings transfers the day you get paid so you can't easily spend money or even like
791.540000    796.820000     Physically hiding your TV in a closet if you know you'll just default to mindless channel surfing
796.900000    802.420000     Wow, okay extreme measures sometimes necessary and finally accountability
802.420000    807.860000     This is huge if you commit to working out with a friend at six a.m. missing it doesn't just affect you
807.860000    814.260000     Means you look like a jerk you let them down the cost becomes immediate and social making it much harder to back out
814.260000    817.380000     Right that social pressure can be a powerful motivator
817.380000    823.460000     Okay, so for consistency then and building that long-term momentum the Ivy Lee method is mentioned
824.420000    828.820000     It sounds simple maybe too simple it sounds simple, but it's surprisingly brilliant
828.820000    831.620000     It's been around for over a century for a reason
831.620000    838.020000     Okay, so how does it work at the end of each work day you list the six most important things you need to accomplish tomorrow
838.020000    843.620000     Crucially no more than six just six forces you to prioritize exactly
843.620000    847.380000     Then you prioritize those six items in order of true importance
847.380000    851.300000     When you start work the next day you focus only on the first task until it's completely done
851.300000    854.260000     Then you move to the second and so on down the list
854.420000    861.300000     Single tasking yes, and any unfinished items simply roll over to the next day's list of six why it works so well
861.300000    867.300000     Well, it's simplicity makes it easy to stick to it forces those tough decisions about what's truly important like you said
867.300000    872.980000     It removes that mental friction of okay, what should I work on first because the decision is already made
872.980000    880.100000     And crucially it demands single-passking mastering one thing before moving to the next no multitasking allowed
880.100000    882.420000     I can see how that would build focus definitely
882.900000    889.060000     And another thing we often you know overestimate our memory and willpower when it comes to forming new habits
889.060000    897.940000     So visual cues can be incredibly effective like sticky notes could be or simple tools like a calendar where you physically cross off each day
897.940000    902.420000     You complete your habit sometimes called the sign-filled strategy or the paperclip strategy
902.420000    908.500000     These serve as powerful reminders to actually start and they clearly display your progress
908.740000    917.300000     Seeing the chain grow exactly seeing that growing chain of x's or moved paperclips has this really powerful additive effect on motivation
917.300000    919.700000     It's a physical manifestation of your commitment
919.700000    925.540000     Seeing your past progress literally triggers future action don't break the chain that makes a lot of sense
925.540000    929.380000     Okay, finally, it seems really important to remember that sometimes
929.380000    936.420000     Sometimes procrastination isn't just a bad habit. You can strategize your way out of right. Yeah, it can be a symptom of deeper issues
936.660000    944.900000     Absolutely a critical point our source is definitely point out that chronic avoidance persistent procrastination is often linked to underlying conditions like anxiety
944.900000    946.900000     depression or even ADHD
946.900000    952.900000     So if these strategies aren't quite cutting it. Yeah, if you feel like you're constantly fighting this battle and nothing seems to work long-term
952.900000    954.980000     It might be worth exploring further
954.980000    961.220000     Seeking psychological support through therapy like cognitive behavioral therapy CBT or acceptance and commitment therapy
961.460000    969.380000     ACT can be incredibly helpful these therapies can help address and heal those root causes not just manage the surface behavior
969.380000    977.140000     That's really important context and of course the basics don't overlook physical self-care never consistently getting enough sleep eating healthy
977.140000    979.620000     Nourishing food getting regular exercise
979.620000    986.580000     These all plan an enormous role in your brain's ability to focus plan regulate emotions and act
987.140000    993.060000     They are absolutely foundational to everything else we've talked about you can't build focus on a shaky foundation
993.060000    996.820000     Foundational okay, so if we connect this all back to the bigger picture
996.820000    1000.580000     You're not broken. You're not inherently lazy
1000.580000    1006.500000     You're simply wired for now in an age that is literally engineered for endless distraction
1006.500000    1010.500000     Procrastination at its core isn't fundamentally a time management problem
1010.500000    1015.620000     It's really an emotional regulation problem right how you deal with uncomfortable feelings
1015.860000    1022.660000     Exactly. It's about how your brain instinctively reacts to discomfort and seeks that immediate relief
1022.660000    1026.340000     Even if that relief is fleeting and ultimately well counterproductive
1026.340000    1029.060000     So what does this whole mean for you listening right now?
1029.060000    1036.100000     The takeaway seems to be that the same brain that's so powerfully wired for instant gratification can absolutely be rewired
1036.100000    1041.860000     Rewired for focus for follow through and actually for deep fulfillment. It's possible
1042.020000    1046.580000     It's about understanding how your own mind works. Maybe recognizing your procrastination type
1046.580000    1049.940000     So you can stop fighting yourself and truly start working with yourself
1049.940000    1056.580000     Maybe let's remember that wisdom from Pablo Picasso only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone
1056.580000    1058.820000     Kind of puts it in perspective. Wow
1058.820000    1063.460000     Yeah, that's a powerful thought to end on so maybe the question for everyone listening is this
1063.460000    1069.380000     Considering everything we've discussed today about that internal tug of war between your present self and your future self
1069.780000    1075.380000     What's one tiny baby step maybe even a two-minute action you can commit to taking today something to make your future self
1075.380000    1084.100000     Just a little bit proud knowing that momentum that motivation often arrives after you start not before and that wraps up today's episode of every day explained
1084.100000    1087.380000     We love making sense of the world around you five days a week
1087.380000    1092.500000     If you enjoyed today's deep dive consider subscribing so you don't miss out on our next discovery
1092.500000    1094.980000     I'm Chris and I'll catch you in the next one