Procrastination Chain Reaction: What It Is, And How To Stop Procrastinating
Picture this:
You’re about to start a task, but you just can’t seem to start it. You tell yourself “Just 5 more minutes.”
Then 5 became 10, and 10, became 20, and 20 became self blame. “Why am I so lazy?” “Why can’t I just get up?” “I already wasted time, I should get up now.”
You feel bad, which wastes more time, which makes you feel worse, which wastes even more time. This endless cycle is the procrastination chain reaction.
What is the procrastination chain reaction?
The procrastination chain reaction is basically this feedback loop that we put ourselves into whenever we procrastinate.
When we procrastinate, we start feeling bad, which makes us lazier, which makes us feel worse; you get the gist. This is something that most of us experience on a regular basis. This chain starts from a very simple problem: not being able to start.
As soon as you find yourself having difficulties to start, you’re already on your way down the chain reaction.
And that is why, you should learn how to stop procrastinating.
How to stop procrastinating
Procrastination is basically having trouble starting. These few handy tips help us get moving and finally free from the procrastination chain reaction.
- Have a To-Do List
- Simplify Your To-Do List
- Make tasks easier
- Stop waiting for motivation
- The 2 Minute Rule
- The 5 Minute Rule
Have a To-Do List
Not having a to-do list makes your tasks seem much more than they are.
When you don’t list down the things you need to do:
- You won’t know what you should start first
- You can’t visualize how much you need to do
Writing down your tasks gives you perspective on what you need to do, and what the most important ones are.
Simplify your to-do list
A common mistake people do is they make extremely long and intimidating to-do lists.
Instead of having an extremely long and intimidating list, make two:
- The things you REALLY REALLY NEED to do (1–3 IMPORTANT tasks). These are the main quests that if you do, you’ll feel productive for the rest of the day.
- The maybe to do list that you can do after you finish your very important tasks. These are your optional side quests that you don’t need to do to feel like you completed your day.
Make The Tasks Easier
Another thing that keeps us from starting is that the tasks seem very hard to do.
One way to make the tasks easier to start is, well, to make them easier.
If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start ironing your clothes, try to begin by setting up your iron.
If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start exercising, get into your gym clothes first.
If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start writing, just open the file first.
The key here is to open yourself into the action by performing the most basic first step that you can think of. This tip is explained by James Clear on his book “Atomic Habits.”
Stop waiting for motivation
Waiting for motivation is a very common mistake.
Most people that wait for motivation never realize that it is very hard to come by. What people don’t realize is that, most of the time, motivation comes AFTER you start the task. The real thing we should aim for is not to be motivated, but to seek that motivation.
And the main way we seek motivation is by just starting.
The 2 minute rule
If you have something to do that takes less than 2 minutes, just do it, regardless if it’s urgent or not.
We tend to put off the minor tasks because we have more “urgent” things to do. However, doing so will only snowball them into harder and more intimidating tasks.
Those 2 minute emails will become a 30 minute email session.
Those 2 minute dishes will become a 15-minute washing session.
That less than a minute task of picking up your clothes will become a 1 hour clean-up.
This trick focuses on making sure the tiniest tasks don’t snowball into bigger, more intimidating tasks.
The 5 minute rule
If you keep postponing something, just do it for 5 minutes, then you can choose to stop.
Having trouble starting is almost all of procrastination. Once you’ve started, you will almost always go through with it. This simple mindset shift is so underrated, but it is extremely effective.
In a very ironic way, starting to stop is the best way to go.
So, can these stop me from procrastinating ever again?
Far from it. Life will always find, in one way or another, ways to make any task hard to start.
There will be times when we just can’t seem to stand up at all. Our goal as productivity nerds (if you’ve reached this part (thank you by the way), I assume you are one) is to try to just start.
We’re only human, but we still do our best and beat the odds of the inevitable procrastination.
How to stop procrastinating in a nutshell
All the techniques boil down to just start.
The main problem is: starting is the hardest thing. The good news is: starting alone is the only way to beat procrastination. Procrastination is not a battle of finishing as much tasks as you can, it’s a battle that you can win as soon as you just start.
So stop reading more guides, and just start.
