The steps you take when you encounter something new will become their own type of habit, which will reduce decision fatigue about how to start.
Hello friends, I came across a Ted Talks video on Inside a Procrastinator’s Mind while surfing YouTube today. Tim Urban is the video’s presenter. He spoke for 15 minutes about procrastination and why he received so many emails asking if he was a procrastinator as well. How to Avoid Procrastination and so on.
How to Avoid Procrastination?
Procrastination is the act of putting off doing something that you should do until another day or time because you do not want to do it. And it affects everyone. Nonetheless, there are many successful people who have overcome their procrastination and achieved success in life.
So, to return to the original question, how do you stop procrastinating? Going the traditional route, there are numerous lists available online to help you overcome procrastination. On the list are:
In my opinion, the list to stop procrastination does not help much because we are all aware of such common things, but we are still unable to do so. The issue is more pervasive. First, we must identify the underlying cause.
Tim Urban’s Ted Talk Video I found it intriguing and realised that I, too, am a master procrastinator. The difference between a procrastinator’s mind and a rational decision-mind, maker’s according to Tim, is
Two people live in every procrastinator’s mind. The first is a rational thinker, while the second is a Monkey who requires instant gratification. A rational decision-maker will rationally decide to do something productive. But that doesn’t sit well with our monkey mind.
The human mind, according to Buddha, is filled with drunken monkeys, jumping around, screeching, chattering, and going on indefinitely. We are all monkeys with monkey minds.
The money doesn’t stop there. It has bothered us all because it requires notifications on the phone while working. That notification directs you to a video, which makes you hungry because there are people eating something in the video. You order noodles and then, after finishing them, you begin endlessly scrolling reels.
Monkey is completely unaware and lives in the present moment. He has no knowledge of the past or future. He is only concerned with two things: EASY and FUN.
However, rational decision-makers enable us to do things that animals cannot. We can, for example, envision the future, make long-term plans, and see the big picture behind hard work and patience.
In short, we all have both rational decision-makers and monkeys in our heads. The monkey is in charge most of the time. Nonetheless, both monkeys and rational thinkers agree on occasion. It’s because it sometimes makes sense to do things that are simple and enjoyable.
Panic Monster, the Procrastinator’s Guardian Angel
Panic Monster frightens the monkey. He rose from the dead whenever a deadline was approaching, or there was a risk of public embarrassment or some other terrifying consequence.
I’ve always wondered how a procrastinator like me could get up at 4 a.m. in the winter to go play. Also, whenever I was in charge of a function, I worked like a pro without showing any signs of fatigue.
Have you ever finished your vacation homework in the final week of a two-month vacation? Or finish a project in three days when you only have three months?
We can all find examples in our lives that show us how to overcome procrastination and allow rational decision-makers to steer our mind wheel instead of a monkey.
Tim explained at the end of the video that there are two types of procrastinators. There are two options: one with deadlines and one without. It could be about your career or your personal life. For example, we don’t set any deadlines to meet our family; go for a run and continue our exercise; learn new things; work out relationships, and so on.
So, my friend, buckle up and take a leap of faith to start working on yourself. Set deadlines for completing daily tasks, start small, and keep going.
Are Procrastinators Sluggish?
Laziness is frequently confused with procrastination. However, it is a complete myth. Procrastination is an active process in which you choose to do something other than the task you know you should be doing.
It simply means that you prefer something else to the task at hand. People, in my experience, tend to return to their habits whenever they encounter difficulties or do not feel motivated to do new work.
Finally, we want to emphasis that by taking small steps, we can all arrive at our destination. Meditation is the key to disciplining our monkey mind.