Procrastination

What is procrastination❓ 

 Procrastination is the act of postponing a task ⏱  

What causes procrastination❓ 

 Procrastination is the idea that our present self is more concerned with our current mood than completing a non-urgent task 😁 

 The tension we feel, caused by a looming task, is relieved when we assign a time to do it in the future 📅  

So, what’s the problem❓ 

 Many important tasks will have deadlines or consequences 📅   

 Delaying tasks will eventually catch up with you ⏱  

 As deadlines approach, your tension will increase 😓  

What can you do❓  

 You need to replace the idea that you have to find the motivation to complete the task, with the idea that you need to complete the task to feel motivated by your success ✅  

 Once you get started, your resistance will decrease

 The hardest part is starting, once you have some momentum, completing the task gets easier and easier 📉  

The two minute rule:  

 This idea was suggested by David Allen 

 If a task can be completed in under 2 minutes, you should do it immediately ⏱  

 If a task will take longer than 2 minutes, you should add it to a to-do list to complete at another time 📄  

The ten-minute rule: 

 If a task will take longer than 2 minutes, you should apply the ten-minute rule 

 If you are procrastinating over a long task, you should do it for 10 minutes only ⏱  

 The idea is that once you have started, you will not want to stop 📈 

 You have tricked your brain into starting and end up spending longer than 10 minutes because you don't want to leave it unfinished

Summary:

1. To overcome procrastination, you must view motivation as something you achieve, not something you require
2. Once you have started, momentum makes it progressively easier to complete the task 📈 
3. Very short tasks should be completed immediately to get them out of the way