Answers · Thoughts in Action
How to stop procrastinating: start for two minutes
We tend to treat procrastination as a time-management problem. In most cases it is an avoidance of a feeling the task stirs up. Treat it that way and the fixes get simpler.
Ask what the task makes you feel
Boredom, fear of getting it wrong, not knowing where to start, resentment about doing it at all. Write the feeling next to the task. Each one has a different fix.
Make the first step tiny
Open the document and write the title. Put on your shoes. Put one dish in the dishwasher. The goal is not to finish, it is to cross from not-started to started. After two minutes many people carry on.
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Remove one obstacle
Put the phone in another room, close all other tabs or set out what you need the night before. Make the right thing slightly easier and the wrong thing slightly harder.
Be kind about the delay
Self-criticism makes avoidance worse because it adds another bad feeling to the task. A flat, matter-of-fact note such as I put it off, I am starting now works better.
Common questions
Rarely. It is usually emotion management. Many diligent people procrastinate on tasks that scare them.
Real external deadlines often do. Artificial ones you set alone are easier to ignore.
If avoidance is constant across your life or comes with low mood, consider talking to a doctor or therapist.
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