Many believe those who procrastinate are lazy or unmotivated. It can be true of some, I suppose. Most, however, are caught in a torturous loop that stems from the brain. Once you fall prey to these endless cycles, it’s difficult to claw your way out.
A War Rages Inside the Brain
There are two culprits triggering procrastination.
The prefrontal cortex, responsible for:
- Planning
- Decision-Making
- Abstract Concepts
- Goals
And the limbic system, which regulates:
- Pleasure
- Fear
- Reward
- Arousal
Note how the prefrontal cortex’s job centers around self-control and the limbic system’s responsibilities are all emotional based.
When you have a task to complete, your prefrontal cortex sends a signal to your limbic system that says, “C’mon, it’s time to work.” Because your limbic system is like an unruly teen who seeks only pleasure and avoids pain or discomfort, it often returns a signal that says, “Let’s do something else that feels good right now.”
Procrastination is the war between the two, and we’re caught in the middle. Social media and other online activities have only worsened the problem, resulting in more and more procrastination. Devices like iPhones don’t help by trying to guilt you into increasing your screen time. Don’t fall for it. They do not have your best interests in mind.
Though procrastination may feel good in the moment — the limbic system tricking you into believing your actions are justified — that nagging task lingers in the prefrontal cortex, which leads to guilt, anxiety, and stress. Once you start procrastinating, it’s difficult to stop, because the limbic system rewards you with dopamine, the feel-good hormone.
Those stuck in this torturous loop know they should work on that project, but their mind is in turmoil. Add in real-life stressors, and procrastination worsens.
Yes, I speak from experience. After leaving my husband of twenty-seven years, starting a new life in a new area, moving again to another new area, where I bought my home, I had plenty of reasons to justify procrastination. Thankfully, I also took a year-long break from social media, which helped maintain my inner peace.
For those of us who didn’t grow up with the internet, the “noise” can be downright deafening at times. I also had to learn how to do “guy jobs.” Please don’t jump all over me for that comment. I know it’s sexist, but I never mowed a lawn or used a snow blower before. New England’s constant snowstorms and blizzards this year has forced me to use muscles I didn’t know I possessed. 🙂 There’s an art to snow blowing — it’s become another creative outlet for me, only with aches and pain afterward. LOL
The most important thing that saved me from endless procrastination was my longtime belief in mindfulness, the practice and awareness of living in the moment.
How To Cure Procrastination
Step #1: Realize what’s happening in your brain.
I solved that for you today, but feel free to study more about this war inside you. Fascinating research.
Step #2: Practice mindfulness.
An easy way to begin the practice of mindfulness is to walk outside. Stop. Close your eyes. Take a few deep breaths, the benefits of which we’ve discussed before.
What do you hear? Birdsong? Pinpoint where without opening your eyes. Is there a pattern to his song, or is he communicating with another?
For weeks, I listened to this tiny wood thrush who nests on my covered porch. Amazing little birds that can easily sing over fifty unique songs and can even sing two different melodies at once. I thought he was singing just to sing, until I noticed him stop to listen. Sure enough, another wood thrush sang back.
My breath halted. Since males try to out-sing each other, this must be a singing competition.
I was so invested in rooting for my little porch buddy, nothing else mattered in those precious moments.
What do you smell? The sticky sap of a pine tree? Smoke from a campfire or woodstove? Pinpoint where without opening your eyes.
What do you feel? Focus your awareness on your skin. Is the wind cool against your cheek? Does the sun warm your scalp?
What do you sense? You most certainly are not alone. Wildlife surrounds you, even in the city. Stand in the moment and engage all your senses, except sight. By taking away the ability to see, you must rely on your other senses.
When you’re done, take three steps forward. Start over. There’s one catch — you cannot list anything you already mentioned. This will force you to dig deeper, concentrate harder, your awareness opening like rose petals. Repeat at least three or four times. With each step forward, you’re healing your mind, body, and spirit.
Mindfulness is an important life skill to master.
Besides being a cure for procrastination, mindfulness has many health benefits:
- Reduces stress
- Reduces anxiety
- Fights depression
- Improves focus and memory
- Lowers blood pressure
- Boosts immunity
- Improves sleep
- Manages chronic pain and illness
Step #3: Work on the project you’ve been avoiding for five minutes. Your limbic system will reward you with a dopamine hit — good job! You did it! If you struggle to continue past five minutes, that’s fine. Stop there. Do this every day. Soon, you’ll be so invested in the project, five minutes will turn into fifteen, thirty, one hour, or more.
Though writers are not immune to procrastination — some say, we’re the poster children for it — it does help to have a regular writing routine. Walking into an office or sliding on headphones sends a silent signal to the brain that it’s time to work, but that doesn’t mean the limbic system won’t respond with, “Let’s play instead.”
The next time you find yourself scrolling on social media instead of completing a task, take a moment to ask yourself why. Are you procrastinating or do you need a break? If it’s the latter, enjoy. Mindless fun is important, too. If it’s the former, put down the phone and walk outside. Please don’t tell me it’s too cold. I’ve been out there in double negative degree temps and survived just fine. Bundle up. It’s worth the effort. What you’ll experience is the cure for what ails you.
If, for health or mobility issues, you are unable to go outside, use the body scan method to practice mindfulness. Lie Lay Recline in a comfortable position with your eyes closed. Deep breathe for a few rounds. Then focus on your feet. Note how your heels touch the surface below them. Do your toes tingle? If you concentrate long enough, you’ll feel blood flowing through your feet.
Next, take note of your ankles. Little by little, work your way up your body. When you reach each organ, envision how it works inside your body. Once you reach your scalp, you may open your eyes.
The body scan method also works for insomnia.
What do you think about this war inside your brain?
Thank you Sue! I needed this post today. Meditation is something I find difficult, but I will try the method you’ve outlined. I’ve not taken a break from social media, but I have cut back on the amount of time that I spend on it and feel much better for it.
I hope you are enjoying your new home.
Thanks, Linda! I love my new home. Can’t wait for gardening season. The previous owner installed these beautiful stone flower beds on all sides of the house. I’ve already mapped out where to build my vegetable beds. All I need is for Mother Nature to cooperate with me. 😁
Cutting back to a comfortable balance between social media and real life is something I will try to aim for, as well. Glad you found your happy medium.
Great advice. We all drift sometimes and need to learn how to refocus. I’d add that a little memento mori will get a distracted writer going again. It works for me.
We do all drift at times, and shouldn’t beat ourselves up about it. Great point, Mike.
I had to look up “memento mori.” Great point.
But at my back I always hear …
I love your mind exploring posts, Sue. Great fodder for creating characters.
When I was a kid and had a list of chores to do, I learned to do the one I dreaded most first and get it out of the way. Wishing you the best in your new life!
Thank you, Pat! Doing the hardest task first is excellent advice. Otherwise, too much dread builds.
Sue, I always learn from your posts about how the brain functions. Fascinating about that seemingly unbreakable loop between the prefrontal cortex and limbic system.
Being outside in nature is the most healing way to rebalance my mind. As you say, even snow-blowing in double-minus temps forces you to focus entirely on that job (watch out for that ice patch, don’t let the machine run away from you, don’t push into deep snow until the engine bogs down).
In 2024, I wrote about SBTs (shame-based tasks) which are those projects you dread and put off and put off and put off. https://killzoneblog.com/2024/12/zoom-accountability.html
I agree with Pat: do the worst chore first and get it over with.
Hope you’re soon able to dig in your garden for mindfulness. We’ll both be out in the dirt 😉
When I snow blow, I’m obsessed with cutting clean, perfect lines. Afterward, I sit on the sofa on my porch to cool off (it’s easy to overheat while snow blowing) and admire my work. The men in the neighborhood say I’m giving them a run for their money. It’s quite satisfying. 😂
Can’t wait to dig in the dirt! I’ll think of you out there with me.
What an excellent post about accountability, Debbie! Sorry I missed it.
Great thoughts on why we procrastinate, Sue…I’ll write a response later.
Ahem.
I’ve come to realize more and more the cruciality of breaks for optimum production. Like the Pomodoro method. And mindfulness. And making sure to get up from my desk every 30 minutes and move around (“Sitting is the new smoking” they say). And I do value stepping outside and deep breathing, which is always sketchy in L.A., but hey, we take what we can get here.
It took me a long time to learn to get up every 30 minutes or so to get that blood pumping. Your body and mind thanks you afterward. Thanks for the important reminder, Jim.
Terrific post, Sue and one I needed to read this morning. Mindfulness is so important. It can help with attention/focus. I believe it can also help with creative resistance and the various fears we writers face.
The biggest obstacle many of us writers face in our writing is ourselves. Grounding us in the moment, before a session or on a break as Jim suggests, is vital.
Also, creating a ritual and a routine for our writing can pay huge dividends. Write for five minutes, or aim for a hundred words, and build from there. Get those little hits of dopamine that will help build a habit.
I’m leaving in a couple of days for my annual writer’s retreat in the Olympic Rainforest at Lake Quinault and will take your thoughts with me. Hope you have a wonderful week, my friend!
I figured this subject was right up your alley, Dale. You and I have discussed meditation before, along with its benefits. I’m curious, did you ever use the Apache prayer I shared as your mantra?
Refresher:
Looking backward, I am filled with gratitude.
Looking forward, I am filled with vision.
Looking upward, I am filled with strength.
Looking within, I discover peace.
I did not! Thank you for the refresher! I’ll be using it going forward—a wonderful, grounding mantra.
I think so, too. Enjoy, my friend. 💕
Oh, and here’s a photo I took last night of the nearly full Moon (Blood Moon tomorrow with a lunar eclipse!), showing two halos, the larger one being much more obvious:
https://bsky.app/profile/daleivan.bsky.social/post/3mg2gjzenqs2g
Love your moon pics, Dale! I am so looking forward to tomorrow’s Blood Moon! The moon has hung low above my front yard for the last two nights. Hope it doesn’t move out of sight by morning. Fingers crossed 🤞🏼
I love your description of the yin and yang of the prefrontal cortex and the limbic system, Sue. I think we can all identify.
I admit I often barrel into the next task on the to-do list without taking time to re-center my thinking. Your recommendation for mindfulness is a great reminder to tune in.
Btw: Mowing lawns and snow blowing are men’s jobs? If only I had known. 🙂
I used to do the same thing, Kay. Now, I re-center and re-balance before moving on to the next task. Helps a lot.
Haha! I realize many women mow lawns and shovel/snow blow, but all the men in my life automatically handled it. Never once was it a discussion about who did what. Even today, I’m the only woman in my neighborhood to be out in a blizzard with “Lil’ Red” (named my snowblower).
Maybe it’s a New England thing to classify snow removal and lawn care as men’s work? 🤷🏻♀️ Or perhaps, it’s my taste in men, the more masculine the better. 💪🏼 Either way, now that it’s turned into a creative outlet for me, I doubt I’ll ever hand over the reins again.