Procrastination

Many of us, including myself, struggle with this psychological phenomenon. And it certainly does not help in tackling those New Year’s resolutions — some might still be the same from last year! A recent study suggests that a root of procrastination may lie in a cognitive bias: the false belief that doing tasks will somehow be easier in the future. We are essentially falling victim to mental myopia. Here are two approaches in combating procrastination:

1. Remember the task. Because procrastination is a repeated decision, you need to remember you had something on your plate in the first place. If you forget that you have this decision to make, then obviously you will never perform the task. Setting reminders for the task and prompting that decision more frequently may reduce your probability to procrastinate.

2. Envision your future self. You could also try addressing the cognitive bias of believing a task is easier in the future head-on. Envisioning your future self — the one who will be saddled with unpaid bills, looming deadlines and unwashed dishes — could remind you that procrastinating is not making the task any easier.

This practice, known as episodic future thinking, has been used as a way of counteracting addiction and food cravings. Trying to make these efforts in the future more vivid and realistic might increase the signal of the cost in your brain and help us realize that the cost is going to be exactly the same as it would be now.

#anchoredmind #counseling #therapy #mentalhealth #procrastination #productivity #resolutions #discipline

Source: https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/01/05/procrastination-help-brain-tasks