Big Think
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Why are you procrastinating?
Posted
March 21, 2025
Views
35,505
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2,777
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69
Engagement
8.02%
March 21, 2025
35,505
2,777
69
8.02%
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2:25Now PlayingDespite what we've been socialized to think, procrastination is not your enemy. It's your brain trying to tell you something needs to change.
When you procrastinate, your amygdala activates because the task in front of you is triggering stress. This stress leads to avoidance: like avoiding doing taxes to watch Netflix instead. Then your anterior cingulate cortex amplifies that stress through self judgement. This is the emotional reaction: beating yourself up for watching Netflix.
But why is the task in front of you triggering stress and leading to avoidance?
Anne-Laure Le Cunff suggests The Triple Check, a tool to ask whether procrastination is coming from the head, the heart or the hand.
The head = at a rational level you're not convinced you should be working on that task
The heart = at an emotional level you don't think this will be enjoyable to work on
The hand = you don't feel like you have the tools or the resources to get the job done
Once you identify why you are procrastinating you can start to work on the root of the problem.
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