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Why do we procrastinate?

Why do we constantly distract ourselves? In general, avoidance and distraction is a way of coping with stress. Our brain feels overwhelmed. For example, when we sit in front of a blank page of paper that wants to be filled with a concept, a story, a report, a drawing or whatever. Instead of taking a first little babystep towards the finished text, we open YouTube or surf news sites. Thirty minutes later, we sit in front of a still empty page again.

Stress can be caused by not knowing exactly what is expected of us (unclear expectations), what we need to do next (unclear approach) or by not having the resources we need (insufficient competence, insufficient tools, generally limited resources (financial, social, health, etc.). Another factor can be the lack of clarity about the incentives or the question of worthwhileness (low benefit, small gain).

Metaphorically speaking, we are missing a step in the staircase, without which there seems to be no progress. There is a gap between our vision or our idea of the end result and the reality. Somehow it doesn't fit together.

But since our brain is concerned with coherence, it tries, for example, to bring our thoughts and feelings into harmony. Or to "make" our understanding of the world congruent with that of the environment. We feel "bad" or frustrated because we do not live up to our idea of ourselves and the world in the current situation.

Resistance to the brain's urge for coherence is not futile - because it often takes us further - but it costs energy.

And the purpose of our brain is to ensure our survival. There is no trace of personal growth, critical thinking or self-development in the marketing prospectus of a human brain. Thus, our brain will always take the path of least resistance and try to produce the coherence with minimal energy expenditure.

In other words, we would rather choose social media than rack our brains over a profound question, the answer to which will take us further, sure, but requires thinking. And if we then don't know exactly how to overcome this challenge, stress sets in.

I don't mean to say that all stress is positive or a prerequisite for one's own development. It can also be too much. But without stress we rarely develop further. And as I said, I don't understand stress in this sense as stress that arises from an objectively dangerous situation, as would be the case in an accident, for example.

But unfortunately, our brains are poor at distinguishing between actual danger and an idea of fear. That is why we perceive stress, however small, as a mostly unpleasant feeling.

In modern everyday life, it can be challenging to face a task with focus. The following tips have helped me personally to tackle tasks and see them through to completion. And: once the first progress is visible, the rest usually takes care of itself.

Implementation Tips aka Productivity Hacks

Baby steps

Try not to let the size of the final result overwhelm you. I also had to get over myself to write this text. What did I do? Divided the big picture into smaller doable steps and just started writing.

Happiness is an overcoming premium." - Jens Corssen

Pro tip: When thinking about what steps are needed to get to the goal, start with the goal and work your way backwards, step by step, to the first, small step. This should make it easier for you to plan the steps.

Use time pressure as a tool

We all know that even if we had weeks, we still wrote the English essay at the last minute. At least that was often the case with me. Time pressure can help us to focus. This can go as far as setting a timer and trying to get as much done as possible in the given time. This can also be really fun because there is a race to win. Try it once with a 2-minute timer.

Another technique of this kind is the Pomodoro technique. You set a timer of 25 minutes, then you have a 5-minute break. Then you repeat the whole thing several times. More information here.

Find an accountability partner

When I can't motivate myself to do a task, I book myself an appointment on Focusmate. Focusmate is like a virtual call, where both participants arrange to work together. The microphone is usually muted, the camera is running - so you can see how the other person is working and, conversely, there is a commitment (as you can be observed) that is sometimes needed to get going.

Turn off all notifications, block your browser, use a “focus traffic light”

Often it is external "triggers" that distract us. This can be a "ding" on your WhatsApp app or a colleague who unexpectedly shows up at your desk and is "disturbing you for a short moment".

Deactivate the notifications of your mobile phone, email and other apps. Prevent unwanted surfing on the internet by installing a browser blocker. I use the SelfContol app, for example. It allows you to block specific websites for a selected period of time.

And if you really have to look for something on YouTube for your work, you can use DF Tube (Distraction Free for YouTube) to deactivate the video recommendations on the right-hand side or on the start page. You'll be less likely to spend the rest of your afternoon watching cat videos.

Are you in the office? Then signal to your colleagues with a "focus traffic light" that you are currently in focus time and want to work undisturbed. You can download the "focus traffic light" (created by Nir Eyal) as a PDF, print it out and pin it to your screen.

You can read more about it here. The direct link to the focus traffic light can be found here (download the PDF).

At this point I would also like to recommend Nir Eyal's book "Indistractable", in which you will find a conclusive framework for why we are so easily distracted. More info here.

Get road blockers out of the way = reduce stress

Answer the following questions in the context of the work to be done:

1. What is expected of me? What expectations do I have of myself?
   a. Can I negotiate these expectations? Can I set them lower?
   
2. What are the individual steps to complete the task?
   a. What is the last step? What is the second last step?
   b. By when do I want to have completed the individual steps?
   
3. What resources do I lack to complete the task?
   a. Ideally, what resources would I want to have to complete the task?
   b. With what minimal means can the task still be completed satisfactorily?
   c. Who can help me to get these means? Who is stopping me?
   
4. What do I gain from completing this task?
   a. How important is this task for me personally?
   b. What are the benefits to me and others of completing it?
   c. Can I set a reward for myself so that the task seems meaningful to me? Which one?
   
5. Bonus question: Who could I ask who has already done this task
   

The bonus question in particular can help you to break through. Because almost all problems and tasks have already been solved by someone. Asking for advice and help is not an admission of inability, but just the opposite: a skill that allows you to solve tasks in a smart way - and moves you forward.

If you have been putting off a task - to read this article - now count down from 3-2-1 and get to work for 2 minutes.

Go. Do. It.

Have fun!