The Life of a Procrastinator and How to Overcome It

Jul 17, 2024

Lecture Notes: The Life of a Procrastinator and How to Overcome It

Introduction

  • Speaker: Tim Urban, a writer-blogger at Wait But Why
  • Major in college: Government
  • Personal anecdote about procrastination in writing papers
  • Experience with a senior thesis: 90 pages in 72 hours

Procrastination Experience

  • Describes typical procrastinator work habits: last-minute rushes
  • Failed thesis result; humorous moment
  • Procrastinator’s brains vs. non-procrastinator’s brains: Rational Decision-Maker vs. Instant Gratification Monkey

Instant Gratification Monkey

  • Present in the procrastinator's brain
  • Takes control away from the Rational Decision-Maker
  • Focuses on easy and fun activities rather than productive tasks
  • Examples of procrastination activities
    • Wikipedia rabbit holes
    • Repeated fridge checks
    • YouTube spirals

The Dark Playground

  • A metaphorical place where unearned leisure activities occur
  • Associated feelings: guilt, dread, anxiety, self-hatred
  • Causes procrastinators to stay in the easy and fun zone (Dark Playground) instead of the productive zone

The Panic Monster

  • Guardian angel for procrastinators
  • Wakes up close to deadlines or moments of potential public embarrassment
  • The only entity Instant Gratification Monkey fears

Real-life Example

  • Tim Urban's TED Talk experience
  • Timeline of procrastination and Panic Monster intervention
  • Ends up preparing the TED Talk effectively after Panic Monster wakes up

Two Types of Procrastination

  1. Deadline-based Procrastination
    • Short-term, manageable by Panic Monster
  2. Non-deadline-based Procrastination
    • Long-term, no Panic Monster involvement
    • Examples: career goals, health, relationships
    • Results in long-term unhappiness and regret

Universal Procrastination

  • Hypothesis: Everyone is a procrastinator to some extent
  • Non-deadline tasks are equally vulnerable to procrastination
  • Important to be mindful of what we're procrastinating on

Life Calendar

  • Visual: one box for every week of a 90-year life
  • Highlights the limited time available
  • Encourages audience to overcome procrastination and start acting on important goals
    • Not necessarily today, but soon

Conclusion

  • Emphasis on awareness of the Instant Gratification Monkey
  • Call to action: start addressing procrastination issues without delay
  • Final humorous note: begin soon, not necessarily today