Motivation vs Procrastination

The limitations we’re trying to avoid when we engage in this self-defeating sort of procrastination frequently don’t have anything to do with how much we’ll be able to get done in the time available; usually, it’s a matter of worrying that we won’t have the talent to produce work of sufficient quality, or that others won’t respond to it as we’d

Reframe non-productive time. One of the reasons the exploration phase of the work is low value is that most of it doesn’t look like work. It’s lots of reading, and sitting and thinking, and doodling, and trying things that lead to dead ends. Non-productive time feels like a waste—but it doesn’t have to! One way to think about this kind of time is

To-Do List as a Menu

📝 If you feel overwhelmed by your to-do list, try a new perspective:

• 🍔 Treat your to-do list like a menu. Instead of a list of chores you must complete, see it as a menu of options you get to choose from.


• 🤔 Acknowledge that you won't finish everything. This is a key part of shifting your mindset from overwhelmed to empowered.


• ✅

Try writing about why the work is important, or spend some time reflecting on times in the past where you’ve felt most connected to it.

Neurowissenschaftler haben mittlerweile gezeigt, dass bei chronischen Prokrastinierern tatsächlich eine veränderte Hirnaktivität im präfrontalen Kortex – dem Bereich für Selbstkontrolle und Planung – messbar ist. Das macht Prokrastination zu einem neurobiologischen und nicht nur zu einem Willensproblem.

Projects that don't have deadlines imposed on them, even if they are self-imposed, will take a lot longer than they need to, and may suffer from feature creep and scope bloat.

By setting challenging deadlines you will actually get better results. It's all about manipulating the Iron Triangle of scope, resources, and time.