I Want to Stop Procrastinating

Are you someone who tends to procrastinate?

Or are you someone who never procrastinates at all?

I am the type who procrastinates a huge amount, so I don't understand the mindset of people who don't. I even wonder if it's just a difference in energy levels. I'd like to push the hypothesis that people who don't procrastinate are just monsters of stamina.

Back in college, I once asked an assistant professor in another lab a really stupid question:

"Do you think the habit of procrastinating goes away once you become a working adult?"

The professor, being serious, gave me a proper answer: "As you get older, the habit of procrastinating only gets worse."

When I tried to procrastinate on fixing my habit of procrastinating, all I found was despair.

To give you an idea of just how much of a procrastinator I am, I only just submitted my application for a My Number card this August. I finally hit a deadline because my company sent out a notice about switching health insurance cards to My Number cards.

It wasn't so much that I had completely forgotten about it; it was more like it was in the back of my mind, but I just hadn't done it.
I wonder if I'm slower than anyone else reading this article...

If I only shared this episode, I would just end up looking like a lazy person with a terrible habit of procrastinating, but I don't want to end it there.

Even someone like me is actually starting to overcome the habit of procrastinating.
Or rather, I feel like I've started to grasp my own characteristics for how to avoid procrastinating.

I don't know if this applies to you, but there are two things I keep in mind to try and avoid procrastinating as much as possible. The first is

visualizing the work content concretely

For example, in the case of applying for a My Number card, it would be:

・Go to the city office by bicycle
・Press the button for My Number card application on the reception machine
・Get called and go to the counter
・Present my driver's license at the counter
・Wait a while and have my photo taken for the application
・Drop the completed application form in the mailbox

It is said that one of the factors that causes people to procrastinate is that they cannot concretely visualize the process or content leading up to the task.
People like concrete things, so they are inherently bad at things that are abstract and fuzzy. If there is a more concrete option in front of them, like looking at social media on their smartphone, they will choose that instead.

Therefore, one solution is to make the object of your procrastination concrete as well. It has certainly reduced the frequency of my procrastination.

And the second point is

just try touching the task for a moment

It sounds blunt, doesn't it? (laughs)

However, there is a reason for this,

Brain scientist Dr. Ikegaya says something like this.

(Quote below)
Many people think that "motivation" is something necessary to take action, but in reality, it is just a result.

"Motivation" only follows after you take action.
Therefore, it is natural that motivation won't appear unless you start doing it. That is why starting is the most important thing.
(Yuji Ikegaya)
speakers.jp/results/interv…

I think one factor in procrastination is waiting until you feel motivated.
But unfortunately, according to brain science, waiting won't generate motivation. It seems it wells up while you are doing the task. How cruel...

Well, even so, it is true that when I tried this, the frequency of my procrastination decreased. I recommend it.

However, if you still procrastinate even after following the steps above, it is possible that the task is something you are truly bad at. So, you might want to take the option of boldly deciding not to do it.

Doing things you are bad at only causes stress, after all. Please consider it.