Lent

Lent started yesterday. The one thing that I would really like to give up more than anything, is delay (putting things off, procrastinating).

The next forty-days I will do my best to give up procratination. I hope that I will be able to implement this in my life for the next forty-days and turn into a habit.

With technology at my finger tips, I seeked the assistance of AI on the suggestion of breaking procratination. This is what AI provided:

Here are some of the most practical and evidence-based ways to actually reduce (and eventually break) procrastination. These draw from psychology research, including cognitive-behavioral approaches, self-compassion studies, and techniques that target the real drivers (emotion/stress avoidance more than laziness).

1. Understand why you’re avoiding it first (get curious, not judgmental) Procrastination is usually an emotion-regulation strategy — your brain wants to escape stress, boredom, fear of failure, perfectionism, or overwhelm right now. Quick check: Ask yourself “Head, heart, or hand?”

   • Head → Is the task unclear/confusing? → Clarify the very first micro-step.
   • Heart → Anxiety, dread, self-doubt? → Use self-compassion: “It’s normal to feel this. Previous people have felt the same and still done it.” Studies show self-compassion + self-forgiveness after slip-ups dramatically lowers future procrastination.
   • Hand → Logistical issue (no energy, wrong environment)? → Fix the setup (phone in another room, better lighting, etc.).

2. Make the first action ridiculously small (2-minute rule / micro-tasking) The activation energy is the biggest barrier. Lower it absurdly. Examples:

   • Not “write the essay” → “open the document and write one shitty sentence”
   • Not “study for 3 hours” → “read the title of chapter 1 and one paragraph” Once you start, momentum usually carries you further (Zeigarnik effect + dopamine from tiny completion). Research consistently shows breaking tasks into tiny chunks is one of the strongest anti-procrastination interventions.

3. Use a timer to create artificial urgency (Pomodoro or body-doubling lite) Set 25 minutes (or even 10–15 if 25 feels scary) and commit only to that.

   • Phone on airplane mode or in another room during the block.
   • After the timer, you get a real break (5–10 min guilt-free scrolling, coffee, walk). The timer tricks your brain into “just this short thing” instead of the endless horizon that triggers avoidance.

4. Plan the night before (decision fatigue killer) Decide exactly what you will do tomorrow and when (time + place).

   • “At 9:30 I sit at kitchen table and do 15 min Pomodoro on tax documents” beats “I should do taxes sometime.” Pre-deciding removes morning negotiation with yourself, which burns willpower.

5. Forgive yesterday’s procrastination quickly Beating yourself up increases shame → more avoidance → worse cycle. Research (e.g., Carleton University studies) shows students who forgave themselves for procrastinating on exam prep actually procrastinated less on the next round. Say: “Okay, that happened. I’m starting fresh right now.”

Quick starter kit for today

• Pick one task you’ve been avoiding.
• Break it into the stupidest possible first step (literally <2 min).
• Set a timer for 10–15 min.
• Tell yourself: “I only have to do this tiny block. Nothing more.”
• After: note how you feel (most people feel lighter). Repeat.

Procrastination almost never gets beaten by one massive willpower burst — it fades through repeated small wins + kinder self-talk. Start tiny today; the compound effect is surprisingly fast.

The AI provided me with some good suggestion, although the suggestions I already know but just do not implement, or implent not all the way. Like number 4. in setting a plain. I do, but the next day, at the time set, I cannot implement what I set to accomplish. Almost like I am fightnig myself in doing the task, so eventually I do something else that is non-productive, like social media. BUT I will try again! I will review and implement the suggestion starting tonight for task that I want to complete tomorrow. I pledged that I will not procrastinate for the next forty-days! I have read that when I make a promise to myself, I must follow through on my promise, for that every promise I do not keep, I make myself weaker in following through on things I want to complete. I will begin to say, “I can do that tomorrow”, as subliminally I will never do what I promised.

Go crush that one small thing today—I got this! 🌴☀️

I am proud to say that I did what I said I would do yesterday, and I am holding myself accountable!