Procrastination is a real obstacle that doesn’t just delay your success but threatens to create absolute chaos and failure in your life. 

We all know it: Putting things off solves nothing. In fact, it usually just compounds our stress. 

So why do we keep doing it?  

The basic reason is simple: Easy and fun things are more attractive to undertake. Harder, not as fun things, take work. There is no instant gratification. And sometimes, we don’t know where to start… so we don’t… until the deadline gets so close that we have no other choice. 

In his hilarious Ted talk, writer and Wait But Why blogger Tim Urban explains his take on procrastination. I love his animated version of what happens in our brains in the battle over rational thinking vs. the monkey brain. 

For most of us, the “PANIC MONSTER”  as he calls it, comes in to rescue us when we are up against a deadline. The deadline could be a term paper or a task given to you by your boss.

But the PANIC MONSTER never shows up when there isn’t a deadline. And this is when procrastination does its most deadly work.  

As Urban wisely points out, when there is no deadline, procrastination can be a huge source of unhappiness and regret. 

As I have written about plenty, most of the biggest decisions or dreams have no set deadline. You want to be a millionaire? Have a great relationship? Choose the perfect career/place to live/investment…? NONE of these things has a deadline, UNLESS YOU CREATE THE DEADLINE. 

Without one, you are inviting procrastination to take over. And, as Urban observes, long term procrastination can make you feel like a spectator in your own life, robbing you of achieving things you dream about, not because you can’t achieve them, but because you never start chasing them. 

How do you avoid the stress-regret cycle? It’s easy to suggest that we just stop procrastinating. If it was that simple, we would, as Nike says “just do it.” But wanting to stop procrastinating isn’t effective enough.  

What is?  

Deadlines. 

If there is something that you want to achieve or have in life or work – if there is a decision you need to make or action that you need to take, but you find yourself procrastinating about it, the solution is to SET A DEADLINE. 

If you don’t set a deadline, you will continue to procrastinate and maybe never make that decision and never take control of your life.

DON’T let that happen to you.

For a roadmap to get what you want in life, including a step by step guide on setting – and meeting – your deadlines, you can get a free copy of my guide:  5 Steps to Getting the Life You Want Starting Right Now HERE