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Why is it that the more important things are, the more we tend to procrastinate?

Have you ever had the experience of knowing very well that something is important (like working out, studying, or making a key plan), yet you can't help but do those trivial, simple, or even irrelevant things first, indefinitely postponing the important ones?

This is not just laziness. There is a psychological concept called “temporal inconsistency preference.” Simply put, it's a conflict between your “long-term self” and your “present self.” The long-term self knows that working out is good for the future, but the present self feels that lounging on the couch and scrolling through the phone is more comfortable. When the two are in conflict, the brain's scale almost always tips towards the “present self” because it can provide immediate pleasure or relief.

We often mistakenly believe that overcoming procrastination relies on stronger willpower to “force” ourselves to start. But a more effective method might be to “trick” your present self:

Break the action down to the smallest possible step: Don't think “I need to work out for 1 hour,” but rather “I just need to put on my sneakers and walk downstairs.” Once you complete this tiny action, the resistance to continue will be much less.

Set up obstacles for “procrastination” and pave the way for “starting”: For example, put your phone in the living room before bed (increasing the difficulty of scrolling through your phone), while placing a book on your bedside table (lowering the startup cost of reading).

What’s important is not to be full of fighting spirit from the very beginning, but to design a system that makes it easier for you to “start.” Taking the tiniest first step often breaks the deadlock.
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