“I’ll just delegate this task to my future self.”
At first, I thought he was making a joke out of his procrastination. Then I realized he was serious. Sometimes, the future you is the best person to work on something.
I’ve had four different conversations in the last couple of months with people who were concerned about a pattern in their lives.
👉 They’re pretty consistent with scheduling their important work on their calendar.
👉 They’re also pretty consistent with doing something else during those times instead.
Why?
Because when the time comes, that event doesn’t feel as important as it did when it was added to the calendar.
👉 Sometimes, something more important comes up. Putting off the scheduled work is the right choice.
👉 Other times, the motivation has vanished. It’s still just as important, but it no longer feels that way.
The trick comes in knowing which is which.
But here’s a tip to help you avoid never-ending procrastination on a task.
✅ When you decide to do something else instead, either a) decide when you will do it, and literally move it to the new time on your calendar, or b) decide that it is no longer necessary, and delete it from your calendar.
And if you’re truly procrastinating a difficult but important, productive task by doing something personal and fun instead, consider rescheduling the productive task to a time you’d normally reserve for fun, personal things. Swapping those times around might be the most effective use of your time and energy.
Or you might decide you’d rather get that task done right now after all.
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