Why We Procrastinate

0 people had breakthroughs this week. Will the next one be you?

Two things for you to think about

Most “time management” problems are really just fear management problems.

Procrastination is merely the avoidance of unpleasant emotions.

Get comfortable with unpleasant emotions and procrastination takes care of itself.

One thing for you to ask yourself

What unpleasant emotions might you be avoiding in the things you’ve been putting off?

One thing for you to try this week

That one thing you’ve been procrastinating on? Accept the emotion you’re avoiding without judgment, and see if it makes starting easier. Let me know what happens.

Free Mini-Course: How to (Finally) Stop Procrastinating

Procrastinating on more than one thing? Yeah, you and 95% of people. That’s why I created this free mini-course to help.

In this five-day email course, I’ll walk you through what procrastination actually is, why it’s got nothing to do with being lazy, the secret reason we become addicted to it, and—most importantly—how to stop.

You’ll also get a handful of tools that are scientifically proven to help, and a daily exercise designed to motivate you into action so you can start getting sh*t done right away. And I’m giving it all for free. Because I know you’ve got big plans and all procrastination is doing is holding you back from making them happen. So let’s fix that, starting today. Sign up for it now at the button below.

Sign up for free—and stop procrastinating once and for all

Last week’s breakthroughs

In last week’s newsletter, I asked you to choose one thing in your life that you can control, do something about it, and let go of everything else.

This is exactly what Miguel has been doing, with great success:

This week I’ve been thinking a lot about where I am and where I thought I’d be. I’m working in quality control in the food sector—within the field I studied, biotech engineering—but not in the branch that truly speaks to me. My career has SO many possible directions, and somehow I ended up in one that doesn’t light anything inside me. The strange part is, the people around me are kind and genuine, and that makes it even harder. Because it’s not about hating my job—it’s about knowing, deep down, that this isn’t my place.

And honestly, part of that is on me. I left internships and hands-on experience for the end of college, thinking there would always be time later. There wasn’t. When things didn’t go as planned, I kept asking myself, ‘Why not me?,’ ‘What did I do wrong?,’ ‘Why isn’t my path as perfect as everyone else’s?’ The truth is, I just hadn’t built my path yet.

Lately, I’ve been learning to forgive myself. Instead of focusing on what I missed, I’ve started focusing on what I can still build. I realized—and it sounds simple—I’m still young, and time is my ally. So I’ve been reviewing my skills, taking small, meaningful free courses that help me move toward what I really want—clinical operations—and, most importantly, changing how I talk to myself. It’s not about huge leaps or overnight success anymore. It’s not about the ‘perfect path.’ It’s about moving forward, even just a little, with intention and self-awareness.

And somehow… that’s been freeing. I’m starting to feel proud again—not because everything’s working out, but because I’m learning to stand where I am without shame. I’m human, I’m young, and I’m still trying. That’s my breakthrough.

Over in our Solved Membership community, I also asked members to focus on one thing they can control so they don’t feel overwhelmed by all the things they could be doing inside the community.

Andrew is going to focus on his accountability group:

The daily ‘learn, do, and share’ takes a bit of time but I am glad I have kept up. One area I would like to work on is more time to engage with/reply to my accountability group. There have certainly been a number of things that have taken up more of my time recently but I will set some time aside this week.

I am glad to have everyone here. It’s really nice to have a larger perspective.

While new member Jared is prioritizing genuine engagement:

I am new here, this is my first month in the community. Coming in, I saw there were streaks and badges and I immediately said no, not even going to try. The moment for me that this community becomes about something other than an opportunity to engage with other people and give/find help, is the moment it becomes a drain rather than a boost. That’s just who I am. That being said, I am going to set a goal that when I engage on the platform, instead of only sharing my ideas/feelings, I should look to engage with other people, as that is one of my primary reasons for joining.

I designed our Solved Membership community to have the flexibility to give members what they need for their growth. For some, this is the daily action prompts. For others, it’s the accountability features. Or the courses. Or simply the comments section where they can engage with other members, make friends, and find the support or advice they need. Whatever you want your growth to look like, The Solved Membership can probably be that for you. Check it out—no commitment required—here.

As always, send your breakthroughs by simply replying to this email. Let me know if you’d prefer to remain anonymous.

Until next week,

Mark Manson

#1 New York Times Bestselling Author
My Website – My Books – My YouTube Channel – My Podcast – My Community