When you have an unpleasant task to complete, the timeline is actually broken up into three parts:
1. Time spent worrying about it
2. Time spent doing it
3. Time spent relieved that it’s behind you and moving on to more enjoyable things
Procrastinators allocate their time like this:
But if you start now and focus hard until it’s finished, your timeline looks closer to this:
Procrastinating doesn’t just put off the project. It prolongs the anxiety. And it delays the gratification of having it done. Start now and focus hard until you’re done. For longer projects, focus hard until you make substantial progress. Then take a break, refresh and repeat. You’ll still have a timeline that minimizes worry, lessens work, and maximizes relief.