The Struggle is Real: How One Week Can Change a Procrastinator Forever
For 33 years, Sarah had been struggling with procrastination. She'd often find herself thinking "I hope I eat some vegetables today" or "I hope I reply to that email," as though she wasn't in control of her own life. Her days were filled with mindless scrolling, napping, and indulging in unhealthy snacks.
But one day, Sarah decided she'd had enough. She set a challenge for herself: for one week, she would not procrastinate at all. No social media, no YouTube video essays, no Nintendo Switch game – nothing. The goal was to write a to-do list every morning and tackle her tasks head-on.
On the first day, Sarah found that exercising in the morning gave her an unexpected boost of energy. She felt motivated and accomplished as she ticked off task after task on her list. By noon, she had replied to all her emails, done laundry, and even written a few words while eating lunch.
But as the days went on, reality set in. Day two was productive, but Sarah couldn't resist sneaking in some LinkedIn scrolling. And on day three, she succumbed to the dreaded "I don't wanna" feeling, scrolling through her phone for 20 minutes before giving in to procrastination.
Sarah knew that procrastination wasn't just a matter of being lazy or lacking motivation – it was an emotional regulation issue. She spoke with Fuschia Sirois, a psychology professor and author of Procrastination: What It Is, Why It's a Problem, and What You Can Do About It.
"Sirois believes that procrastination is a way of managing emotions," writes Sarah. "When we put off tasks, we avoid dealing with the unpleasant feelings associated with them."
So on day five, Sarah tried Sirois's approach: identifying her emotions, ranking them in intensity, and finding value in her task. She wrote, "I was supposed to do another cumbersome edit on another article and didn't want to because of boredom (which I ranked a solid eight) and fear (four)."
But instead of getting stuck in procrastination mode, Sarah found that acknowledging her emotions and reframing her internal dialogue made all the difference. She started typing, holding her back straighter, and – much to her surprise – finished the edit in just four hours.
The problem with productivity, Sirois notes, is that there's always more work to be done. But Sarah discovered that by facing her emotions head-on and finding meaning in her tasks, she could overcome procrastination and achieve a sense of fulfillment.
In the end, Sarah realized that it's impossible to never procrastinate – but by accepting this fact and working on herself, she found a way to reduce the frequency and severity of her procrastination. She learned that productivity is hard work, not magic, and that beating herself up over procrastination only makes things worse.
For 33 years, Sarah had been struggling with procrastination. She'd often find herself thinking "I hope I eat some vegetables today" or "I hope I reply to that email," as though she wasn't in control of her own life. Her days were filled with mindless scrolling, napping, and indulging in unhealthy snacks.
But one day, Sarah decided she'd had enough. She set a challenge for herself: for one week, she would not procrastinate at all. No social media, no YouTube video essays, no Nintendo Switch game – nothing. The goal was to write a to-do list every morning and tackle her tasks head-on.
On the first day, Sarah found that exercising in the morning gave her an unexpected boost of energy. She felt motivated and accomplished as she ticked off task after task on her list. By noon, she had replied to all her emails, done laundry, and even written a few words while eating lunch.
But as the days went on, reality set in. Day two was productive, but Sarah couldn't resist sneaking in some LinkedIn scrolling. And on day three, she succumbed to the dreaded "I don't wanna" feeling, scrolling through her phone for 20 minutes before giving in to procrastination.
Sarah knew that procrastination wasn't just a matter of being lazy or lacking motivation – it was an emotional regulation issue. She spoke with Fuschia Sirois, a psychology professor and author of Procrastination: What It Is, Why It's a Problem, and What You Can Do About It.
"Sirois believes that procrastination is a way of managing emotions," writes Sarah. "When we put off tasks, we avoid dealing with the unpleasant feelings associated with them."
So on day five, Sarah tried Sirois's approach: identifying her emotions, ranking them in intensity, and finding value in her task. She wrote, "I was supposed to do another cumbersome edit on another article and didn't want to because of boredom (which I ranked a solid eight) and fear (four)."
But instead of getting stuck in procrastination mode, Sarah found that acknowledging her emotions and reframing her internal dialogue made all the difference. She started typing, holding her back straighter, and – much to her surprise – finished the edit in just four hours.
The problem with productivity, Sirois notes, is that there's always more work to be done. But Sarah discovered that by facing her emotions head-on and finding meaning in her tasks, she could overcome procrastination and achieve a sense of fulfillment.
In the end, Sarah realized that it's impossible to never procrastinate – but by accepting this fact and working on herself, she found a way to reduce the frequency and severity of her procrastination. She learned that productivity is hard work, not magic, and that beating herself up over procrastination only makes things worse.
can u imagine having a week where u dont procrastinate at all? its kinda like when ur phone battery lasts whole day 
and u dont have to recharge it 
but seriously, sarah's story is super inspiring. i mean she just started doing one thing every morning - making a to-do list - and suddenly she had the energy to tackle all her tasks 
. and its not like shes a total productivity ninja now or anything 
she still has bad days but she knows how to recognize when she's feeling overwhelmed and takes steps to manage those emotions 
it just goes to show that even small changes can add up over time 
Procrastination is like a bad habit that's super easy to get back into after you try to kick it for a bit 
Sarah's story made me think about how we all need help with distractions in our daily lives. I mean, who hasn't mindlessly scrolled through YouTube or gotten sucked into a Netflix show when they really should be working on something? 
. I'm trying to implement a similar system for myself, where I write down my tasks at the beginning of each day and try to tackle them one by one 
, I've been there too! For me, it's all about setting tiny goals for the day 
. It's not always easy, but once you get that momentum going, it's like a weight has been lifted off your shoulders 
. now i'm not saying productivity isn't important, because it totally is 
. the key is finding ways to work with them instead of against them 
. so yeah, one week can change a procrastinator forever - but only if they're willing to face their feelings head-on 
I mean, think about it, when was the last time you were like "I don't wanna" and actually did something about it? 
, like she's totally getting it about confronting those emotions head-on 
, and finding a way to make productivity more sustainable for her 
. It's not just about crushing tasks on paper, but about being kinder to yourself when you slip up 
It's like, okay, we need to face our emotions and find the value in what we're doing instead of using procrastination as a coping mechanism. And I love how Sarah found that by acknowledging her emotions and reframing her internal dialogue, she was able to overcome procrastination and achieve a sense of fulfillment. 
... 33 yrs of procrastination? i mean, thats just lazy lol 
... but for real tho, its crazy how our brains can get stuck in this cycle of avoidance and it takes a big person to acknowledge their emotions and actually do something about it 
... but props to sarah for takin the leap and figuring out her own process 
.
. But what Sarah did was so insightful – she acknowledged her emotions and reframed her internal dialogue 
. But seeing Sarah's journey and Fuschia's insights have given me hope that I can overcome my procrastination habits once and for all 
!
she went from zero to hero in a major way 
she's been struggling with this stuff for 33 years 
️. I'm like, "Yaaas, girl, own it!" 
And I love how she figured out that her emotions were the real issue all along - acknowledging and reframing them made all the difference 
. It's not about being perfect, it's about progress, right? 