I'm a procrastinator(有拖延症的人). In university, I should spend a year on my 90-page senior thesis(论文). I didn't write a word until three days before the deadline. Finally, I wrote 90 pages over 72 hours, pulling not one but two all-nighters to finish just before the deadline. Of course, it was a very bad thesis.
I think that the brain of procrastinators and non-procrastinators are actually different. Both brains have a Rational(理性的) Decision-Maker in them who makes us take action right now. But the procrastinator's brain also has an Instant Gratification(及时行乐) Monkey who doesn't like that plan and only cares about two things: easy and fun.
For the procrastinators, it is the Monkey that actually takes the wheel. But how can they start working when really important things happen? It turns out the procrastinator also has a Panic(恐慌的) Monster. He is not active most of the time, but he suddenly wakes up anytime a deadline gets too close. He's the only thing the Instant Gratification Monkey is afraid of.
Seeing the Panic Monster, the Instant Gratification Monkey goes up a tree and hides! The Rational Decision-Maker can then take the wheel and the procrastinator can start working.
This explains how the procrastinator's system works. But if it works, why bother?
Well, it's because there are situations in, our lives that don't have deadlines, like seeing your family or exercising. In all of these non-deadline situations, the Panic Monster doesn't show up. So the procrastinator's system actually doesn't start work.
So what should we do? Maybe we can make something called a Life Calendar. We need to take a long, hard look at that calendar and think about what we're really procrastinating on.
