Stop Procrastinating
“Nothing is as fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task.” — William James, The Letters of William James (1920)
Whether it is a paper we need to complete or a room we need to clean, we often find ourselves procrastinating for just a few seconds, just a few minutes, just a few hours. As our anxiety and anger towards ourselves steadily escalate, we still cannot bring ourselves to do the actual task. The pandemic has surely exacerbated this tendency, whether it is due to the lack of interaction with peers for support and motivation, or due to the negative momentum we acquired during this uncertain time. In fact, I procrastinated posting this for months. Getting out of this rhythm of doing things last minute is hard but philosophies can lend a hand! Click on the icons below to boost your motivation with five philosophies now!
Stoicism
Hedonism
Existentialism
Early Marxism
Pragmatism
Stoicism
When the work piling up weighs on your chest, Do Not Escape. Ryan Holiday, the founder of Daily Stoic, warns, “escapism is tempting… but dangerous”. Sure, going on your phone or a walk can temporarily relieve your anxiety, but your anxiety can never be dissipated until you get to work.
You do not have infinite time before you. Either it is the time to complete your task or your life. The stoic phrase “memento mori” traces back to ancient Rome. In Latin, the ancients remind us that we must die. Your life is brief. By procrastinating mindlessly on tasks, Marcus Aurelius wrote to himself, “you are doing yourself violence [in the soul]... and you will have no second occasion to do yourself honor” (Marcus Aurelius, Meditation, Book II, Section VI). Indeed, when you procrastinate, you are indulging your desires for comfort while dismissing your reasons to get the work done.
​
You may put off a task because you want your work to be perfect, because you are just not in the “right mindset,” or because you find the task daunting. This is natural: even the great Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius struggled with this. However, he encourages himself, “if a thing is humanly possible and appropriate, consider it also to be within your own reach” (Marcus Aurelius, Meditation, Book VI, Section XIX). Do not get stunned at difficult tasks. Sure, your first few attempts may be unsatisfying, but make time your friend! Give yourself time to polish your work by starting tasks now.
Steenwijck, Harmen. Vanitas. 1628.
Do not get hung up arranging tasks, do them. When you order tasks, you are no longer living at the moment but some part of the future: you are living in the stress you will have when doing the task and the satisfaction you will have when completing the task. You only feel productive vicariously. “Aren’t you ashamed to keep for yourself just the remnant of your life, and to devote to wisdom only that time which cannot be spent on any other business?” (Seneca the Younger, On the Shortness of Life). You are wise. Spend your time wisely.
​
Of course, you need time off. However, to relax is to rest actively, not idly. Spend time to “attain calm of mind,” do not fatigue nor obscure it (Marcus Aurelius, Meditation, Book II, Section IV). Binge-watching Netflix dries your mind and exhausts your eyes. Instead, play with your dog, chat with your friend, take a nap, or whatever calms you.
Now, put this stoic perspective into action and start the tasks.
Luczay, Katalin. Calm. 2012.
Hedonism
Hedonists do not indulge in Netflix shows in an unkempt room with tasks piling up on the To-Do List.
Sure, hedonists are pleasure-seeking. However, they seek higher pleasure instead of lower pleasure. By the words of John Stuart Mill, an English hedonist philosopher in the nineteenth century, lower pleasure is appreciated and preferred only by base animals like pigs whereas higher pleasure is chased by “highly endowed beings” employing “higher faculties” such as our intellect, emotions, and consciousness (John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, 1863).
​
Let’s put this distinction into perspective. Lying on the couch watching TV with spoons after spoons of ice cream is a lower pleasure. This is because doing so not only dismisses our “higher faculties” but also leads to an unhealthy body and bad eyesight in the long run. On the other hand, learning to ride a bike is a higher pleasure. For we employ our intellect in judging how fast we should stomp on the pedal, when to press the brake, and to what degree we steer the head to make a turn. There might be discontent and acute sufferings in the journey, especially when you fall from the bike. However, we “highly endowed beings” procure intense satisfaction when we can finally bike around the neighborhood, even to the local frozen yogurt shop to buy some treats!
​
There are many other instances of higher pleasure, such as reading a book, respectfully debating with a friend on socio-political issues, and finishing that paper you’ve been putting off. Whatever higher pleasure you choose to pursue, you will always end up being happier than indulging in lower pleasure such as binge-watching Youtube, taking overly long lunch breaks, and scrolling Tiktok posts on your phone.
​
Procrastination is falsely prioritizing lower pleasure over superior pleasure. To Mill, procrastination is foolishly choosing the “nearer good, though [we] know it to be less valuable” (John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism, 1863). Though our “indolence and selfishness” draw us towards mindlessly binging ice cream instead of learning a new skill on a hot summer day, we must not surrender to those base desires. For habitual procrastination makes us addicted to lower pleasure. Furthermore, we would become incapable of higher aspirations, intellectual tastes, nobler feelings, and, with it, higher pleasure.
Arnold, Karen. Vintage Girl Cycling Countryside.
Ice Cream, pxfuel. https://www.pxfuel.com/en/free-photo-qniaa
The adage goes “it is better to be a human being dissatisfied, than a [pig] satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied, than a fool satisfied.” There would be dissatisfaction in our pursuit of higher pleasure, such as scratching our heads as we formulate the thesis of a paper. Nevertheless, people of noble characters always bear those bearable imperfections instead of retiring to lower pleasure. So, march towards the tasks you know would bring you higher pleasure head on like a virtuous hedonist.
Existentialism
Admit “we get into the habit of living before acquiring the habit of thinking” (Albert Camus, Myth of Sisyphus, 1942). Free yourself from the unthinking momentum of procrastination. Reflect actively about what action aligns with your self-made goals.
​
To do so, first create your purpose. Jean-Paul Sartre, a French existentialist philosopher, famously believed our existence precedes essence. What does this mean? It means we as human beings are first brought to life without a defined purpose. As you were “thrown into the world,” you have the freedom to give your life a meaning, a meaning that is uniquely desiring, satisfying, and fulfilling to you. Facing this boundless possibility for your life, you may feel understandably anxious. In fact, Soren Kierkegaard described this feeling you are experiencing in life as the “dizziness of freedom” in 1844. However, embrace this gift of freedom and ponder upon what kind of life you want to lead.
Once you have created your own vision, do not be afraid to put your great thoughts into action. Camus plainly acknowledges “all great deeds and all great thoughts have a ridiculous beginning” (Albert Camus, Myth of Sisyphus, 1942). Jot down your ideas when you are
​
waiting for your meals at a restaurant; start typing words into your first draft document; seek feedback from yourself and others to better your work. Remember, you cannot simply define yourself by your thoughts. Albert Camus, a French-Algerian philosopher and novelist, writes “practically I know [people] and recognize them by their behavior, by the totality of their deeds, by the consequences caused in life by their presence” (Albert Camus, Myth of Sisyphus, 1942). Therefore, substantiating your thought with action is an integral step towards achieving your goals—at least in the eyes of others as well.
​
Take responsibility for how you act. Sartre points out that “we are condemned to be free” in his work Being and Nothingness (1943). Because “it is completely up to you to give [life] a meaning,” you are your own supervisor. Remember, no one except you can truly carry you to achieving anything. Instead, you are your only initiator of purpose, your drive, and your becomings. Put simply, only you can snap yourself out of procrastination and imbue yourself with motivation.
​
Last but not least, don’t get hung up on the bad decisions you’ve made in the past. José Ortega y Gasset, a prolific Spanish existentialist, coins “I am myself and my circumstances” in Meditations on Quixote (1914). Accept that the circumstances you live in cannot be altered. This limitation might include your thoughts, behavior, and habits. Since these are out of your control, let them go. Rather, focus on the first half of the sentence: yourself. That is, what you can do given your situation. Perhaps it is accepting that you have squandered your day on social media. Furthermore, you decidedly snap yourself out of this momentum and begin working on your projects at 7:45 PM. It is never too late because “life… is not the sum of what [you] have been, but what [you] yearn to be.” Listen to José Ortega y Gasset. Forgive yourself for past deeds and begin anew.
Picasso, Pablo. Girl Reading at a Table. 1934, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City.
Von Stuck, Franz. Sisyphus. 1920.
Early Marxism
Karl Marx believes we have an innate capacity and need to create something unique. Further, we project our will and our consciousness into what we produce. In other words, we externalize the great ideas within us through production. Say you have in mind a fantastic idea of an acrylic painting portraying Winston Smith, the protagonist in George Orwell’s 1984, submitting to his love of Big Brother. You thought of every detail of the painting: the composition, the color hues, and the message behind it. However, you hold yourself back from actually realizing it—perhaps you are doubting your ability to paint. Instead, you procrastinate by watching videos on painting techniques. In this case, Marx would encourage you to simply go ahead and paint it!
As you unleash the greatness inside you through production, others can find inspiration from your work as well. Maybe art helps them to imagine the dramatic ending of the book. Or perhaps they find your color combination deeply satisfying. In doing so, you serve your community by bringing joy to them! Better yet, you will be proud of yourself for accomplishing something unique and bringing enjoyment to your community.
.jpg)
This reciprocating gratification between you and your community is what Marx calls “social enjoyment” in his Notes on James Mill in 1844. This “social enjoyment” is what makes your existence “real, conscious, and authentic” according to Marx. Think about this: because you painted your idea, you are now fulfilling your innate need for creative labor, gratifying your community, and confirming your “real, conscious, and authentic existence!” All because you stopped procrastinating.
Greatness is already inside you. All you need to do is use your innate capacity to drive your production.
*To learn more about Marxism, check out this video by The School of Life.
Vermeer, Johannes. The Lacemaker. 1669, Louvre, Paris.
Pragmatism
Set up ideals pragmatically. William James, a famed American psychologist, pragmatist philosopher, and professor believes achieving happiness first requires ideals. Then, efforts to achieve them.
Though your ideals may seem far-fetched, you must believe them achievable through your determined actions. Say you yearn to become a world-class athlete. You can either believe it is achievable through practice or not achievable despite your efforts. In this case, whether dedicated practice would in fact make you an Olympian is not your concern. What matters is that, by believing in your potential, you will lead an athletic life with dedicated training. In situations like this, “if there be any life that is really better [you] should lead, and if there be any idea which, if believed in, would help [you] to lead that life,” James maintains, “then it would be better for [you] to believe in that idea” (Lecture II of “Pragmatism: A New Name of Some Old Ways of Thinking”). Therefore, you should believe in your potential since it will result in a more athletic and arguably, better life.
This kind of decision-making based on gauging consequences applies to completing our daily tasks as well. When you find yourself before a daunting task, imagine what you can choose to believe in and what your beliefs will result in. Follow this roadmap to understand how this approach works.
Once you choose to believe in an idea, do not give up. Grinding studiously is exhausting. However, concentrate on the consequences of your action. Use your belief that you are one step closer to achieving happiness to motivate you along the journey.
Finally, improve after making mistakes. James acknowledges our consciousness is adaptive, just like our body. Hence, in the spirit of a pragmatist, believe your mind can evolve. Forgive yourself if you procrastinated in the past. Nevertheless, do not accept that you will inevitably continue to procrastinate in the future because of your inability for change. Rather, learn from your mistake and reign in your urge to procrastinate next time. Setting up some ideals—like what you learned at the beginning of this article—might be a place to start.
Additional Ref:
https://psycnet.apa.org/buy/2000-15814-005
​​https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-classicreadings/chapter/william-james-on-pragmatism/
