Procrastination & The Illusion of our “Future Self”

Have you ever said or thought any of the following statements?

•I’ll get started with healthy eating and exercise after the holidays are over.

•I’ll do ________ tomorrow.  I’ll have more energy and I’ll be able to fit it in my schedule better tomorrow.

•I don’t feel like working out today.  I’m going to skip it.  I’ll feel like it tomorrow.

•I can’t afford this new sweater, but I’m going to buy it anyways.  I’ll start putting money in my savings account next payday.

•I’ll have more time to work on ________ project next month.

•Once I get X, Y, & Z in order, then I’ll have more time to do _________, which is what I really want to be doing.

What Do All of these Scenarios Have in Common?

The illusion that our “future selves” are going to have more time, money, energy, willpower, resources, etc., so we might as well keep putting off the things that really matter to us on our “future selves”.

Our brains are wired for IMMEDIATE GRATIFICATION.  Even though deep down we really want to resist temptation in the moment or take action instead of procrastinating, we also have a strong feeling that our “future self” is going to be better able to handle the task.

This thinking is actually part of our neuroscience and how the reward centers are wired in our brains, but now that we’re AWARE that it’s happening…we can choose a different path!

First Things First….I’m a Realist….

We are not going to do anything differently tomorrow than what we can do today!  I’m so guilty of always thinking or saying, “I’m going to have more energy and time tomorrow to do X, Y, & Z.  But guess what, there’s no more time in Monday than on Tuesday.  24 hours is all there is every single day the last time I checked.

As for the energy part, who knows how I’m going to feel from day to day, right?  It’s all an illusion.  The only moment we have is RIGHT NOW to take action, and we have the ability to control our daily behaviors and that’s just about all we can control.

So, The next time you find yourself thinking you’ll have more time, money, energy, resources, &/or willpower tomorrow and are thinking of procrastinating or giving in to temptation, I want you to remember that your “future self” doesn’t really exist.  All we can do is what we can do right now in this moment!

What are your choices?

If you’re procrastinating, just take action, or as my coach/mentor, Jill Coleman, says #GSD (Get Shit Done), or copy the infamous Nike slogan, and JUST DO IT!

If you’re contemplating giving into temptation, ask yourself, “Is this indulgence or activity harmless to my long term goal/s?”  If the answer is no, then mindfully indulge or participate.  If the answer is Yes, think about turning around and walking away.

Feel free to share in the comments below when you find yourself in a situation of FUTURING & what you can do to overcome it?

Thanks for stopping by,
Tommie

P.S.  If you’re procrastinating on getting started with exercise, head over to my You Tube Channel, & follow along with our #MoveMorevember Workouts!

Sources:  “The Willpower Instinct” a book by Kelly McGonigal.