Tim Urban: Inside the mind of a master procrastinator | TED - YouTube

In college, I majored in government, which required writing numerous papers. While a typical student might distribute their workload evenly over time, I always ended up cramming at the last minute. This pattern persisted until my 90-page senior thesis, a project too vast for my usual approach. I planned a more structured schedule, but inevitably, procrastination took over, and I ended up writing the entire thesis in a 72-hour, sleep-deprived frenzy.

Today, as a writer and blogger for Wait But Why, I explored the phenomenon of procrastination. I hypothesized that procrastinators' brains differed from others and confirmed this through MRI scans. The procrastinator's brain has both a Rational Decision-Maker and an Instant Gratification Monkey. The Monkey, focused only on what's easy and fun, often hijacks control, leading to procrastination.

This cycle continues until the Panic Monster awakens—triggered by looming deadlines or the threat of public embarrassment—scaring the Monkey away and allowing the Rational Decision-Maker to get to work. This system, while chaotic, does function to some extent.

However, I recognized two types of procrastination: one with deadlines and one without. The latter, which includes personal goals and aspirations, can lead to long-term unhappiness and regret, as the Panic Monster doesn't intervene without a deadline. Many people suffer silently from this long-term procrastination, feeling like bystanders in their own lives.

I concluded that everyone procrastinates to some degree and that we must all confront the Instant Gratification Monkey. With life being finite—as illustrated by a Life Calendar showing the weeks of a 90-year life—it's crucial to address what we're procrastinating on and start taking action, ideally starting today—or at least soon. Thank you.

The original article: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=arj7oStGLkU&list=PLV7xfBoJKBNQ3yhYgQRqocSWs1MKF7j0n&index=6