Optimal Living Daily - Personal Development and Self-Improvement

3757: Stop Procrastinating by Psych Alive on How to Manage Difficult Emotions and Take Action

17 snips
Oct 1, 2025
Procrastination is revealed to be more about managing difficult emotions than poor time management. The discussion highlights how self-critical thoughts and avoidance strategies can trap us in inaction. Practical techniques are offered to challenge the inner critic, such as labeling negative thoughts in the second person and writing compassionate responses. The importance of self-compassion is emphasized as a method to break free from the cycle of avoidance and take meaningful action.
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INSIGHT

Procrastination Is An Emotional Problem

  • Procrastination is rising and harms wealth, health, and happiness.
  • Treating it as an emotional problem reveals why time management alone fails.
INSIGHT

The Inner Critic Fuels Avoidance

  • A loud critical inner voice drives many procrastinators by both scaring and soothing them away from tasks.
  • Both self-critical and self-soothing thoughts produce the same stalled outcome and later harsh self-punishment.
ADVICE

Write Down And Reply To Critical Thoughts

  • Write your self-critical thoughts down in second-person “you” statements to externalize them.
  • Then craft realistic, self-compassionate responses that reflect your true capabilities.
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