The Procrastination Cure summary

Picture this: you’ve dreamt for years of writing a screenplay. In your mind, it’s going to be a masterpiece. You read and research. You obsess over each scene, plot point, and character arc. You brainstorm, you draft, you revise. But you never quite get around to finishing. Years go by and, instead of making your mark on the industry as you hoped, your masterpiece is still stuck in “draft.”

This is the plight of the “neurotic perfectionist.”

Let’s look at John – another coaching client. John was a successful insurance salesman who decided to switch careers. So, he immersed himself in learning; he listened to audio programs, attended webinars, seminars, rallies, and conventions. He built a strong network of contacts and top coaches. For nearly three years, John prepared for his career switch, lining up everything just so.

Unfortunately, John was doing all of this preparation on borrowed money – and going deeper and deeper into debt in the process. John wasn’t lazy. He was doing stuff. But he was still procrastinating; procrastinating starting his new career in earnest by, let’s say, actually reaching out to clients.

Okay, here comes another movie metaphor. Picture the iconic James Dean in the 1955 film Rebel Without a Cause. Dean embodied a spirit of youthful defiance that resonated with a generation. He’s a powerful, passionate character, admittedly. But not a very happy one.

There's a unique breed of procrastinator the author calls “rebellious procrastinators.” For these people, their identity becomes entwined with a sense of resentment and defiance.

Alright, so when it comes to procrastination, we’ve talked about the big picture – you’ve got to understand and let go of the specific emotional dynamics that fuel your self-destructive behavior. But is there something else you can do, day-to-day, to help ease this transition? Here are two strategies. Be warned, though: they’re probably not what you’re expecting.

The first: focus on addressing your anxiety and discomfort as they manifest within your body. While your fears may, in some sense, be “all in your head,” sooner or later they start creeping outwards – into a stiff neck, a tense jaw, a tight lower back. Your mind and body are inseparable. So, get a massage, see a chiropractor; start a yoga or tai chi practice; try martial arts. The choice is yours, but the point is to soothe and loosen your tense muscles and bring some relaxation and balance to the body. You’d be surprised how caring for your physical-self can feed into your work-self.

Everybody knows: procrastination is a scourge. Millions of creative and intelligent people self-sabotage by chronically delaying and deferring their goals.

Procrastination is a complex behavior, but it has roots in basic emotions like shame, fear, and anger. Overcoming it requires developing the self-awareness to spot which emotions are driving you — and learning to let them go. Along the way, you can help by releasing emotions stored in the body and connecting with those around you.