"I'll Do It Tomorrow": Why We Procrastinate and the Simple Trick to Finally Get Things Done. (Part Two)

 

Let’s be honest for a second. How many times has “I’ll do it tomorrow” been your most-used phrase of the day?

The laundry is piled up, but hey, tomorrow is a great day for laundry. That important email needs a thoughtful response, but your brain will definitely be sharper tomorrow. You want to start that new workout plan, but starting on a Wednesday feels weird, right? Monday is just around the corner.

I see you. I’ve been you. I am you on some days.

That looming task sits in the back of your mind, a tiny cloud that slowly grows, casting a shadow of guilt and anxiety over your day. It’s not that you don’t want to do it. You do! But starting feels like trying to push a boulder uphill. So, you promise yourself, “Tomorrow.”

Here at Inspirer, we’re all about growth and finding that spark in everyday life. But it's hard to feel inspired when the weight of undone tasks is holding you down. For years, I thought my procrastination was a fatal flaw, a deep-seated laziness I couldn’t shake.

But what if I told you it’s not about laziness at all? What if it's something much more human?

The Real Reason We Put Things Off

We often label procrastination as a time management issue. We buy planners, download productivity apps, and watch videos on the perfect morning routine, hoping to find the magic bullet that will transform us into productivity gurus.

But the problem usually isn't the clock. It's the feeling.

I had my biggest breakthrough when I read the work of Dr. Tim Pychyl, a leading researcher on procrastination. He said something that completely changed my perspective:

  "Procrastination is an emotion regulation problem, not a time management problem."

Think about that. We don't put off a task because we're bad at scheduling. We put it off because the task makes us feel bad in some way.

Maybe starting that big project at work brings up a fear of failure. What if I’m not good enough? What if my boss hates it?

Maybe cleaning the cluttered garage feels overwhelming. The sheer scale of the mess triggers anxiety, and it’s easier to just close the door and walk away.

Perhaps you avoid a difficult conversation because you’re scared of conflict or hurting someone’s feelings.

Even a simple task can be linked to boredom, frustration, or resentment. We delay the task to avoid the negative feeling associated with it. Our brain, in a misguided attempt to protect us and make us feel better right now, chooses the instant relief of scrolling through social media or watching another episode of that show we love.

The problem is, that relief is temporary. The task doesn't go away. It just waits, gathering more anxiety and guilt around it, making it even harder to start the next day. It’s a vicious cycle.

My "Aha!" Moment: The Two-Minute Shift

I remember staring at a blank document for a huge report I had to write. It felt monumental. Every time I opened it, my mind would go blank. The pressure to make it perfect from the very first sentence was paralyzing.

So, I’d tell myself, “I’ll just gather more research,” or “I need to be in the right headspace.” These were just fancy excuses. The truth was, I was terrified.

The cycle broke for me with a simple, almost laughably easy, rule I picked up from James Clear, the author of Atomic Habits. It's called the Two-Minute Rule.

The rule has two parts:

• If a task takes less than two minutes to complete, do it immediately.

• When you start a new habit or a large task, it should take less than two minutes to do.

The first part is simple. Answering that quick email? Do it now. Putting your dish in the dishwasher? Do it now. It clears the mental clutter of tiny, nagging to-dos.

But it was the second part that was a true game-changer for me. The goal isn't to finish the huge task. The goal is simply to start it, and to make starting so easy that you can’t say no.

Instead of “write the report,” my goal became “open the document and write one sentence.”

Anyone can do that. It takes less than two minutes.

So, I did. I opened the document and wrote one, very mediocre, sentence. But then a funny thing happened. The boulder was no longer at the bottom of the hill. I had nudged it. The inertia was broken.

Often, I found that after writing that one sentence, I’d write another. And another. That two-minute start would often blossom into a 20 or 30-minute session of focused work. The fear and resistance melted away once I was in motion.

Newton's first law of motion isn't just for physics; it's for life. An object at rest stays at rest, and an object in motion stays in motion. The hardest part is always getting started. The Two-Minute Rule is the gentle push you need to get moving.

Making It Work in Your Life

So, how can you apply this? It’s all about shrinking the task down to its smallest possible starting point.

Want to start a running habit? Don't commit to running five kilometers. Your goal is to put on your running shoes and step out the door. That's it. Once you're outside, you'll probably decide to walk or jog for a bit.

Want to read more? Your goal isn’t to read a chapter a night. It's to read one page. You'll almost always read more, but the commitment is just one page.

Need to clean the kitchen? Your goal is to clear one surface. Just the kitchen counter. That's it. The momentum you build from that one small win often carries you through the rest of the room.

It’s about making it easy to show up. And as a bonus, it helps to design your environment for success. As James Clear says:

  "You don’t have to be the victim of your environment. You can also be the architect of it."

If you want to read one page, leave the book on your pillow. If you want to put on your running shoes, leave them by the door. Remove the friction between you and the starting line.

The Power of Self-Compassion

There’s one last piece to this puzzle, and it might be the most important. You have to be kind to yourself.

Procrastinating makes us feel guilty. We beat ourselves up for being “lazy” or “undisciplined.” But this self-criticism only adds more negative emotions to the task, making us even more likely to avoid it in the future. It’s like trying to put out a fire with gasoline.

When you slip up and put something off, don't spiral into shame. Acknowledge it without judgment. Say to yourself, "Okay, I was avoiding that because I felt overwhelmed. That’s a normal human feeling. What’s a two-minute version I can do right now to get started?"

Forgive yourself for yesterday and focus only on the next two minutes. Progress, not perfection, is the goal. Each time you use the Two-Minute Rule to overcome that initial resistance, you're not just getting a task done. You’re building evidence that you are someone who follows through. You’re building trust in yourself.

That, my friends, is the real foundation of personal growth. It’s not about grand, sweeping changes made overnight. It's about the small, consistent, and compassionate choices you make, one two-minute action at a time.

So, what about you? What’s one thing you’ve been putting off?

Don't think about finishing it. Just think about the first two minutes. What tiny, ridiculously easy first step can you take, right now, after reading this?

Share it in the comments below! Let’s inspire each other to take that first tiny step.

With inspiration,

The Inspirer Team