Tackling Procrastination: It’s Not What You Think
Jarrett Green, Esq., M.A. | Summer 2026
If you’ve ever found yourself responding to three emails, returning two phone calls, reorganizing your calendar, updating your database, and somehow avoiding the one project you promised yourself you’d start today, congratulations! You’re human!
Studies consistently suggest that approximately 85–90% of individuals report struggling with procrastination from time to time (and I like to add that the other 10-15% are probably in denial!). Yet despite how incredibly common procrastination is, many of us still quietly criticize ourselves for it. We conclude that we’re lazy, undisciplined, unmotivated, or simply poor at managing our time.
Fortunately, the science paints a much more compassionate, and more empowering, picture. Researchers now unanimously conclude that procrastination is not a motivation problem, a willpower problem, or a character flaw. Rather, it’s an emotion regulation and thought regulation problem. We procrastinate because beginning a task often generates uncomfortable emotions such as anxiety, overwhelm, uncertainty, self-doubt, or fear of failure, which are fueled by equally uncomfortable thoughts: What if this isn’t good enough? What if this takes forever? What if I receive a terrible outcome?
Our brain naturally wants relief from those emotions, and relief is surprisingly easy to find. We suddenly become fascinated with answering emails, calling a candidate, updating our CRM, organizing our desk, or tackling another task that feels productive, but also emotionally safer. In other words, procrastination usually isn’t about avoiding work; it’s about avoiding the emotions we’ve attached to that work. Once we understand this distinction, we can stop judging ourselves and begin working with our brain rather than against it.
According to the research, those uncomfortable emotions are usually driven by two primary culprits. The first is one we’re all familiar with: perfectionism, the belief that every important project must somehow emerge brilliant from the very first draft. The second is something I’ve affectionately named monsterism (yes, I made that one up!): our brain’s uncanny ability to exaggerate the size, complexity, and emotional burden of a task before we’ve even begun. Perfectionism tells us the work has to be extraordinary. Monsterism convinces us the project is far more complex than it is (even if it is objectively complex). Together, they become a destructive duo that floods us with anxiety and overwhelm, making procrastination feel like the most emotionally comfortable option.
Fortunately, overcoming procrastination isn’t about forcing ourselves to “try harder.” It’s about reducing the emotional resistance our brain experiences before beginning. And I believe that starts by asking not simply how we’re going to tackle an important project (which we will get to), but when we’re going to do so.
Fortunately, overcoming procrastination isn’t about forcing ourselves to “try harder.” It’s about reducing the emotional resistance our brain experiences before beginning.
Step One: Find Your Balance Between “Eating the Frog” and the Two-Minute Rule
Before discussing how to begin an important project, there’s an equally important question: When should you begin?
Two of the best-known productivity philosophies offer very different answers. Brian Tracy’s “Eat the Frog” principle encourages us to tackle our biggest, most emotionally uncomfortable task first thing in the morning. David Allen’s Two-Minute Rule, by contrast, suggests that if a task takes less than two minutes, simply complete it immediately rather than organizing it and returning to it later.
The interesting thing is that both approaches are psychologically sound, and both can become counterproductive when taken to the extreme.
For some people, immediately “eating the frog” removes the day’s biggest psychological burden and creates tremendous momentum. For others, beginning with the largest, most intimidating project actually increases anxiety, making procrastination more likely.
The opposite extreme can be just as problematic, especially for legal search consultants. Our days are filled with legitimate two-minute tasks: responding to candidates, confirming interviews, forwarding résumés, answering client questions, scheduling meetings, and solving countless small issues. Before long, those “quick wins” have quietly consumed half the day. This is often referred to as “pre-crastination,” staying incredibly busy with lower-level tasks that conveniently postpone the one project that matters most. Ironically, pre-crastination and procrastination are teammates. One quietly advances the other.
I’ve discovered that my own sweet spot lies somewhere between these two philosophies. On the morning of a big project, I intentionally complete three small tasks before beginning my “frog.” Those quick wins build momentum and confidence, gently warming up my brain before deeper cognitive work. But I also establish a firm boundary: after those three tasks, it’s “frog time.” No negotiating. No inventing a fourth or fifth “quick win.”
I’d encourage you to experiment until you discover your own balance. There isn’t one universally correct formula. The goal isn’t to perfectly follow someone else’s productivity philosophy. The goal is to discover the blend that consistently helps you overcome the emotional resistance of getting started.
Once you’ve found the balance that works for you and it’s officially “frog time,” the next question becomes: How do you actually get yourself to start?
Step Two: The 10-Minute Rule
This is where the most scientifically supported procrastination busters enters the picture: the 10-Minute Rule.
Imagine you’re about to begin an important writing project in the evening before it’s due. You’ve committed to finally starting the project by spending the next two hours making meaningful progress, but as you sit down, you hesitate. Why? Because your brain is telling you that you must perform two hours of gloriously brilliant work. That feels emotionally overwhelming, so your brain naturally looks for relief by steering you toward distractions or lower-level tasks.
The 10-Minute Rule completely changes that conversation.
Instead of telling yourself, “I need to produce two hours of genius work,” simply tell yourself, “I’m capable of doing 10 minutes of average work right now.” Set a timer for ten minutes and give yourself explicit permission to produce imperfect work – work you’ll convert from average to excellent in the morning with fresh eyes. When the timer goes off, take a 10-minute break, and then repeat the process. You can then oscillate between 10-minute work blocks and 10-minute breaks until the 2 hours are up. At the very least, you’ll have started the project and completed 60 total minutes, rather than waking up to a blank Word document.
But something cosmic (and by “cosmic,” I mean “scientific”) is almost guaranteed to happen instead: when the alarm goes off after the first or second ten-minute writing session (or third session, max), you’ll have a visceral desire to continue writing, rather than take a break. Before you know it, two to three hours will have passed. Why is this? Because the science reveals the human brain makes a very different evaluation about whether to begin a project than it does about whether to continue one. Starting is psychologically expensive. Continuing is psychologically cheap. Before long, you’ll find yourself fully immersed in the work, and what felt impossible just 10 to 20 minutes earlier now feels surprisingly manageable.
The more you practice the 10-Minute Rule, the better it works – because you gradually rewire your brain to normalize starting challenging projects without delay. Instead of overwhelming your brain by asking it to accomplish something enormous, your brain gets accustomed to taking one small, manageable step.
Final Thoughts
The next time you catch yourself answering emails, reorganizing your calendar, or finding one more “urgent” task instead of beginning the project that matters most, don’t assume you’re lazy, undisciplined or flawed in some way.
Just congratulate yourself for having a normal functioning brain.
Then gently guide your brain back. Find the balance between “Eating the Frog” and the Two-Minute Rule that works for you. When it’s time to begin, simply commit to ten minutes of wonderfully average work. Because the greatest obstacle is rarely the project itself. It’s the story your brain tells you before you’ve even begun.
So change the story. Take the first small step. And you’ll likely discover that what once felt like a terrifying monster was simply a manageable project waiting for you to begin.
About The Author
Jarrett Green, Esq., M.A., graduated from UC Berkeley School of Law and then practiced commercial litigation for 12 years, first at Skadden Arps and then at his own boutique litigation firm. He left the practice of law about 10 years ago to live his passion of helping lawyers, legal professionals, and other high-stress individuals experience less stress, more happiness, optimized performance, better leadership, and enhanced overall success. He has a Master’s in psychology with emphases on neuroscience, positive psychology, and cognitive-behavioral psychology from Pepperdine University, as well as Certifications in Executive Coaching, Mindfulness, and Stress Management. He works with nearly half of the AmLaw 100 law firms and many Fortune 500 companies and teaches classes on well-being and performance optimization at USC Law School and UC Irvine Law School.
Email: Jarrett@NKBconsultancy.com
Website: www.NKBconsultancy.com
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