Taming the Monkey: Why We Procrastinate (and How to Take Back Control)

We’ve all been there. You have a big project due. You have a plan. You’re going to start light, bump it up in the middle, and finish strong. It’s a perfectly rational staircase of productivity.But then, you don’t do that. Instead, you wait until the very last minute, pull two all-nighters, sprint across campus (metaphorically or literally), and dive in just as the deadline hits.

Why do we do this? As it turns out, the brain of a procrastinator is wired a little differently. According to writer Tim Urban, while everyone has a Rational Decision-Maker in their head, procrastinators have an extra roommate: the Instant Gratification Monkey.

The Monkey Behind the Wheel

The Rational Decision-Maker wants to do something productive. But the Monkey? The Monkey doesn't care about your track record or the future. He only cares about two things: easy and fun.When the Monkey takes the wheel, you don't do work. You read the entire Wikipedia page of the Nancy Kerrigan/Tonya Harding scandal. You check the fridge (again) to see if food magically appeared. You go on a YouTube spiral that starts with science videos and ends with interviews of Justin Bieber’s mom.This leads us to a place Urban calls the Dark Playground. This is where you are having "fun" when you aren't supposed to be. But it’s not actually fun. The air in the Dark Playground is filled with guilt, anxiety, and self-hatred. It’s a terrible place to be.

The Solution: Waking the Monster

So, how do we ever get anything done? For many of us, the only thing that scares the Monkey away is the Panic Monster.The Panic Monster is dormant most of the time, but he wakes up when a deadline gets too close or there is a danger of public embarrassment. The Monkey is terrified of him. When the Panic Monster screams, the Monkey runs up a tree, and finally, the Rational Decision-Maker can take control.This system—Monkey, Rational Decision-Maker, Panic Monster—is messy, but for short-term things like school papers or work deadlines, it works.

The Real Danger: When There Is No Deadline

However, there is a second, more dangerous type of procrastination. This happens when there are no deadlines.Think about things like getting in shape, working on a relationship, or starting a business. In these areas, the Panic Monster never wakes up because there is no sudden deadline. The effects of this procrastination aren't just a few stressful all-nighters; they extend outward forever.This is where true unhappiness comes from. It makes us feel like spectators in our own lives. The frustration isn't that we couldn't achieve our dreams, but that we weren't even able to start chasing them.

Looking at the Life Calendar

So, what is the solution?

First, we have to admit that we are all procrastinators, especially when deadlines are missing.

To beat the Monkey, we need to visualize our time. Urban suggests using a Life Calendar—one box for every week of a 90-year life. When you look at it, you realize there aren't actually that many boxes.

We need to take a hard look at that calendar and realize what we are really procrastinating on. We have to be aware of the Instant Gratification Monkey and not let him drive the car when it matters most.

Because we’ve already used up a bunch of those boxes, it’s a job that should probably start today.

Well... maybe not today. But you know. Sometime soon

Reference: (16) Inside the Mind of a Master Procrastinator | Tim Urban | TED - YouTube