{"id":11046,"date":"2025-05-15T19:28:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-15T16:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/?p=11046"},"modified":"2025-09-17T15:13:48","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T12:13:48","slug":"brief-07","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/health\/brief-07\/","title":{"rendered":"Can&#8217;t stop watching shorts, reels, tiktok. Can you escape procrastination?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"podcastplayer\"><figure class=\"wp-block-audio podcastplayer\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/s\/1046d7c48\/podcast\/play\/103440128\/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-4-30%2F401295090-44100-2-3111578f6bf3a.m4a\" preload=\"none\"><\/audio><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"mks_dropcap_letter\" style=\"font-size: 72px; color: #dd3c7a; \">T<\/span>he flames are already close \u2014 I can hear them crackling, licking the walls, consuming the corners. They&#8217;re inside the room now, but not close enough yet to drown in the fire along with the rest of the paperwork. Not yet. I sit hunched over my screen, scrolling through another short video, as if each new clip is my fireproof shield. The feed is tempting \u2014 so much easier to face than the tasks I need to do. My fingers greedily touch the glass while the fire creeps toward today\u2019s growing pile of important things. But it\u2019s not really burning yet, right? At least not badly enough to drop the phone. Not yet. I tell myself I\u2019ll make it \u2014 just a little later. When the flames are closer. When the smoke is thicker and there\u2019s no air left \u2014 then I\u2019ll know. For now \u2014 maybe I\u2019ll just listen to a podcast. Or check my notifications. That\u2019s important too, right? Just a little break. Until something catches fire that can\u2019t be put out.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>In this episode of the Misery Shared Podcast, Slava talks about procrastination. He explores why our logical, well-calibrated bodies sometimes behave so irrationally \u2014 especially when urgent tasks are at stake. Why do we get distracted by social media feeds, even when everything\u2019s already \u201con fire\u201d and we desperately need to finish work?  Should we worry about this \u2014 and is there anything we can actually do about it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Disclaimer<\/strong>: the author makes it clear that he is not a psychologist or a psychotherapist. He strongly opposes any form of online diagnosis. This podcast is not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. Its purpose is to explain things in simple terms and to encourage people to seek help from a therapist \u2014 even if it feels like a waste of time. It also aims to help listeners choose a good mental health professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Procrastination has many faces. You might have already recognized it in the \u201cfire\u201d metaphor at the start \u2014 though of course, in real life, missing an actual fire due to procrastination is unlikely. But if you\u2019re buried under a pile of urgent tasks \u2014 especially ones you associate with discomfort or monotony (if monotony, for example, can feel uncomfortable) \u2014 and you choose to delay them in favor of something more enjoyable, even if it&#8217;s not important\u2026 that\u2019s procrastination. Here\u2019s a key detail: ask yourself \u2014 does switching to that pleasant activity bring even brief relief? Or take another example: you&#8217;re going to bed knowing you have to wake up early. You set your alarm\u2026 but instead of turning everything off, you open TikTok, Reels, or Shorts \u2014 doesn\u2019t matter which. And then you stay there far too long, maybe even doing mental math to figure out how many hours of sleep you&#8217;ll still get\u2026 but you don\u2019t put the phone down. Not until the remaining time becomes visibly insufficient for proper rest. That\u2019s procrastination too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The defining feature of procrastination is that it&#8217;s always tied to some kind of deadline or urgent task \u2014 and to choosing a more enjoyable, but non-essential activity, even at the expense of what really needs to be done.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>To be fair, when there&#8217;s barely any time left, a switch can sometimes flip into a kind of super-productive mode, where everything gets done \u2014 but so last-minute that only a second remains on the clock. However, when procrastination is tied to falling asleep, you&#8217;re essentially borrowing time from your sleep. Since not everything can be done as quickly as you&#8217;d like, it&#8217;s impossible to catch up on sleep quickly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Is this normal? Of course, this is not how nature intended things to work. So why does it happen? We\u2019ve already had more than one episode exploring how our brain functions \u2014 and it always seemed that everything in it is precise and well-calibrated. Even when it makes incorrect conclusions, like associating bedtime with anxiety. For example, just the thought of having to try to fall asleep might trigger stress. That\u2019s because the brain wasn\u2019t the first to act \u2014 some external circumstance originally interfered with falling asleep. And then the brain began to protect you from that stress, remembering it as something connected specifically with going to sleep. So even there, we can trace a certain logic \u2014 how the brain tries to shield us from \u201cdanger,\u201d even at the cost of its own well-being. But with procrastination \u2014 what\u2019s different?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>Where did this logic come from \u2014 that doing something at the very last moment is somehow better than calmly keeping up with everything? Or that instead of falling asleep, it\u2019s better to intentionally stay awake, even if you\u2019re exhausted and really want to rest?<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer isn\u2019t obvious, because the question is framed incorrectly. Cause and effect are mixed up. This behavior didn\u2019t emerge just because the last moment seems somehow wonderful. In fact, it doesn\u2019t seem wonderful at all. With procrastination \u2014 just like with OCD, by the way \u2014 we clearly understand the consequences, but still can\u2019t stop. It\u2019s like a learned behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Somehow, the brain once decided this was the better way. But where could such a habit come from? With OCD, it\u2019s clear: at some point, anxiety hinted that checking the front door or a store receipt could bring relief. And then you got stuck in that loop \u2014 checking anything that feels like your personal responsibility. But procrastination? How do you explain the habit of not going to sleep on time, even when you\u2019re literally dozing off? It\u2019s not that you can\u2019t fall asleep due to a shifted circadian rhythm. Even though you&#8217;re tired and want to sleep, you&#8217;ve chosen to stay up late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>The answer is the same as with OCD. It\u2019s still anxiety. To be fair, though, it\u2019s not always a reaction purely to stress. But when anxiety is the cause, procrastination can be seen as your body\u2019s response to stress \u2014 just in a different form.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Since the body can\u2019t resolve anxiety on its own, if that\u2019s what it is, it learns to find ways \u2014 either to cope with it or to avoid it altogether. And in different situations, different people arrive at different conclusions. Some find relief in checking things repeatedly. Others \u2014 their brain starts seeking quick dopamine hits, the very chemical responsible for motivation. Even if it\u2019s working with an imbalance in the system. And then, it\u2019s no longer a way to deal with anxiety \u2014 but to escape it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dopamine is responsible for motivation, but with procrastination, the reward isn\u2019t for completing a task \u2014 it\u2019s for getting distracted. Then it rewards you again \u2014 for not going back to the task. And then a bit more \u2014 for continuing to do something less stressful. Essentially, it\u2019s like a black market inside your body, legalized by the brain just to keep things calm. This is, of course, a very loose metaphor \u2014 but in everyday life, we tend to associate motivation with different values: praise, success, or a job well done. Not with avoidance and rewards for distraction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>What scientific research exists on gaming addiction, and how is it similar to procrastination? What underlying conditions can procrastination reveal, and should we even fight it? Find out all this and more in this episode of the Misery Shared Podcast.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to contact us but are afraid to use comments, you can send us an e-mail. After that it will be enough to delete your letter from the \u201cSent\u201d folder.<br>Our e-mail address is: <a href=\"mailto:help@belarus.fm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">help@belarus.fm<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this episode of the Misery Shared Podcast, Slava talks about procrastination. He explores why our logical, well-calibrated bodies sometimes behave so irrationally \u2014 especially when urgent tasks are at stake. Why do we get distracted by social media feeds, even when everything\u2019s already \u201con fire\u201d and we desperately need to finish work? Should we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":10601,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[394],"tags":[352],"class_list":["post-11046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-audio-in-russian"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10601"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}