Procrastination is not laziness. It’s a clue.
Triple Check: A tool to overcome procrastination
Overthinkers tend to procrastinate a lot. Guilty as charged.
We blame ourselves for being lazy or lacking discipline. But what if procrastination isn’t a flaw to fix—but a message to decode?
Think of it like an unexpected guest. You can slam the door in their face…or invite them in and ask, “Why are you here?”
Sure, you can power through with willpower. But that’s like taking a painkiller instead of treating the root cause. The pain will return. The task will stall again. And the cycle continues.
Just like a fever is your body’s way of saying something’s off, procrastination is your brain’s signal to say something’s off about the task.
Let’s learn how to diagnose the signal, not just silence it.
To decode this clue, one nifty tool is the Triple Check:
Are you stuck in your head, heart, or hand?
🧠 Head—You're not fully convinced
At a rational level, you're not fully convinced that you're working on the right task. Maybe you’re unsure if the task is important or if this is the right way to do it. So you stall.
→ Try one of these:
Revisit the goal. Does this task truly move it forward?
Break it into smaller steps.
Ask a friend: “Is this how you'd approach it?”
For example:
You need to update your resume, but you keep putting it off. Maybe you're not clear on what job you're aiming for—or whether now's the right time to switch. That’s a head block.
❤️ Heart—You're emotionally disconnected
The task feels boring, draining, or just… blah. You don’t want to do it. When your heart is not into it, you need to bribe yourself a bit.
→ Try one of these:
Make it playful. Maybe play your favorite playlist. Or add a reward. After I do the taxes, I’ll treat myself to a movie.
Connect it to a deeper purpose. Why does it matter to you?
Change your environment for a mood boost. Let’s work by the poolside this morning for a change.
For example:
You're avoiding replying to emails. Not because it’s hard—but because it’s dull. Heart’s not in it. Add a timer, make it a game: How many can I get through in 10 minutes?
A note of caution here. We do our best work not for the extrinsic rewards, but for the intrinsic satisfaction. If you find yourself lacking intrinsic motivation time and again, maybe it’s time to revisit your work and priorities.
What happens when:
You know it’s the right task to do. Your head is in the game. ✅
You know you’ll enjoy doing it. Your heart is in it. ✅
You’re still procrastinating…
Chances are you’re stuck at hand ⬇️
👋 Hand—You're practically stuck
At a practical level, you feel you're not equipped with the right tools or the right resources to get the job done. And your brain is quietly freaking out.
To overcome this kind of procrastination, you need to raise your hand and ask for help.
→ Try one of these:
Ask for help from a teammate, mentor, or coach.
Gather missing resources like a tool, template, or checklist.
Learn to fill the gap. Take a course, class, or tutorial to gain the missing skill.
Example: You’ve been delaying working on an App idea. You came up with the concept, you’re excited to work on it. Then why aren’t you? Not because you don’t want to do it—but because you lack the development skills. That’s a hand block. You can ask for help from a developer, use a no-code tool or AI, or maybe take a course and learn the missing skills.
The goal isn’t to kill procrastination. It’s to understand it.
So next time you find yourself “wasting time,” try the Triple Check. Head? Heart? Hand? And then meet yourself where you’re stuck.
Here’s a handy version of the tool:
This is how overthinkers move forward—not with brute force, but with better understanding.