We Studied Procrastination on a Scale. Here's What Works
Procrastination Is Emotional Dysregulation, Not Laziness
Key finding: People don’t postpone tasks because of laziness. They postpone due to fear, perfectionism, overwhelm, or uncertainty. These are subcortical brain structures protecting from perceived risk.
When we explained to participants that their “inner saboteur” is an ancient part of the brain, they stopped blaming themselves for weak willpower and started working with resistance constructively.
Agile Approach to Life Works Better Than Long-term Planning
Pattern: 3 weeks of focus + 1 week of reflection give better results than trying to plan months ahead.
Participants said: “For the first time, planning doesn’t cause stress.” Short sprints allow experimenting and course correction, instead of “pushing through” toward unclear goals.
“Boat Bottom” Is More Important Than “Sail”
Key mistake: 70% of participants set ambitious goals (sail) without covering basic needs (boat bottom).
We divided goals into two levels:
- Basic goals — sleep, energy, emotional state - Growth goals — career, self-actualization, new skills
When people started with the basic level, growth goals were achieved naturally. When they tried to “raise the sail” on a leaky boat — they burned out quickly.
Three Levels of Working with Procrastination
From the data, a system crystallized:
1. Energy — restoring healthy dopamine cycles 2. Goals — turning dreams into clear action plans 3. Psychology — working with internal blocks based on psychotype
Attempts to immediately jump to level 3, bypassing 1 and 2, led to sabotage and regression.
Practical Takeaways
- Procrastination is a symptom, not the disease. You need to treat the causes - Short sprints (3 weeks) are more effective than long-term plans - Basic needs must be met BEFORE ambitious goals - Understanding neurobiology reduces self-flagellation and increases effectiveness
Application
Based on this data, we built an AI system that determines what level a person is at and adapts the approach. Early results are encouraging: 200 users, 300+ completed tasks, early sales exceeded $100k.
But most importantly — we now have a data-driven understanding of how procrastination works. And these principles can be applied regardless of any apps.
Looking for Early Testers
We’re finalizing the full mobile app AJI (AI Journal & Insights) and need people to test the first versions. We’re especially interested in participants with chronic procrastination — the approach shows best results with them.
If you’re ready to try it and share feedback — write in the comments.
Data collected from productivity programs, coaching sessions, and scientific research from 2020-202
Otherwise it's not much different from whatever random influencer is saying.