What is the root of our procrastinating tendency?

Answer Podcast

Transcript

This is an AI-generated transcript and may contain some errors.
Shri Krishna. What is the root of procrastination? And how can we solve it? The root is the mind’s tendency to choose the path of least resistance.
We all have a tendency within us, like that’s one of our default settings. Whatever creates the least trouble, we do that. So, when I learned writing, and I used to submit articles to newspapers, so one of my writing teachers told me that you should assume that the editor is as lazy as you are.
What that means is that if you don’t proofread your article well, if you are lazy to proofread an article, the editor will also be lazy to proofread and the editor will choose some other article, which they don’t have to proofread. So, the point, I’m giving this example to say that it’s a universal tendency that we choose the path of least resistance. And because of this, when we have resolved to do something important, but we don’t feel like doing it.
It involves some difficulty. Then another alternative comes up, which feels easier at that time. So, we choose the path of least resistance.
So, procrastination is not so much about what we are putting off. It is more about what is our perception of what we are putting off. It’s why do I keep putting off things? I will not keep putting off things.
But that sort of resolution is good, but that will not help much. What we need to do is change our perception. That means, yes, there may be some resistance in this, but it’s important for you.
Often, the fulfilling lies at the bottom of the demanding. The fulfilling lies at the bottom of the demanding. The Bhagavad Gita, again this ancient Yogas text, it says that actually that which tastes like poison in the beginning will taste like nectar in the end.
That means, that very thing which we are putting off, it is demanding now. But behind the demanding, behind the demand, fulfillment resides. So, if we can shift our vision from that initial poison, this is so difficult, to the eventual nectar that is going to come.
You know, if I do this, it is so good. If I decide every day I am going to read some good literature, just 15 minutes I will read every day. Now, I say, oh, I am so tired.
Today I won’t do it. Maybe tomorrow I will do it. But if you think, if every day I read 15 minutes, that means this 200 page book, I can read 5 pages in just 80 days, less than 3 months, I will have read this full book.
If we think of that long term goal, basically we need to shift our vision from the initial poison to the eventual nectar. And once we do that, then we will get the impetus to move on. So, how we do that? Again, what I told earlier, we are writing down, why is this important for me? How is this going to fulfill me? And before we start off something which we tend to put off, quickly read that.
That will give us some impetus. Another thing that helps a lot is having some other friends who are doing it. Our desires are not just linear.
They are also triangular. What that means is that we don’t just desire to do things based on whether they are attractive or not. Say, last year when I had come here, at that time there was this new video game, Pokemon Go, which was the craze.
Everybody was just clicking and trying to catch these Pokemons going all over the place. Now, initially, when this video game came, well, it was not such a big craze. There are so many video games, one more new one has come.
But once people started playing it, and then, one person will see another person playing. What are you doing? I am playing Pokemon. He is just completely lost in it.
I also want to try. What is so special about it? So, the game is here, I am here. By seeing it, I may not get so attracted to it.
But if I see someone else is attracted to it, what is so special about it? I started doing it. And then the friend says, come on, we have to go somewhere. No, later.
I will keep playing. So what has happened? Our desire was triangular. Not just by looking at that game, but by looking at someone playing that game.
Similarly, many times, there are certain objects in which the desire is triggered linearly. We see something good to eat, immediately we feel, I want to eat it. The desire is simply linear.
But especially things which are fulfilling in the long run, often the desire is not triggered just by seeing those. When the desire is not triggered linearly, we may have to trigger it triangularly. That means if somebody else, if we have a friend who also makes a similar resolution, and they also want to do this, and we decide we’ll do it together, then what happens? Sometimes we may not feel like doing it, but they are doing it.
I’ll do it now. He is doing it, she is doing it, I’ll do it. And if they don’t feel like doing it, they see us, we’ll do it.
So that way, by using our intelligence to see beyond the demanding to the fulfilling, and by tapping the triangularity of desires, we can overcome procrastination. It’s called induced desire. Induced desire, yeah.
Thank you. Does that answer your question? Thank you very much.