Procrastination Algorithm
Diagnose the blocker, change it, and test whether work starts
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 99%
The Procrastination Algorithm begins by treating delay as a reasoned response rather than a character defect. Diagnose which of four factors is blocking action: expectancy that effort will succeed and produce a reward, value in the task or reward, impulsiveness in the face of distractions, or delay before benefits arrive. Change the active factor by increasing confidence, making the work more enjoyable, removing distractions, or bringing some benefit forward. Then take the smallest available action and check whether work begins. If the intervention works, continue; if not, test another explanation and response. The mechanism aims only to overcome activation energy because motion makes continued motion more likely.
Origin
Chris Sparks names four procrastination causes and condenses their use into an explicit algorithm. Extracted from Modern Wisdom.
Core principles
- 01Procrastination has a reason that can be identified
- 02The four common blockers are expectancy, value, impulsiveness, and delay
- 03The intervention should match the active blocker
- 04Starting creates momentum
- 05A failed intervention is a signal to test another one
How to run it
- 1
Notice the Delay
Pause when you are avoiding a known task and ask why you are not starting.
Pro tip Treat the resistance as information rather than evidence that you are lazy.
Watch out Do not spend hours or days avoiding a question that can be examined in minutes.
- 2
Classify the Blocker
Decide whether the main issue is low expectancy, low value, impulsiveness, or delayed reward.
Pro tip Choose the factor most responsible now rather than trying to solve all four at once.
Watch out Misdiagnosis produces an intervention that does not reduce resistance.
- 3
Change the Factor
Increase perceived chances of success, make the work or reward more valuable, remove distracting options, or bring a benefit closer.
Pro tip Make the smallest change capable of getting you started.
- 4
Take the First Action
Open the document, write the first word, create the file, or perform the equivalent first physical step.
Pro tip Change the verb from what you are going to do to what you are doing.
Watch out Do not replace starting with more preparation than the task requires.
- 5
Test and Repeat
If you begin working, keep moving. If you do not, test another blocker and intervention.
Watch out Do not keep repeating a change that failed to alter the resistance.
In the wild
A podcaster notices he is avoiding an edit because the process feels unpleasant. He improves the immediate value by adding music or inviting a podcasting friend to work alongside him, then opens the project and completes the first edit.
→ A targeted change lowers activation energy enough for momentum to take over.
A student feels blocked by a large assignment. Instead of treating the whole project as the next action, he creates the document first. That minimal physical step changes the task from something he will do into something already underway.
→ The student enters motion without solving the entire assignment at once.
Common mistakes
Treating every delay as laziness
Self-criticism conceals the specific expectancy, value, impulsiveness, or delay problem that can be changed.
Choosing an oversized first step
A first action that still represents the whole project preserves the activation barrier.
Removing the wrong blocker
Making a task more enjoyable will not help when the true problem is disbelief that effort can succeed.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who know what task matters but remain unable to start it.
Not ideal for
A task that should be eliminated because it is neither valuable nor connected to a real priority.
From the transcript
“the four categories are expectancy, value, impulsiveness, and delay.”
“Notice why you're procrastinating, try something, if it works, start working, if not, try something else.”
“all you do is you write the first word, you open the document, right? Take the very first step.”
From the episode
Productivity Without Limits - Chris Sparks - #099
Chris Sparks