| "Five minutes each week that might change your life." | 70 people had a breakthrough last week. Read this newsletter on MarkManson.net. | | | TWO THINGS FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT Most "time management" problems are really just fear management problems. Procrastination is merely the avoidance of unpleasant emotions. Get comfortable with unpleasant emotions and procrastination takes care of itself. | Reflect: Then consider sharing this thought with others. | | | ONE THING FOR YOU TO ASK YOURSELF What unpleasant emotions might you be avoiding in the things you've been putting off? | Recommended: Use these as journaling prompts for the week. | | | ONE THING FOR YOU TO TRY THIS WEEK That one thing you've been procrastinating on? Accept the emotion you're avoiding without judgment, and see if it makes starting easier. Let me know what happens. | Remember: Small changes lead to lasting breakthroughs. Reply to this email and let me know how it went. | | | | Free Mini-Course: How to (Finally) Stop Procrastinating Procrastinating on more than one thing? Yeah, you and 95% of people. That's why I created this free mini-course to help. In this five-day email course, I'll walk you through what procrastination actually is, why it's got nothing to do with being lazy, the secret reason we become addicted to it, and—most importantly—how to stop. You'll also get a handful of tools that are scientifically proven to help, and a daily exercise designed to motivate you into action so you can start getting sh*t done right away. And I'm giving it all for free. Because I know you've got big plans and all procrastination is doing is holding you back from making them happen. So let's fix that, starting today. Get it in your inbox now in just one click. Sign up for free—and stop procrastinating once and for all | |
LAST WEEK'S BREAKTHROUGHS In last week's newsletter, I asked you to choose one thing in your life that you can control, do something about it, and let go of everything else. This is exactly what Miguel has been doing, with great success: "This week I've been thinking a lot about where I am and where I thought I'd be. I'm working in quality control in the food sector—within the field I studied, biotech engineering—but not in the branch that truly speaks to me. My career has SO many possible directions, and somehow I ended up in one that doesn't light anything inside me. The strange part is, the people around me are kind and genuine, and that makes it even harder. Because it's not about hating my job—it's about knowing, deep down, that this isn't my place. And honestly, part of that is on me. I left internships and hands-on experience for the end of college, thinking there would always be time later. There wasn't. When things didn't go as planned, I kept asking myself, 'Why not me?,' 'What did I do wrong?,' 'Why isn't my path as perfect as everyone else's?' The truth is, I just hadn't built my path yet. Lately, I've been learning to forgive myself. Instead of focusing on what I missed, I've started focusing on what I can still build. I realized—and it sounds simple—I'm still young, and time is my ally. So I've been reviewing my skills, taking small, meaningful free courses that help me move toward what I really want—clinical operations—and, most importantly, changing how I talk to myself. It's not about huge leaps or overnight success anymore. It's not about the 'perfect path.' It's about moving forward, even just a little, with intention and self-awareness. And somehow… that's been freeing. I'm starting to feel proud again—not because everything's working out, but because I'm learning to stand where I am without shame. I'm human, I'm young, and I'm still trying. That's my breakthrough." A mother's greatest worry is often their child, and so letting go of what she can't control is particularly hard, but necessary, for this next reader: "Often your emails hit at the right time, but this one was particularly apropos. My child got into some pretty serious trouble that might get police involved, and I had been a wreck about it. Although I know that no amount of worry will change the outcome, anxiety about the situation was consuming me. I already knew I had to let it go and give it to the universe, but your email and challenge was the final push I needed. It's not like I've washed my hands of it, but I am willing to let the system play out, let my child face whatever consequences will come, and deal with the situation as it's presented. I could concoct all kinds of 'what if' scenarios, but that is a waste of energy, and diffuses my attention from the known concerns. As someone with severe anxiety, this is a tough challenge, but I know we will all be better off for my stepping back from constant worry." Over in our Solved Membership community, I also asked members to focus on one thing they can control so they don't feel overwhelmed by all the things they could be doing inside the community. Andrew is going to focus on his accountability group: "The daily 'learn, do, and share' takes a bit of time but I am glad I have kept up. One area I would like to work on is more time to engage with/reply to my accountability group. There have certainly been a number of things that have taken up more of my time recently but I will set some time aside this week. I am glad to have everyone here. It's really nice to have a larger perspective." While new member Jared is prioritizing genuine engagement: "I am new here, this is my first month in the community. Coming in, I saw there were streaks and badges and I immediately said no, not even going to try. The moment for me that this community becomes about something other than an opportunity to engage with other people and give/find help, is the moment it becomes a drain rather than a boost. That's just who I am. That being said, I am going to set a goal that when I engage on the platform, instead of only sharing my ideas/feelings, I should look to engage with other people, as that is one of my primary reasons for joining." I designed our Solved Membership community to have the flexibility to give members what they need for their growth. For some, this is the daily action prompts. For others, it's the accountability features. Or the courses. Or simply the comments section where they can engage with other members, make friends, and find the support or advice they need. Whatever you want your growth to look like, The Solved Membership can probably be that for you. Check it out—no commitment required—here. As always, send your breakthroughs by simply replying to this email. Let me know if you'd prefer to remain anonymous. Until next week, Mark Manson #1 New York Times Bestselling Author
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| FOLLOW FOR MORE Want to share this newsletter via text, social, or email? Simply copy and paste the following link: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough/154-why-we-procrastinate If you were forwarded this message, sign up to receive it each week here. It's free. I never spam. About this newsletter: You are receiving this email because you signed up to my free newsletter. Each week, I send you a few powerful ideas, a few questions to ask yourself, and a few things to try in your life. If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter and all other updates from me, you can unsubscribe here. Disclaimer: By sending your breakthrough you are giving us your explicit consent to process the data and share it with our newsletter subscribers, MarkManson.net website visitors and on social media, including any sensitive data such as information regarding mental health, racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, sex life or sexual orientation. You may opt out and/or request deletion of the data at any time. You acknowledge that once we have shared your breakthrough with the other email subscribers we can no longer delete the data from their mailboxes. Infinity Squared Media LLC, 2525 Ocean Park Blvd, Suite 200, Santa Monica, CA 90405 | |
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