When you realize your future self is just another version of present you – someone who’s resilient and able to handle what comes their way – you escape the trap of procrastination and its twin, precrastination.
One psychological theory proposes that people procrastinate because they mistakenly believe that their future selves will be better equipped to deal with tricky tasks. If Future You is going to be better, smarter, and wiser, why not wait for her?
When I encountered that framework in an article by the Association for Psychological Science while researching a mental health writing assignment for Everyday Health (Link coming next month, I hope!), I recognized that line of thinking. But, with even more potency, I recognized its opposite.
You see, I imagine the future holds all sorts of catastrophes (particularly when I’m depleted by hunger, fatigue, and stress). Why gamble away what needs doing on a Future Me that could be too incapacitated, ill, or overwhelmed to meet the moment? When you worry like I do, it can seem much smarter to handle as much as possible right now.
Of course, life isn’t meant to be experienced all at once. You can only do one thing at a time. Rushing to get everything done immediately is its own emotional regulation failure (Emotion regulation issues being at the deep heart of most procrastination theories – If you’re interested in learning more, this American Psychological Association podcast gives a great overview).
Precrastination, the rush to complete tasks right away, involves its own overwhelm, and it’s just beginning to be studied in the scientific literature.
I’ve written before about how I’ve used mindfulness of my emotions to address precrastination. By being aware of and curious about my anxiety, I can let the feeling pass and wait out the urge to get things over with immediately.
But framing procrastination as a failure of self-trust points toward another type of mindfulness: mindfulness of behavior.
Paying Attention Builds Self-Trust
That’s because, when I pay attention, I can see that everything I do is done by Present Me at different points in time. After all, life only happens in the present moment. It’s where all action lives. When I gather evidence that I can handle life as it comes, I begin to believe that my future self will conform to the pattern, too. Evidence builds trust.
When I get stuck in planning mode, however, trust can erode. Planning isn’t about being present. It’s about the future. Planning has its place. But too much planning is a recipe for distraction. When you’re distracted, it’s harder to respond to your present circumstances.
But when I embody the present moment, setting aside excessive planning, I can see that I can handle it. I am handling it.
Mindfulness Helps You Gather Evidence of What’s True
Evidence exists everywhere, all the time. Two recent experiences from earlier this month drove this point home for me. Both occurred when I was Up North by myself. (I aim to do these trips annually since becoming a mom. I find that periodically going away helps me come back to myself.)
The first happened as soon as I arrived. I had just gotten a great book haul at one of my favorite all-time bookstores, Apostle Islands Booksellers. I pressed the button to start my car. Nothing happened. Well, nothing except for an alert on the dash that the key fob had a low battery. Keyless ignition takes on a new meaning when your key goes dead.
I had almost planned for it. There was a spare battery in the car. But I didn’t have a way to open it by myself, lacking both sharp objects and hand strength.
I went back into the bookstore for scissors and assistance. There, the bookseller and I discovered that, actually, it was the wrong battery. The bookseller pointed me toward the hardware store, open for another hour or so, where staff helped me find and install the correct one.
Not precrastinated, just managed in the moment.
Another piece of evidence appeared as I left, forming a self-trust bookend. On the drive home, I stopped for what my hiking app said would be an easy walk through the woods at Houghton Falls. I wore mucklucks and a wool winter skirt to keep out the chill. I left my grippy mountaineering shoeshoes and snowpants in the car.
Then I saw a way to scramble down the sandstone cliffs onto Lake Superior, which was more frozen than it’s been in years. You could walk on it.
So I did. Despite the poorly planned winter gear — and in spite of the weakness lingering after my arm surgeries this fall. Present Me did it.
I coached myself gingerly down and, then, shakily up the rocks by telling myself I could go as slow as I needed to. Night wouldn’t fall for some five hours. I reminded myself there’s more than one way to do things. Scooting on my belly was well within the Zone of Acceptability. I remembered that ideal doesn’t mean only. If all else failed, I could seek out a dock down the way or call out to the other hiker I’d seen a while back
I stayed with the moment, used what I had available, and made it work.
You Can Handle This
Ultimately, it’s not about waiting for a magically capable future self, nor is it about rushing headlong into action to barrel through the uncertainty the future brings. Neither procrastination nor precrastination harmonizes with the reality of life’s demands.
Instead, when you pay attention to the undeniable evidence of your own resilience, you reinforce the truth: You have what it takes to handle life as it unfolds.
My Latest Writing & Editing
Here’s the second edition of the new research-focused column I’m writing for bpHope:
Bipolar Research & Insights: Genetics, Biological Clocks, Sleep Changes, and More | February 2025 (bpHope)
And here are some projects I’ve edited lately:
Sleeping Too Much With Bipolar? Here’s Why It Happens and What Helps (bpHope)
How Bipolar Disorder Fuels Hypochondria — and What You Can Do About It (bpHope)
Book Recommendations
More or Less Maddy: A Novel by Lisa Genova
I read More or Less Maddy, a novel by a New York Times best-selling author featuring a protagonist who has bipolar disorder, for an assignment at bpHope.
The fact that a popular novelist (Lisa Genova, PhD) decided to compassionately and respectfully tell the story of someone with bipolar disorder makes More or Less Maddy a meaningful work right out of the gate. After all, that kind of exposure will surely increase understanding and awareness of an often misunderstood mental health condition. And I absolutely recommend the book on those terms. Reading about Maddy, an NYU student with big dreams of being a stand-up comic, will have people rooting for her despite the difficult situations she finds herself in thanks to her psychiatric diagnosis
But also, frankly, I just enjoyed it. Maybe that seems odd to say when the story takes place during what are undoubtedly some of the fictional Maddy’s most challenging years. But the storytelling is great, the pacing quick, and the stand-up comedy legitimately funny.
Plus, Dr. Genova is a neuroscientist, and it shows. If you couldn’t tell from the novel’s high level of detail, the long list of acknowledgments will clue you in: This is a researcher’s novel, which is totally my jam. If you like learning things alongside your storytelling, I think you’ll like More or Less Maddy, too.
Recommended for those interested in mental health issues, coming-of-age stories, and the life of stand-up comedians.
*Thanks to Simon and Schuster | Gallery/Scout Press Books and NetGalley for providing me with an advance review copy. See my disclosure statement for my policy on accepting books for review.
Facing the Fracture: How to Navigate the Challenges of Living in a Divided Nation, by Tania Israel, PhD
Ever since the U.S. presidential election, I’ve been hungry for resources that can help me approach current events and politics in a more skillful, wise way.
As part of this journey, I knew I needed to engage more deeply with the work of psychologist Tania Israel, PhD.
I first encountered Dr. Israel’s work during the 2024 American Psychological Association (APA) convention, where she spoke compellingly of her research and advocacy around helping Americans navigate political conflict. (More recently, the APA recognized Dr. Israel with an award for contributions to psychology in the public interest.)
Dr. Israel’s most recent book, Facing the Fracture, explores resilience in the face of political polarization. Her research-backed book teaches you the science of polarization, emotional resilience, and how to have effective conversations and engage politically. Each section balances big-picture science and concrete steps an individual can take. It’s a hopeful book, which is something I can use more of in this moment.
Frankly, right now, I’m in a space where I’m genuinely worried about our democracy and government. As but one example, I cannot fathom how hiding health data from the public makes any of us healthier, safer, or freer. I’m not going to tell you this book made the situation less alarming for me because it didn’t (Though roll-up-your-shirtsleeves stands like the Health Data Preservation Project and this op-ed from the editor-in-chief of the journal Science do). But while reading Facing the Fracture, I felt flickers of empowerment for how I can more effectively move through my day-to-day political and social life.
Recommended for folks reckoning with the news and interested in connecting across political divides.
Sun & Ssukgat: The Korean Art of Self-Care, Wellness, & Longevity by Michelle Jungmin Bang
I’ve known Michelle Bang since 2021 when we took a writing class together and bonded over our shared interest in wellness. Back then, Michelle, who splits her time between New York City and Hong Kong, was on fire about a book she was working on. It was all about the wellness principles she discovered after a health crisis that inspired her to reconnect with her Korean heritage. I followed Michelle over the years and watched in awe as she kept that fire running hot and vaulted over publishing milestones. This month, her book is finally out in the world!
I had the opportunity to preview Michelle’s book baby, which is a heartfelt health primer covering everything Michelle found useful from her travels, conversations, and other learning. Inside, you’ll read about the food and other lifestyle habits Michelle found key to her wellness journey.
It’s an ambitious book, and Michelle sprinkles anecdotes and research throughout to back up her claims. As a health and science writer, I appreciated that the source of most or all of the research she mentions is included in the back of the book.
Recommended for readers who want to learn (or need a reminder of) the building blocks of a healthy life, those interested in complementary medicine, and folks fascinated by Korean culture.
*Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an advance review copy. See my disclosure statement for my policy on accepting books for review.
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