How to Apply This to Scott (And Yourself!) Now that we understand why Scott is procrastinating, let’s walk through the three steps to break the cycle and take control.

Step 1: Stop the Cycle by Forgiving Yourself Scott needs to take five seconds—5-4-3-2-1—and forgive himself for: ✅ Falling behind ✅ Upsetting people ✅ Not living up to his full potential

💡 Why? Because beating yourself up only makes things worse. The stress about finances and deadlines is fueling his procrastination. By forgiving himself, Scott stops the guilt loop and gives himself a fresh start.

👉 Key Action: Next time you procrastinate, don’t waste time feeling bad about it. Instead, forgive yourself and refocus.

Step 2: What Would the Future You Do? 🔬 Dr. Pychyl’s research on our Present Self vs. Future Self shows something fascinating: 👉 When you can picture your Future Self, you’re more likely to take action today.

💡 Example: When researchers digitally aged people’s photos, they became more likely to save for retirement—because they could see how their future depended on their choices now.

📌 How to use this: Scott should visualize his Future Self—what his life will look like after grad school when he’s Professor Scott.

🚀 Key Action: Create a vision board or mental image of your ideal future. Then, when you feel like procrastinating, ask yourself: “What would Future Me do?”

🔹 Scott can ask: “What would Professor Scott do right now?” 🔹 You can ask: “What would Successful Me do right now?”

💡 This simple shift makes it easier to push past procrastination.

Step 3: Get Started with the #5SecondRule Dr. Pychyl’s best advice for breaking procrastination?

“Just get started.”

And that’s exactly where the 5-Second Rule comes in.

💡 The secret to beating procrastination is to start before your brain talks you out of it.

📌 How to use it: 1️⃣ The moment you feel yourself procrastinating, count 5-4-3-2-1. 2️⃣ Physically move—open the document, pick up the phone, or start writing. 3️⃣ Commit to just five minutes—once you start, it’s much easier to keep going.

🚀 Key Takeaway: ✔ Forgive yourself for past procrastination. ✔ Visualize your Future Self and use it as motivation. ✔ Use 5-4-3-2-1 to start immediately.

🎯 Remember: Win or lose, at least you’re doing something! 💪🔥