You Need To Stop Procrastinating Now: How One Small Pizza Got Me Kicked Out Of University

The next day I had the last corrective term from physics.

If I didn't pass this exam, I wouldn't just fail the class – I'd be kicked out of the university.

But here I was. Enjoying a peace with the plan.

The plan was to store the whole textbook in my short-term memory by studying during the night.

It was 10 pm when I got back to my room and finally started.

2 hours into the session I felt sharp pain in my stomach. I realized that pizza wasn't a good idea after all...

After spending the night on the toilet I arrived for the exam.

Exhausted, stressed beyond any measure, ready to fail.

4 hours later I got the result.

It was a close call…

…but I passed. (Sorry, I lied in the title)

I promised myself, I would never go through this again.

7 years went by and I was enjoying a peaceful evening with my wife. We were telling ourselves crazy stories from university.

I was in the middle of the very same story when the pizza delivery guy rang the bell.

I almost fell to the ground.

The very next day I had an important meeting I didn't prepare for. I had this plan to wake up early and have the work done just before the client arrived.

At that moment I wished I had failed that physics exam and was kicked out of the university.

I learned nothing.

The Big Realization

I was procrastinating over and over again without any lessons learned.

Going through life barely passing my "exams". Living in this self-imposed stress that was cumulating for years.

Procrastination was slowly ruining my life. And I was making never-ending promises on how I was going to stop next time.

I wish this was only my story, but procrastination is a universal problem that ruins our lives by introducing stress on top of the already stressful lives we live.

We don't need more promises. We need a system to get things done at the very moment we catch ourselves procrastinating. We need to stop.

Stop Now!

A few weeks ago I covered the topic of procrastination in my newsletter. Everyone procrastinates. Some more, some less.

The point was, that everyone has a different reason for this bad habit. To solve this problem, you need to find your hidden reason first. There is no quick hack that works long-term.

And I stand by this.

But before you find the source of your procrastination and deal with it, you need to stop it ASAP.

This is because:

• Time: It takes a lot of time to dig deep and find your real reason. The time you don't have because you are procrastinating...

• Stress: The closer the deadline, the higher the stress. You tell yourself it's the only thing that makes you work but at what cost? You cannot afford to pay with your health anymore.

• Reinforced habit: The more you smoke cigarettes, the more you get addicted. It's the same with procrastination. You are reinforcing it by doing (Or not doing in this case).

So next time you catch yourself, try this simple framework.

The 4S System

This is the short-term solution that works even for chronic procrastinators like myself. I call it the 4S system. Scratch, Split, Select, Start. It will help you to stop and get to work in the moment you realize you are procrastinating again.

I developed it the very night I had my big realization. I should have called it the Pizza system but it doesn't matter. I've been using it ever since.

It works like this:

1. Scratch

Scratch everything you are doing. Stop scrolling, close that YouTube video, and remove all other distractions. You need to start with a clean slate.

2. Split

You know what you should be doing. You are likely avoiding it because it seems complex. Split that problem into manageable bite-size pieces. Just by dividing it, you will start to see solutions and get hungry for more work.

3. Select

Select one of those pieces. Before you start working on that piece I want you to set a micro deadline. I like to set a timer for 15, 30, or 60 minutes. This will simulate a similar negative motivation you create by procrastinating.

Now prepare all the materials you will need, and forget everything else.

4. Start

There is no way around it. You've prepared enough. The clock is ticking. Hopefully, the problem is so small and easy to solve after splitting, that it would be a shame to do something else now.

The problem with this newsletter

This newsletter has one big problem. You don't need this advice now. And when you need it you won't remember the steps.

So the task is simple.

Flag this email. When you catch yourself procrastinating, read it again. Apply the 4S system step by step at that moment.

P.S.: This is just a short-term solution. If you didn’t get the chance to read my last newsletter about procrastination and how to beat it long-term based on your type, you can read it here.