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The “I’ll Do It Later” Cycle


Okay, so currently, right now, in my guest bedroom, there is an enormous pile of clothes sitting on top of the bed. And when I say enormous, I mean an actually ridiculous amount of clothes. Shirts, dresses, hoodies, random socks… all just piled up on top of each other.


Now, my thought process was this: I’ll wash the clothes now and fold them later. Or sometimes it was, I need to clean out my closet first so I can make room for more clothes. So instead of putting everything away properly, I started throwing the clean clothes on the guest bed as a temporary solution. At first, it was only supposed to stay there for a couple of days. Maybe a week max.


Well… somehow that “temporary” pile turned into almost six months.

six whole months of walking past the same pile of unfolded clothes every single day.


This is what procrastination looks like.


Not always laziness. Not always irresponsibility. Sometimes it looks like putting things off because your brain feels too full, too overwhelmed, or too exhausted to deal with them in the moment. And if I’m being real, I am the queen of procrastination. Actually, that might not even be a secret to the people who know me.

But lately, while being on this whole “Baby Steps Club” journey and trying to become more disciplined, more intentional, and more consistent with myself, I’ve realized procrastination plays a huge role in my life. And not just with laundry.

It shows up in my routines, my goals, my time management, my ideas, and sometimes even the dreams and opportunities I genuinely care about the most. And the frustrating part is procrastination doesn’t just delay tasks. Over time, it starts affecting your confidence. It makes it harder to trust yourself, harder to stay disciplined, and harder to finish the things you start.


For the longest time, I thought procrastination simply meant I was lazy or lacked discipline. But recently, I started wondering if maybe it goes deeper than that. Because why do so many of us keep saying “I’ll do it later” even for the things that could genuinely improve our lives?


So instead of avoiding the conversation, I want to talk about it honestly. Not like a productivity expert who has life perfectly figured out, but as someone who is actively trying to break the cycle in real time. Because I have a feeling I’m not the only woman with a metaphorical pile of unfolded clothes sitting somewhere in her life right now.



What Procrastination REALLY Looks Like

I think one of the biggest misconceptions about procrastination is that people assume it only happens with things we don’t want to do. Like chores, taxes, emails, or cleaning the kitchen. Some of the things I procrastinate the most are actually the things I care deeply about.


The goals. The routines. The ideas.The healing. The opportunities. Even writing this blog took me a minute to sit down and finish.


And lately, I’ve realized procrastination gets louder whenever life starts life-ing. Between dealing with my eye situation, trying to figure out event planning, unexpected life changes, and just trying not to lose momentum with everything I’ve been building, my brain has felt… full. Not necessarily lazy. Just mentally overloaded.

And I think a lot of women are walking around like that right now.


We’re balancing:

  • work

  • bills

  • friendships

  • healing

  • faith

  • goals

  • routines

  • family

  • trying to take care of ourselves

  • trying to become better versions of ourselves


All at the same time. So sometimes procrastination isn’t simply “I don’t feel like doing it.” Sometimes it’s:

“My brain genuinely does not know where to start.”

And the crazy part is the longer we avoid something, the bigger it starts feeling in our minds. Kind of like my laundry pile. At first it was one small stack of clothes. Then suddenly it became this overwhelming mountain that felt annoying to even look at.


That’s the “I’ll do it later” cycle. You avoid the thing. You feel temporary relief. Then guilt kicks in. Now the task feels even bigger. So you avoid it again.


And the cycle continues.


The Psychology Behind It

The more I started paying attention to my habits, the more I realized procrastination isn’t always about being lazy or unmotivated. A lot of it is actually connected to how our brains respond to stress, overwhelm, discomfort, and even the need for comfort. Learning that made me stop being so hard on myself.


1. Task paralysis is real

Sometimes the task itself isn’t even that hard. It’s the mental weight attached to it that makes our brain freeze. I noticed this a lot lately with small everyday tasks. The more overwhelmed I felt, the harder it became to start anything at all.


2. Our brains naturally choose comfort

This one changed how I look at procrastination. Our brains are constantly searching for quick comfort and easy dopamine, especially when life already feels stressful. That’s why scrolling TikTok, taking a nap, or watching “just one more episode” can feel easier than starting the thing we actually need to do. Not because we’re lazy. Because our brain wants relief.


3. Overwhelm makes everything feel bigger

I think adulthood comes with mental overload that nobody really talks about enough. Work, bills, relationships, routines, health, goals, family, healing… eventually your brain starts feeling like 47 tabs are open at once. And when everything feels important, sometimes your brain responds by doing… nothing.


4. Fear quietly plays a role too

Sometimes procrastination is connected to fear without us even realizing it. Fear of failure. Fear of things not working out. Fear of wasting time or money. I even noticed this with trying to keep momentum lately. When life kept throwing unexpected things at me, part of me wanted to pause everything completely just to avoid more disappointment.


5. The “I’ll do it later” cycle feeds itself

The longer we avoid something, the bigger it feels in our mind. Kind of like my laundry pile. You avoid the task. You feel temporary relief. Then guilt kicks in. Now the task feels even bigger. So you avoid it again. And the cycle repeats.



So How Do We Actually Break the Cycle?


1. Make the task smaller

A lot of times we procrastinate because the task feels too big in our head. “Plan the event” sounds overwhelming. “Send one email” feels manageable. I’m learning that breaking things down into tiny steps makes it easier for my brain to actually start.


2. Stop waiting to feel motivated

This one hurt me a little because I realized I keep waiting for this magical productive feeling to hit me before I do something. But most of the time, motivation shows up after we begin, not before. Action creates momentum. Even if the action is small.


3. Create low-energy goals

Not every season of life is a high-energy season, and that’s okay. Lately I’ve been trying to give myself goals that actually fit the season I’m in instead of creating unrealistic expectations. Some days productivity looks like handling one important thing and calling it a win.


4. Reduce the distractions that give “easy dopamine”

Whew. This one is personal. Sometimes I’ll scroll on my phone for an hour trying to avoid a 15-minute task. Quick dopamine is everywhere now, and it makes hard things feel even harder. So I’ve been trying to create little pockets of focus by putting my phone down, setting timers, or just starting before I can overthink it.


5. Stop shaming yourself

Shame keeps the procrastination cycle going. The more guilty we feel, the more we avoid the task. I’m learning that being kind to myself actually helps me restart faster than constantly beating myself up for being behind. Missing a few days doesn’t mean you failed. It just means you’re human.



Closing


So yes… the laundry is still there.


Not as bad as before, but definitely still there. The pile of clothes became a bigger metaphor for me than I expected. Because procrastination usually starts small. One delayed task. One “I’ll do it tomorrow.” One thing we avoid because we’re tired, overwhelmed, stressed, or mentally checked out.


And before we know it, we’re standing in front of a pile that feels way bigger than it originally was.


But I think the lesson I’m learning in this season is that life doesn’t get better by avoiding it. Momentum doesn’t come from waiting until everything feels perfect, calm, or easy. Sometimes it comes from folding one shirt. Sending one email. Taking one small step.


Tiny progress still counts.


So no, I haven’t magically become the most disciplined woman alive overnight. But I am learning how to stop letting “later” quietly steal the things I genuinely want for myself.


I think that’s a pretty good place to start.


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