Absurd Irrational Human: Procrastination

Rational Johnny: I never procrastinate. I do what I consciously consider is best for my long-term success and wellbeing.

Human Johnny: I procrastinate sometimes. I don’t think it’s that often. But I don’t understand why it happens. I set out to work or study and find myself scrolling Instagram, or playing some game, or even cleaning. It’s frustrating.

Unconscious of Human Johnny: the tasks Johnny wants to do are scary and difficult. I want to avoid risk and conserve energy, so I try to not do them. I also scan the environment all the time to find threats and opportunities. There is so much new stuff that triggers my dopamine. Of course I make him do the pleasant thing instead of the scary difficult one.

The characters

Rational Johnny is Homo Economicus. He is how we imagine we act: rational, conscious, intentional. He always maximizes his gain in the short and long-term while minimizing the risks and costs.

Human Johnny is Homo Sapiens. He is how we act in reality, often irrational. Often he does things which are self-harmful. He is us.

Unconscious of Human Johnny is his unconscious mind. It evolved to maximize our evolutionary fitness in the Paleolithic. As such it has deep algorithms that worked great to predict the immediate future in…