In this 45‑minute talk Veronica Llora‑Smith, author of The Anti‑Procrastinator (Penguin Random House), explains why procrastination is a natural brain response and how it can be consciously overridden. She first demystifies the neuroscience: the limbic system drives us toward immediate pleasure, while the pre‑frontal cortex must be recruited to act against that impulse. She stresses that procrastination is normal, that guilt and shame are counter‑productive, and that becoming an “anti‑procrastinator” is a deliberate choice. Drawing on research and interviews, she distinguishes passive from active procrastination and then walks the audience through six prototypical procrastinator profiles – Perfectionist, Dreamer, Warrior, Over‑committer, Crisis Maker, and Rebel – illustrating each with personal anecdotes (triathlon training, live‑session launch, visa applications, etc.). For each profile she offers concrete, low‑effort tactics such as time‑boxing, setting micro‑deadlines, lowering perfectionist standards, establishing boundaries, creating midpoint reviews, and using accountability partners. The talk repeatedly returns to self‑awareness: recognizing which profile(s) you embody in a given context, reframing identity language, and pausing to ask why you’re avoiding a task. The session ends with an invitation to connect via the Lemon Tree Mindset community and a reminder to consult her book for deeper guidance.
Chapters
I'm very excited today to talk to you today about a topic that I'm super passionate about. And the topic is procrastination, or should I say anti-procrastination and how to beat that procrastination monkey that we all deal in day in and day out. Last year, I actually published a book with Penguin Random House that is called The Anti-Procrastinator. And in that book, I really talk about How procrastination can really hold us back from so many things in our life, from our goals, from our dreams. And it's something that I've been fighting with for a long time, especially since I became a mom 9 years ago and my time became much more precious and much more reduced. And I really hope that with today's session, it's going to be totally free because I really want people in my community to try to overcome these barriers and these hurdles and these obstacles that prevent us From doing things, from showing up, from exercising, whatever that might be. And in my case, it's something that I really think about a lot. Like, how can we make the most of the time that we have? I'm now in my mid-forties, and so time, I realize, is so precious. And I have little ones. I want to spend time with them. I'm also a triathlete. I don't know if we have sports people here today. Hi, Gunnar. I'm actually doing a half Ironman in China next week. I don't know how that will go, but I know that I've been training a lot. I actually come from swimming. And so we all have these different different priorities in our lives, our family, sports and exercise, our creative work. Some of you might also have your corporate jobs. And how do we bring everything together? And so I'm really hoping that this session gives you some tools, some mindset strategies, and some frameworks that you can apply to honestly make the most of the day because the hours, they are what they are. And so we really have to make the most of them. So the first thing that I would like to talk about procrastination is that very often there's this association Between procrastination and guilt and shame. And we feel really bad about procrastinating. Perhaps you had the plan of going to the gym and that didn't happen, and we feel so guilty. And I wanted to pause for a moment and say that it's completely normal for us to have this procrastination mechanism. And in fact, when I was doing the research for my book, I did 2 different things. One, I went into the science and the neuroscience to actually understand how this works, right? What happens here? Why do we set a goal that really means something to us? And And then we don't do it. So there's science on the one hand, and on the other hand, I interviewed a lot of people, friends, relatives, family, both who consider themselves procrastinators and non-procrastinators to also understand a little bit the mindset and the psychology behind it. So let's talk a little bit about the science. And what I found out that is fascinating is that we're, all of us, we are procrastinators. By design. We are procrastinators by nature. And what I mean by this is that when, for example, we have 2 choices, let's say that we either have a lot to do, a live session, or we want to lie on the couch and watch a movie, our brain is naturally gonna go towards the option that gives us more pleasure. And that pleasure might just be relaxing. It might just be having a chill time. It might be not doing the thing that we're trying to avoid. That's the limbic system, which is here, is the more developed or the oldest part of the brain. And so naturally we do exactly what animals tend to do. If we have 2 choices, if we're hungry, we're gonna go for the eating option. If we are feeling lazy or tired, we're gonna go to the couch. So it's completely normal. And what I found fascinating is that we actually have to proactively and consciously and rationally Overcome and use a different part of the brain, which is this one we call the prefrontal cortex. Prefrontal because it's in the front. And this is the rational part that makes us do and think, hey Veronica, I know that you really want to be on the couch, but actually put yourself out there. You have a community, you have to show up. And so we really have to do like this mindset exercise of using different parts of the brain. And so let's get rid of the guilt and the shame and say it's actually Normal to procrastinate. And it's a lot of work and a lot of intentional effort to say, okay, I'm going to show up. I'm going to do this. I'm going to exercise. So that's the very first thing. And one of the lines that I have in my book is that humans are procrastinators by design and anti-procrastinators by choice. And I hope you remember this, that non-procrastinating is actually a choice. And when we embrace that, instead of saying, oh, I'm a procrastinator, but no, I chose to be a procrastinator because we actually have a choice. And I find that that is a much more way, much more empowering way to look at it because you realize that you are in control. So please do not say that you are a procrastinator because you really become the words that you use. Same with writers. You say, oh no, I'm not really a writer, then guess what? You're not a writer. So do use the power of language to really build that identity that you want to create and not only build it but embodied, projected, and manifested. So that's the first thing. We're gonna get rid of all the guilt and the shame. Now, another thing that was very interesting, and I'd love to know if you can put a thumbs up or something if you identify with this. When I started writing my book about anti-procrastination, I honestly thought that I was not a procrastinator. I do lots of things. I exercise every single day. I have kids. I speak languages. So I really thought that I wasn't. But then during my research, I discovered that there are 2 types of procrastinators. Now, One is the passive, the typical one where instead of doing something, going to the gym, you end up just laying on the couch. So that's the passive one, and it's very obvious, and it's the one that we all usually associate procrastination with. Now guess what? There's another one that is the active procrastinator. The active procrastinator, what it does is that instead of not doing anything and doing the typical lying on the couch, you start to create a life of busyness and you start to fill your list with other things to do that are minor, that are less tedious than the one that you actually have to tackle and you're avoiding. So think about that. Think about a project. It might be, in my case, it's usually admin, finance. I'm not a numbers person, don't like that. Every time I have a big project like that, I start to add other things on my list that I really enjoy. Writing or connecting with people or doing any, anything else so that I'm avoiding the task that is really giving me the bad juju and the bad feelings. And so that's what active procrastinator can mean. So very often we create this super hyperactive life with a lot of activities to avoid the one that we really should be tackling. There's a book that is really good. Called Eat That Frog. And he talks about that task that we all avoid as the frog. And his whole philosophy is eat that frog. Basically, if you have a task that really instigates this type of negative feeling, do it the first thing in the morning. So if you are an active procrastinator, think about that and how we very often have this long list of things to do, but very often we're just trying to use it as a mask for something else. So there is active and there is passive types of procrastinators. And so what I wanted to do in this session is really take you through the book, which is one part of it, which is my favorite, and is helping people identify the type of procrastination or procrastinator that they are. Now, the good news is that you don't only have to choose one type. In fact, I think I am 3 or 4 types. So let's get on to it. I'm going to tell you the types that I identified. And let me know if you identify with them. And I'll give you also some tactical tips and remedies that can help you to have everything perfect. If you're going to do a live session, you want the light and everything and the perfect script, and you want every word to be perfect. And guess what? What ends up happening is analysis paralysis. I'm one of those guilty of that. Last year, for example, when I was about to launch a cohort, I spent so much time investigating platforms and learning about cohorts and having all this knowledge in my head. But knowledge that you don't act on is actually just potential that is wasted. And so if you are a perfectionist, instead of trying to do things perfect, because it's not going to be perfect anyways, you might just as well start it and say, hey, I'm going to set my bar here or here. It doesn't matter. But if you don't have a bar to start with, it's going to be really, really hard to raise it. And so if you're a perfectionist, just try to get rid Of this idea that it has to be perfect. I've been doing these live sessions on Substack for a bit over a year now. I started in January last year, and before the first one, I was terrified because you always think about how can it be better and it's not going to be good enough. And I just reminded my friend Petra Zing, who is a big creator on LinkedIn, and she's the first person that I did a podcast with 3 years ago or so. And before we went live, I was very nervous and I told her, I said, oh, what if I'm not good enough and I let you down? And she said, Veronica, it doesn't have to be perfect. And I think this very simple sentence can help you so much, especially before you do something that you've never done for the first time. So whether it's hosting perhaps a masterclass or a webinar or going live or even sending perhaps your first post, tell yourself it doesn't have to be perfect. And in fact, I actually think that people relate much more to imperfection than they do to something that is super curated and perfect, especially with AI. I think people really want to see the mistakes and the flops and the real side of things. So perfectionists, do we have any perfectionists in the audience today? I'd love to know. Now, number 2. Number 2 is the dreamer. I don't know if you're one of these people. I have many friends who have a lot of dreams. They dream about this big business. One of my friends was dreaming about this international franchise. And so they're at this very high abstract level, very creative, very creative, lots of ideas, but they really struggle to bring them to earth. And so they keep on procrastinating on this beautiful idea that they have, but really in terms of execution and operation, nothing happens. This is very typical of people who tend to suffer from the shiny object syndrome. You have one dream and then you're chasing it and then you want to go for something else. And in that case, what can really help you is to just get started with something practical. Perhaps Set a timeframe of, okay, this is my dream. I want to have this incredible global franchise, but what is the first step? What is something that I can do in the next 30 days? And when you bring a timeline into the picture, then the dream becomes real because you're already putting this timeline of, okay, in 30 days I have to set up my company. I have to understand how a franchise works, or I have to know the basics on how to throw How to launch a cohort and I want to sign up for a platform, for example. Operationalizing that dream is something that can really help you if you're one of these dreamers and you really want to turn your dream into a reality. So we've looked at 2, perfectionist, dreamer. The 3rd one is the warrior. The warrior worries about every single thing and not only about things that might happen, but a lot of hypothetical things that are probably never going to happen. If you're a worrier, you often go for the worst-case scenario. What if no one shows up? What if— and we start to think about the critics and what if people don't like what we do. And a lot of it has to do with what we think other people are thinking. The one thing that really helped me as a worrier is to realize that people don't care. They care so much more about them. They have so many things going on in their life that they really don't care if today's live session is a flop and no no one shows up. They really don't care if you launch a book and it doesn't do well. Like, the only person who really cares is you. And very often we think about the others as these stakeholders. Your biggest stakeholder is in the mirror every morning, every night when you look there. And so try not to worry too much about what other people are thinking because a lot of it is more in your head than in reality. And I always give this example of being a warrior in a different context. It was my first Swimming race ever here in Hong Kong, and it was a few years ago already. Had never done an open water swim; was pretty long. And my biggest worry was that I was going to be the last. I thought, oh, it's going to be so embarrassing if I'm the last person and everyone is there watching on the beach. You had a beach finish, and so that was my big worry. And so I started swimming, and I was a pretty slow swimmer. I'm still a pretty slow swimmer, but more confident now. And so I was going, and I looked around, and there was no one there. And so I was like very confused. You know, I'm the first person, or I'm the last person. And so as I got closer and closer to the beach and I realized how packed it was, and I looked behind, there was no one. And guess what? I realized that I was the last person. I was the last swimmer out of the water, and we were almost 100. I don't know how many. But guess what? When I finally reached the beach and there was like a little sprint to go to the end, instead of feeling embarrassed or trying to look down, I felt so proud. And you know what I did? I actually started sprinting. Even though there was no one to race against because I was clearly the last person, I just felt like this energy and people were clapping so much because when you're in a race, the 2 people who get the biggest claps are the first and the last. It's always been like that. I've been doing sports for 10 years. And so I got the biggest clap and it was an amazing experience. So even when you think about the worst case scenario and the worst case scenario does happen, it can still be an incredible experience. I had people in my community tell me, you know what, Veronica, I did this webinar, no one shows up. I think it was actually Katja Gruesser from my community, and she said, and you know what I did? I still went live and I still did my webinar and I recorded it, and then I sent it to my subscribers. And I said, go, go, that's exactly what this is about. Stop worrying about what other people are thinking and just stay on your lane. And I thought it so inspiring. So now, even if no one shows up on my webinars, I still go and do them, and I try to give my best, really. So if you're a worrier, everything is honestly here. So that's number 3. We have 3 more to go, and I want to keep this short and sweet. Let me know in the comments which one you are, if you've already identified yourself with one. So number 4 is the overcommitter. And think about this for a while. So often we commit to so many things, and we want to give so much, It might be volunteering. This happens a lot to moms in particular, I've noticed. You want to go to the parents' activity and support the extracurricular initiative, and a lot of people ask to pick on your brain. And so you commit to all these things, and in the end, your agenda is so packed that you almost go into this paralysis mode of, oh my God, I can't do anything because there is so much that I don't even know how to get started or where to This happens very often, especially for people who don't have clear boundaries, and it's something that I've definitely been working on. I think many women struggle with this in particular, which is being able to say no with kindness or say yes, but on my terms. And I think it really helps to think, what are some healthy boundaries that can help you protect your space so that you can still give There's this example that I use very often in my sessions, which is in the airplane. They always say that you have to put your mask first so that you can help others. And so if you are an overcommitter, think to yourself, what are some of the things that I really need to be at my best? What are some of the things that I can't commit to because I have to be realistic? I have a family, I have a business, as much as I want to give, I also need to have some checks and balances to know how I'm going to give so that it can really be efficient. And you can also be strategic in terms of how you share your time because time is limited. So if you're an overcommitter, having these protection, these safeguards for yourself, for your time, for your mental sanity, it really helps a lot. And guess what? Learning how to say no with grace, It's actually a skill. The other day, a woman that I had asked something, some time, she said, oh, Veronica, I'd love to help. This quarter is really busy for me. Is it okay we catch up in April? And I said, wow, I really admired her for not ghosting me and having the courage and being firm and kind to say, yes, you're asking for my time, but it's going to be on my terms. So I think this is a skill that many of us can practice, especially if we are all the commuters. And I have 2 more to go. The crisis maker. Crisis maker is a profile that I noticed when I was doing my research that is very typical from students, people who have these very clear deadlines. Very often students, I don't know if you were like that, you wait until the 48 hours before the exam to really start studying hard. And at that point, the adrenaline kicks in and you're living off caffeine and it really becomes this final sprint. A lot of people function like that. You have a timeline for a big project, for example, and you leave it to the end and it's creating a lot of anxiety, but you're not really acting on it. And then finally, the last day or two, that's when you really start to turn on the engine. And look, this, it can work for some people. That's how they operate. And they really feel that they are much more focused when they're on this final sprint. The thing is, is it sustainable? Because if you always work on this mode and if you always wait until the last minute, chances are you're going to burn out. Chances are it's just going to take a lot of mental space. And so having some mechanism that can help you be less of a crisis maker, try to organize a little bit your time so that you're not always the person who is, I'm 5 minutes late because the taxi didn't arrive. It's always the taxi or whatever it might be. So if you're a crisis maker, what does help is to create almost this imaginary timeline. So let's say that you have a big delivery time exam, or it might be a project in a month. So you can set up a midpoint review and you can physically put it in your calendar to see where I am. And so 2 weeks from now, you actually get to that point and at least it's a reminder and you start to have almost like a project management table so that it doesn't catch you by surprise. That can be very helpful. Also having accountability partners. If you're gonna write a book, for example, this has been your dream for a while and you've been postponing it and postponing it. Maybe you can find a partner, someone else with, hey, you know what? I also want to write a book, but I've been postponing it for a while and it'll be great if we can support each other. And that way we start to have some common timelines. So I do find that the accountability accountability buddies works extremely well for creatives. It works really well if you're learning a language and you want to compete with someone on Duolingo. In my case, as a triathlete, I do this with my friends as well. We often train together. We follow each other on Strava, which is an app that helps you track your workouts and so on. So the accountability partner can be very useful as well. And the last one is the rebel. And the rebel happens very often. I know that someone for sure. The rebel happens very often when we have an activity or a task that we must do, but we become a rebel because we think it's silly or it's stupid or is redundant. Let me give you some examples of what I mean. Luckily, I'm not looking for a job now, but I did look for a job for 6 months without success when I was in Australia. And very often they asked me to send my CV and then I would have to fill another form where I had to fill exactly the same information that I had already given on my CV and that I already had sent through LinkedIn as well. And I just felt that it was so redundant and this was maybe my 20th application, 30th application for a job. And so I spent more time wasting energy on how silly system was than actually having to go through it. I have so many examples because I'm definitely one of these procrastinator types. Visas or applications to be a resident in a country. I've lived in 9 countries, so I have done a lot of applications throughout my life. They ask for information that is completely redundant. They ask for information about your parents, information about where have you been in the last 10 years. I've been to a lot of places in the last 10 years, and so I spent much more time criticizing the system than actually having to do the bloody visa. In the end, if you do have a task like that, it is a must. You have 2 options. You can decide, look, I'm not going to do it. I'm not going to travel to India, which was the last place that I was, and the visa system is very complicated. So you get out of it. Or you say, I'm going to do it. I know that this is going to be super tedious. I don't agree with the system. It's redundant. But I do want to go to India. I do want to go there to speak on stage. So I'm going to block this time. I'm not going to complain about it, and I'm going to dedicate all my brainpower to do this very tedious task so that I can do it really fast and move on to something that I like. So that was the last profile of the 6 that I wanted to share with you today. Just a little summary: we talked about the Perfectionist, the Dreamer, the Warrior, the Overcommitter, the Crisis Maker, and the last one is the Rebel. I hope that tips that I gave you today can help you. Honestly, the most important thing is the self-awareness exercise and really trying to understand what type am I. But more importantly, we can be different types depending on the context and depending on the situation. And so next time you procrastinate about something, try to just have this pause and this moment of self-awareness to understand yourself better and ask yourself, why am I procrastinating? Is it because I'm worried of what people are going to think? Is it because I don't like this task? Is it because I have a bar that is too high and therefore nothing is happening? Because I do think that any change that we want to drive in life, it really starts with knowing ourselves, knowing our blind spots, knowing where there is resistance so that you can really work on it. If you want to know more about anti-procrastination, here is my book, The Anti-Procrastinator, with Penguin. It was really lovely. Thank you so much, Veronica. To see so many of you, and if you do have questions, if you want a little push, if you want a little motivation peer, just let me know. I'm at the Lemon Tree Mindset. Feel free to DM or participate in the chat. So thank you very much. Gracias, and I hope I'll see you all very soon. Bye.
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