Now and then, I’ll start getting really good at washing the dishes and cleaning up at night. Everything perfectly placed in that dishwasher, not a crumb on the floor.

And a week late telling my wife about that one surprise bill.

Procrastination is one of those quiet killers. It kills the potential success of creative, sharp, but perennially distracted people.

“I’m just not ready to do that yet. I’m waiting for the right time.”

When you put off doing something, even something small, it builds up a debt. And that debt will eventually be paid by your future self, and not necessarily with money. It could literally kill you. That’s a real debt bomb.

I’ll start by describing what this debt bomb looks like in practice, what the consequences can be, and how to recognize your own debts that are brewing so you can wipe them out.

You Have Been There

See if any of the following examples of debt bombs have caught you waiting.

You’re racing to work, and you hear your brakes starting to squeak, and you curse both high and low for your bad luck (everybody’s brakes go bad). “I’ll take care of it tomorrow.” Tomorrow comes, you hear the squeak, and say again “I’ll take care of it tomorrow.” The days go by, and this morning, your brakes start grinding. Now you need to replace the rotors too.

You had your school loans stuck in the federal SAVE program for the past couple years, and the payments weren’t so bad. But you’ve been getting those notifications for the past, oh, twelve months, that Trump ended the SAVE program, and you need to switch to a different program. Knowing you’ll have to pay more, you say to yourself, “I’ll look into this next week”. Then, all of a sudden, you’ve been forcibly thrown into the default payment schedule, and now you owe $500 more per month.

A letter comes from the local elections board, to sign up for your mail-in ballot. It’s a form that you have to fill out. You say, “I’ll do it tomorrow”, and it sits on your counter. Next day, same thing. Finally you get around to filling it out, and on the other side you notice the due date has passed. Now you have to go vote at the machine.

You haven’t talked to your uncle Jack in a long time, and know his health is not too good. You could call him, but he’s a talker. “I’ll call him this weekend, when I have some time.” A few months of putting off the half hour phone call, and your mom calls to tell you he passed away.

You want to buy plane tickets to see your family, and know you will have some time this coming Summer. But you need to pick a weekend that will work for you and your family. “I’ll look for tickets tomorrow.” Now it’s August, and all the weekends are scheduled out. Maybe you could go in Fall, but that’s when school kicks up into high gear.

Your doctor told you your cholesterol is going up into the “high” range. But eggs taste so good cooked in real butter; just one more day! Later that day, you intended to start exercising, but “I’ll do it tomorrow.” A few years of “I can eat another egg,” and “I’ll jog tomorrow instead,” and BAM, a heart attack strikes.

What Are the Real Costs?

When you put some task off until a later date, it feels like you just bought yourself some time. Your future self will certainly have to pay for that extra time, but the more insidious cost is one that you pay daily.

Every day, when you see that piece of mail on your table, or hear that squeak from your brakes, you start thinking about taking care of it. When you are doing something that should be relaxing, like playing with your kids, or reading a book, you remember you have to do that thing.

It takes up mental space, and the rent for that space is paid with anxiety.

And that anxiety compounds as much as the cost of finally completing the task itself.

How to Recognize Your Own Growing Debt Bomb

There’s enough written about how to close these loops, but not enough on how to identify them. I’ve found that I can just about hypnotize myself into thinking I’m actually taking care of a debt, when I’m really just putting it off for later.

Here are a few tips for recognizing when you are building one of these debts. An audit, if you will.

1. Morning Pages

Morning pages are three handwritten pages of stream of consciousness, written right when you get out of bed. The goal of these isn’t to save them and publish them or anything, they’re more to get all the mess out of your head so you can start thinking again. Imagine drawing a kitchen knife on a honing steel before cutting vegetables, or letting the water fountain run for a while to get all the hot water out of the way.

When you do these every day, you’ll start to recognize themes that repeat for a few days. Those themes betray the presence of your debt. Now, write about how you will crush that debt.

2. Productive Procrastination

Are you suddenly highly disciplined about a low importance task? You’re finally cleaning out and organizing the pantry? You’re cleaning that toilet really well? You’ve suddenly decided to bring your email to pristine Inbox Zero condition?

Ask yourself, “What heavy thing am I running from right now?” That perfectly cleaned toilet is probably a monument to the labor you are avoiding.

3. The Planning Ratio

Planning is necessary for some tasks, like a vacation or a home improvement project. But, only up to a point.

If you’re spending several hours to plan a task that should only take about 15 minutes, you’re putting on too much wait.

The rule: If Planning Time is getting longer than Execution Time for a relatively simple task, you’re building a debt.

4. The Dread Test

To perform this test, you need a “To Do” list. So, get a piece of paper and something to write with, and start making a list of tasks you need to get done. Just start jotting them down. More is better than less. Don’t censor yourself - get them all down.

At some point in that list, you probably felt something like your stomach dropping out, your vision get blurry, your breath get short and quick. That’s a debt.

If none of them made you stop in your tracks and panic a little, take another pass through your list. Spend 5 seconds staring at each one, and concentrate on how your body feels. The first one that makes you panic a little is begging to be handled right away.

5. Saying “I’ll just…”

It’s hard to be “conscious” all the time, but it’s much easier to be on the watch for catch phrases. Start listening to your inner monologue, specifically for the phrase “I’ll just”.

“I’ll just do that later today.”

“I’ll just take care of that after this.”

“I’ll just” push this debt further into the future. No. Go handle that debt right now.

Do it, Do it Right, Do it RIGHT NOW

You don’t need a massive, life-altering productivity system to fix this. You don’t need to buy a new planner or spend three hours color-coding your calendar (remember the Planning Ratio).

You just need to close one loop.

Open that piece of mail. Cook the eggs in olive oil instead of butter today. Pick up the phone and make the call.

My mom always used to quote her father:

“Do it, do it right, do it right now.”

The “right now” part isn’t just about efficiency. It’s about protecting your peace of mind. Stop paying the wait tax, defuse the bomb, and give your future self a break.

If you liked this article, please subscribe and share with one friend