An all-or-nothing mindset in terms of productivity may backfire. For example, it used to be that if I lost focus on a task in the morning, I’d throw in the towel and decide to try again in the afternoon. Or, when trying to be a more patient father, I’d get discouraged when I missed the mark and vow that the next day would be different.
However, pushing off something until “later” is procrastination. It lets you off the hook right now without trying to get back on track and allows you to push the work to some nebulous time in the future. Inevitably, that cycle continues because you’re never really learning how to work through the frustration or disappointment that causes the procrastination.
