I’m stuck in an endless cycle of procrastinating and unmotivated to work.
Assalam u Alaikum. I know a person who is a 21-year-old male. Currently, he is an undergrad student, and right now, as I write this post, he is currently working on an internship Alhamdulillah. As the title says, he has a HUGE problem with procrastinating. Ever since COVID, when things shifted online in 2020, his procrastination has progressively kept on getting worse, and as of today, it’s gotten really, really, REALLY bad. He cannot stop procrastinating. Whether it relates to his religious obligations or his worldly obligations. His procrastination is rooted from two things:
1) Either if he doesn’t have a lot of time to be able to get his work done, he gets anxious over it, and that anxiety makes him procrastinate and convince him that: “I’ll just delay it right now and de-stress myself, and work on it later”.
2) If he has a lot of time, he convinces himself of having alot of time and decides to do it later.
He’s getting super SUPER unmotivated to work on anything and just mainly wastes his time watching youtube videos. He keeps on regretting wasting time, and deep down wants to do better, and knows he’s destroying his future by doing this, but it’s REALLY HARD for him to get that motivation to work. 90 % of the time he sits down to work, he starts procrastinating instead, waste hours of time, regrets it, says that he’ll work tomorrow more efficiently, and just repeats the cycle. He wants to get better, but he just cannot break away from this cycle. It feels so hard for him to stay focused on work and to have the motivation to do it.
He used to be a good student back when he was in school. He would still procrastinate, but it wasn’t as bad as it is now. Since 2020 when things shifted online, his procrastination got really bad and since then it’s only been getting worse. He doesn’t know what to do about it.
He looks at others working so hard, and are super motivated to work, and just fears how behind he is in terms of work ethic, punctuality compared to the others. He knows that if he keeps this up it will destroy his life. He doesn’t know what to do.
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Response from a “Fatima Counselor”:
Waalaikumussalam varahmathullahivabarakathuhu
I want you to know something really important: you are not alone in this, and you are not “lazy” or “broken.” What you’re going through is real, and it’s something many good, capable people struggle with especially since the world changed after 2020….
The fact that you’re aware of this pattern and want to change it already puts you way ahead of where shaytaan wants you to be. You care. You want to improve. And that is a sign of strength.
You don’t need to do everything at once. You just need to start with something small, and stay consistent even if it’s just for 5 minutes a day
You have so much potential. Allah didn’t create you for nothing. You still have time, and Allah’s mercy is far greater than your mistakes. So let’s try bit by bit to build a new rhythm, In Sha Allah!!
“Indeed, Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Qur’an 13:11)
I can help you in doing some short plans as a routine on each days.
Each task is short, doable, and focused on action ad mindset:
Day 1 – “Just Start for 5 Minutes”
Choose 1 task (study, prayer, anything)
Do it for just 5 minutes.
Don’t aim to complete. Just start. Write down how you feel after.
Day 2 – Reduce One Distraction
Log out of YouTube or use app timer for just 1 hour limit.Move your phone out of arm’s reach when working.
Then write how did this feel today?
Day 3 – Salah Reset + Du’a
Set alarms for all 5 prayers .Make a du’a after each prayer: Ya Allah, remove the laziness from my heart. Give me energy and barakah. Write it down which prayer was hardest to make on time?
Day 4 – Morning 20-Minute Work task:
Wake up and do 1 important task before anything else. (Study, journal, tidy room—anything productive) Again write it down how did starting my day with this make me feel?
Day 5 – Accountability
Share your goal for the day with someone (even by message)Tell them, “Can you check in with me tonight if I did it? And write it down…Did having someone know make me do better?
Day 6 – Self-Compassion Check-In
Write down: 2 things you did well this week .1 small thing to improve tomorrow.
Say this out loud:
“I’m not perfect, but I’m trying. And that’s enough today.”
Day 7
Take a 15–30 min walk without your phone.
Reflect on:What felt good this week?
What pattern do I want to keep next week?
Make du’a:
Ya Allah, thank you for helping me take small steps. Guide me to stay consistent.
If this procrastination is very deep, and he feels numb or unmotivated constantly,In that case ,A visit to a counselor or therapist (even online) can help significantly.Remind him: getting help is a sign of strength, not weakness.But with Allah by your side, small daily action, and a little support you can absolutely change this. Not all at once. But day by day. You don’t need to be perfect ,you just need to start.
Warm regards,
From your Sister in Islam,
“Fatima MV”
Response from your friend at Stones to Bridges:
Walaykum assalam dear brother,
Procrastination is a very big struggle that many face in our day and age. From all kinds of screens and entertainment, many find themselves struggling to keep focus on their daily activities and goals. I say this as it is important to remember that whoever finds themselves in this difficulty is not alone. Often, we feel that our difficulties are unique to us (perhaps some are) but more often every person experiences certain difficulties in life, such as procrastination. Showing concern for this bad habit is a wonderful start as it shows that an individual is looking to create a positive change in their life. Any change, however, doesn’t happen overnight and so it is important to take small steps to reach the goal of less procrastination. What is less procrastination to one person may look different to another, and therefore it is important that one is able to define the goal. Does this mean taking less breaks to check one’s phone or visiting YouTube less? Whatever the goal is, define it and then use shaping to get there. Shaping is where one uses small goals to reach the larger one. For instance, if one wanted to check their phone less, they may place it in a place that is away from their desk and out of reach. Once that is consistent, one could turn their ringer off and place the phone upside down on the desk to avoid checking it. Whatever the steps are, it’s crucial to not lose hope and remain committed to the goal.
May Allah make it easy,
All the Best,
Your Sister in Faith,
Peer Support Volunteer, NL
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