Solved, Highlights: The Real Reason You Procrastinate

SOLVED with Mark Manson

Mark Manson

Self-improvement, Education

4.9 • 4.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 February 2026

⏱️ 44 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

This is a segment from the full episode on procrastination. Procrastination isn't a time management problem — it's an emotional regulation problem, and once you see that, everything changes. We break down how your brain uses avoidance as a mood-management strategy, why every philosopher from Plato to the Buddhists was partially right (but nobody had the full picture), and the specific internal and external levers you can pull to actually get shit done. We also run through the six types of procrastinators so you can figure out which flavor of self-sabotage you've been perfecting — plus the RAIN method, minimum viable actions, and why making boring things fun isn't just a nice idea, it's the whole game. We also put together a free companion guide for the full episode with all the takeaways, references, and tools to help you get your sh*t together once and for all. Download it here: https://solvedpodcast.com/procrastination Sign up for my newsletter, Your Next Breakthrough. It will help make you a less awful person: https://markmanson.net/breakthrough Get clarity on what actually matters. Try Purpose, Mark's AI mentor app that learns your patterns, challenges your blind spots, and helps you take action. Get 7 days free at ⁠purpose.app/solved⁠ Amazing Offer From Our Sponsor: Boost your focus with science-backed music from Brain.fm. Start your 30-day free trial at brain.fm/solved Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 1:44 Understanding Emotional Regulation 9:34 The RAIN Method 14:04 The Six Types of Procrastinators 23:09 The 80-20 of Procrastination 43:39 Conclusion Follow Mark Mark’s IG: https://www.instagram.com/markmanson Solved IG: https://www.instagram.com/solvedpodcast/ Twitter: https://x.com/markmanson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markmanson/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@IAmMarkManson Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hey everybody, Mark Manson here, and it's the start of the year. A lot of us are trying to get our groove back.
0:05.2	Set goals, build better habits, maybe actually follow through on some of the stuff this time, not just talk about it.
0:10.7	So what I wanted to do is I wanted to bring back one of the most useful segments that we did last year.
0:16.3	This one is about procrastination. It's from a longer episode where Drew and I went deep on the psychology,
0:22.0	the history, and the science behind why we put so many things off and what actually helps
0:27.1	us stop doing it. But this part, it's actually where everything kind of snaps in the focus.
0:31.7	It gets to the real reason why we put off stuff that actually matters to us. It's not just about
0:36.3	setting a timer or download another app. It's not just about setting a timer or download another
0:38.6	app. It's not because we're lazy, but because we're emotionally loaded. It's about identity, shame,
0:45.2	fear, perfectionism, failure, all the real messy stuff going on under the surface that influences
0:52.1	our desire to procrastinate. So if you've ever delayed doing
0:56.0	anything important in your life, which is all of you, you fucking liars, I know it's you, it's me
1:02.3	too, don't worry, I think this is going to land for you. It's a great refresher. It's a great way
1:07.1	to kick off the year. And if you want the full episode, it's already in your feed.
1:11.4	We cover everything from Aristotle to modern brain science to all of the best productivity
1:16.8	techniques to, yes, you guessed it, what fucking apps to download.
1:21.9	And we've got a free procrastination guide to go along with it.
1:24.9	So you can grab it in the show notes or head over to solvepodcast.com slash procrastination.
1:29.5	It is absolutely free and it is full of research, tips, and practical tricks.
1:34.3	All right, let's get into it.
1:36.1	My name is Mark Manson, three-time, number one New York Times bestselling author,
1:40.0	and this is my co-host and longtime lead researcher, Drew Bernie.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Mark Manson, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Mark Manson and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.