"I'll just do it tomorrow."
Kaito looked away from his report. In the club room, Sora and Leo were studying.
"Didn't you say that yesterday too?" Sora pointed out.
"Yeah. But I'm tired today."
Leo laughed. "Classic procrastination."
"I know," Kaito scratched his head. "But I just can't get motivated to do it now."
Sora closed the book. "Do you know the psychological mechanism of procrastination?"
"Psychological mechanism?"
"Why people postpone what they should do," Sora began explaining.
Leo joined in. "There's a concept called temporal discounting."
"Temporal discounting?" Kaito asked back.
"Overvaluing immediate rewards over distant future rewards," Sora answered.
"For example?"
"Writing the report now is painful. But submitting it tomorrow gets you credits," Leo explained.
"Those credits are a future reward. Meanwhile, looking at your phone now is immediate satisfaction."
Kaito understood. "So I choose the phone?"
"Yes. The brain overvalues immediate rewards," Sora nodded.
"Isn't that irrational?" Kaito asked.
"Short-term, yes," Leo admitted. "But evolutionarily, it makes sense."
"Evolutionarily?"
"For ancient humans, food in front of them was certain. But tomorrow's food was uncertain."
Sora supplemented, "So the tendency to prioritize immediate satisfaction evolved."
"But in modern society?" Kaito asked.
"That tendency becomes a problem instead," Leo answered. "The report won't run away tomorrow. But the brain doesn't feel urgency."
Kaito thought. "Then how can I prevent procrastination?"
"There are several methods," Sora began explaining. "First, bring deadlines closer."
"Bring deadlines closer?"
"Create artificial deadlines. Decide 'I'll finish by 6 PM today.'"
Leo added, "That creates urgency."
"But can I keep self-imposed deadlines?" Kaito expressed doubt.
"That's why you use external commitment," Sora proposed.
"External commitment?"
"Declare to others. If you promise 'I'll finish today,' it's embarrassing not to keep it."
Leo laughed. "Using social pressure."
Kaito showed interest. "What else?"
"Break tasks down," Sora continued. "Large tasks feel overwhelming. Smaller pieces are easier to start."
"For a report, for example?"
"First, search for references. Next, write an outline. Then, write the introduction."
"Each step is simple," Leo supplemented.
Kaito nodded. "True, thinking about 'the whole report' feels heavy."
"Another one is environment design," Sora said.
"Environment design?"
"Remove temptations. Put your phone in another room. Use apps that block SNS."
Leo added, "Don't rely on willpower. Control behavior through environment."
"Is willpower unreliable?" Kaito asked.
"Willpower is a finite resource," Sora explained. "It depletes when used. So create systems that don't require willpower."
Kaito thought. "So my procrastinating isn't because of weak willpower?"
"Not necessarily," Leo answered. "It might be an environment or system problem."
Sora supplemented, "Procrastination is not a personal flaw, but a natural brain tendency."
"So I don't have to blame myself?"
"Self-blame is counterproductive," Sora said. "Guilt leads to more procrastination."
"Why?"
"To escape guilt, you look away from the task," Leo explained.
Kaito was surprised. "That's a vicious cycle."
"Yes. So stop self-blame and change the system."
Sora summarized, "Understand the cause of procrastination and take countermeasures. That's the scientific approach."
Kaito asked seriously, "What should I do now?"
"First, divide the report into small steps," Sora proposed.
"Next, just do the first step. Five minutes is fine," Leo added.
"Five minutes?"
"Once you start a task, momentum builds. The first step is the hardest."
Kaito opened his notebook. "So first, write an outline. Just five minutes."
"That's good," Sora acknowledged.
Leo said, "After five minutes, stop if you don't want to continue."
"But usually you can continue."
Kaito picked up a pen. "I'll try."
Sora watched quietly. "Procrastination isn't an enemy. It's a natural brain response."
"Understand it and take measures," Leo added.
Kaito started writing. What was meant to be 5 minutes turned into 15 before he knew it.
"Huh, I actually made progress," Kaito was surprised.
"The first step is the hardest," Sora smiled.
"After that, just ride the momentum," Leo said.
Kaito continued with the report. Understanding the reason for procrastination. That was the first step to changing behavior.