Lloyd Den Boer

Most of us struggle with putting things off . To be human is to procrastinate , it seems . As children we brushed responsibilities aside casually . “ Oh , I ’ ll do it later ,” we would say . Being the wiser ones , our parents discouraged delays . According to Paul McCartney , his father ’ s advice would be , “ Do it now .” Gradually , as we learned to be our own advisers , we became more independent in doing what we should when we should . That mattered ; yet many of us still fret about unfinished tasks and unreached goals .

Overcoming our internal barriers to action may be difficult , but finding advice for doing so is easy . Paul McCartney delivers it gently in his winsome ditty “ Do It Now .” McCartney imagines an invitation to take a journey . His advice to himself — and to us — is to seize the moment . “ If you leave it too late ,” McCartney sings , “ it could all disappear . So do it now .” For activities we feel too cautious to try , this nudge to cast apprehension aside and “ seize the day ” can help . For unappealing tasks , strategies as varied as creating habits by starting with a first step or launching ourselves with the surge of dopamine generated by a cold shower might strengthen our character or intensify our motivation .

Such strategies may be helpful , but some barriers to action lie beyond their reach . Take , as an example , those of the best-known procrastinator in English literature , Shakespeare ’ s Hamlet . In the first scene of the play , Hamlet , a prince of Denmark , swears to avenge the recent murder of his father , the king . His target is his uncle , a man who not only killed Hamlet ’ s father , but also married the queen and , thereby , stole the throne . Despite his oath , Hamlet cannot bring himself to act . Aspiring to be a man of honour — a loyal son and a virtuous prince — he despises his own hesitation . “ O , what a rogue and peasant slave am I !” he cries .

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