I’ve discovered something about myself when I procrastinate. I delay things because I’m not scared of the consequences. The immediate gratification of looking at one more cat meme seems like a higher priority than typing up this article. I have rose-coloured glasses that make me feel invincible to the looming chaos.

I realized I need a sense of fear with meaningful and scary consequences that will light a fire under my ass to get me started. It’s kinda like that show Beyond Scared Straight* but instead of having inmates (or in my case, unsuccessful writers who failed miserably because they kept procrastinating) scare me, I’m using my deepest fears to motivate me to work on my goals. Because the best person to hold you accountable is yourself.

So without procrastinating any further, here’s how I use my fears to stop procrastinating.