🏝️ The Later Trap

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Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋  You can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: We’re breaking down the Later Trap — what it is, how it keeps you stuck, and how to break free. Let’s explore!

🪤 What’s The Later Trap?

“I’ll do it later.”

How many times have you said this today? This week? In your life?

(No judgment here! Simply asking to get you thinking about it.)

Putting some things off until later is unavoidable. We have so many things to do at any given time that we can’t realistically do everything we want to right now.

But this isn’t the only reason why we do it.

Often, we use “later” to avoid discomfort now, especially for things we’re dreading or resisting.

And even for things we’re excited about, we convince ourselves we’ll be more capable, deserving, or motivated in the future.

And we usually have a (totally valid) reason for not doing it right now instead: too busy, too tired, too stressed.

🤹 “I’ll do it later” can also look like:

• “I’ll focus when my schedule clears up” → (Spoiler: it won’t)

• “I’ll start that project when I have more time/energy/clarity” → (How do you plan to get it?)

• “I’ll rest once I finish everything else” → (You need rest to get things done)

Now that you know what it is and how it shows up, let’s explore how the Later Trap holds you back — and how to avoid falling into it in the first place.

🚧 How the Later Trap Holds You Back

🛑 The problem: All those little “laters” pile up into one big heap. The more you pile on, the more stressed and overwhelmed you’ll feel.

⚠️ The complication: Your future self has to address everything you put off for later. It doesn’t matter what the outcome is — anything in “later” status is still draining your energy in the background.

🟢 The solution: Self-awareness. The first step to getting out of the trap is noticing you’re in it to start with.

You might be surprised at how simple our solution sounds. And while “simple” doesn’t always mean “easy”, there are some things you can do to free yourself from the trap. Let’s take a look.

✨ How to Get Out of the Later Trap in 5 Steps

1. 🎣 Catch yourself in the act

Watch your words and thoughts. Whenever you say, “I’ll do this later” or something similar, make the effort to notice it.

This will take practice. But the more you practice, the easier it’ll be, and the more automatic it’ll become.

2. 🧊 Acknowledge it’s a freeze response, not a failure

There are probably many reasons why you’re putting off that task. For this step, your job is to figure out what they are.

Remember how we said most explanations for the Later Trap are usually valid? Yours certainly are, too.

So don’t buy into any self-critical thoughts of being a failure or a bad person. You’re a human with limits that deserve to be respected and honored. The fact that you’re in the trap at all means something is out of alignment, and it may not always be in your control.

3. 🛝 Reduce overload and friction

Now that you’ve got some calm and clarity, you can gently start tackling the problem. This step is all about making things a bit easier for yourself.

Decision fatigue — aka the exhaustion you feel simply from choosing what to work on — is a real thing. Fortunately, there are some battle-tested methods for dealing with it:

• Get all your to-dos and thoughts out of your head and into a list somewhere

• Strike through anything that doesn’t resonate or can’t be dealt with right now

• Note any obstacles, difficult emotions, or unhelpful mental patterns

These are just a few ways you can reduce mental overload. Peep this week’s Flocus Picks for more tips!

4. 🏔️ Get grounded

Getting out of your head and into your body is one of the best ways to turn off all the mental chatter and noise.

Reset your senses with some gentle movement and grounding techniques:

• Splash yourself with some ice-cold water

• Ease into a freeflow yoga or stretching sesh

• Switch up the scenery with a nature walk or outing

5. 🤏 Start with a micro action / 1 min version of the task

Often, the hardest part is getting started. If you can commit to doing the task for 1 minute, you’ll find it easier to keep going for another minute, and another.

Even if you don’t manage to finish it, you’re still 1 minute ahead of where you would’ve been otherwise. It might be a tiny win, but it’s still a win!

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🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

• How to Free Up Mental Space (The Flow Archives) — The calmer and clearer your mind is, the less likely you are to fall into the Later Trap. Close out some of your mental tabs with these tips from the archive!

• What’s REALLY Behind “I’ll Do It Later” (YouTube Short) — This 49-second reality check is packed with wisdom: the difference between procrastination and limiting beliefs, and 1 question to ask yourself when they show up

• cozy gaming vibes (Playlist) — Mellow out with these chill remixes of classic cozy game tracks, from Animal Crossing to Stardew Valley to Pokemon

✨ Flocus: Your Personal Productivity Dashboard

Your future self will thank you for showing up today, even if it’s just for a minute!

Use Flocus to lighten your load and follow through on your intentions with a priority list, aesthetic themes, and relaxing ambient soundscapes. Whether you’re bouncing back from a Later Trap or building momentum, we’ve got your back.

Go to Flocus

We call it the Later “Trap” for a good reason — because it makes you feel stuck, helpless, and incapable.

The good news: If your brain is being excessively critical, it’s lying to you. There’s something valid behind whatever self-criticism you’re feeling. Exploring the root of it is the first step to beating it.

What did you think of this week’s newsletter? We love reading your feedback!

Until next Sunday,

Flocus Team