Between long commutes across the city, a working week that shifts around Ramadan, and the sheer convenience of having almost anything delivered to your door, Dubai makes it remarkably easy to postpone the things that actually matter. Whether it's renewing paperwork, starting a fitness routine before the heat sets in, or finally tackling a work project, the mind quickly convinces itself that tomorrow, or after the weekend, will be a better time. Understanding why you delay something is the first step to using your imagination to push through it instead of against it.
People generally procrastinate for one of two reasons: they are not motivated by the task itself, or they are not motivated by the outcome. If you dread the task, it feels like an unpleasant chore, something you know you should do even though every part of you resists it. Deciding to exercise before sunrise so you can avoid the worst of the daytime heat is a classic example. If you are not motivated by the outcome, the task itself might be simple enough, but you cannot see the point of doing it because the benefit feels distant or small.
Consider someone trying to save money by bringing lunch from home instead of ordering through a delivery app every afternoon. While preparing the lunch, they start thinking about how small the daily saving really is compared to their monthly expenses in the city, and the motivation quietly evaporates. By the next day, the delivery app is open again.
When the task itself feels unpleasant, the natural instinct is to picture how satisfied you will feel once it's finished. Imagine finally sorting out that pile of paperwork, or picture yourself fit and comfortable in Dubai's summer heat after weeks of consistent gym visits. Oddly enough, this approach tends to backfire. Research suggests that picturing a pleasant outcome in advance can actually increase procrastination, because the brain gets a small hit of satisfaction just from the daydream, without any of the effort.
This makes sense once you think about it. Why push through something tiring or dull when simply imagining success already feels rewarding? A more effective approach is to picture the opposite: the frustration of still not having sorted your tenancy renewal, or the disappointment of another summer passing without getting fitter. The goal is to break the comfortable link between delaying and feeling fine about it.
This works on the same principle as aversion training. By vividly imagining the frustration of not finishing something, you teach your brain to associate delay with discomfort rather than relief. The more real that imagined disappointment feels, the more effective it becomes. Picture the stress of scrambling to complete a visa renewal at the last minute, or the annoyance of missing another cooler morning to start your walk or run before the humidity builds. When you eventually do complete the task, the sense of relief and achievement feels even stronger, because you have already imagined the alternative.
If the issue is a lack of motivation for the outcome rather than the task itself, visualizing frustration alone will not be enough. Instead, picture a more meaningful version of the result. Rather than a vague sense of saving a little money, imagine what that saved amount could eventually contribute toward, whether it's a holiday, a deposit, or simply financial breathing room during the quieter summer months when many people travel. Rather than imagining generic fitness, picture yourself moving comfortably through a busy mall or across a warm parking area without feeling drained. The clearer and more personal the image, the more it pulls you toward action instead of another day of delay.
Burberry is an international luxury brand. Its globally recognized name, tradem...
Check in to 4-star comfort right at the Novotel World Trade Centre Dubai hotel....
Log in with Google