Procrastination is one of the serious cognitive distortions, where a person constantly postpones some action or decision until the last moment and instead engages in something else. Usually, something not particularly important, like checking email, scrolling through social media feeds, or doing other insignificant tasks. They put off unpleasant decisions or difficult tasks until later, thinking that they need to do something else at the moment, and then something else after that, and so on. As a result of this delay, the necessary decisions are not made on time, and what actually needed to be done remains undone. As they say, "put it off until autumn, and then just forget about it."

The most unpleasant thing about the phenomenon of procrastination is that often a person deceives not only those around them but also themselves, justifying their actions to themselves. As Dostoevsky once aptly noted, "The mind is a rogue, it justifies anything." Fyodor Mikhailovich knew exactly what he was talking about, as he was well acquainted with procrastination. Part of his novels was written or completed literally at the last moment. That is, he and the publisher agreed on quite reasonable deadlines for writing the novels, but he put everything off until the last minute. But then, at this last moment, he would gather himself and, thanks to his genius and inhuman work ethic, complete a significant portion of the planned work in a short period. For example, he wrote the novel "The Gambler" in just twenty-six days. Unfortunately, not all of us are geniuses, so if you notice anything like this in yourself, it is still better to deal with procrastination right away.

Psychologists develop various ways to solve this problem. One of such ways can be hiking, especially mountain hiking, because of the greater likelihood of unexpected situations arising. If you hike frequently, it can help you get rid of the mental trap of procrastination. After all, the essence of any hike is simple: to leave point A and come to point B in some period. Based on the duration, complexity of the route, and other factors, a plan is made. To successfully complete the route, once you start, you have to follow this plan, no matter how tired or how much you don't want to, you can't put it off. In the mountains, everything is extremely simple, and you simply have nowhere to slack off, and the process of executing the plan is clearly visible from your location.

In the city, it happens that someone didn't show up or arrived late somewhere, and they can always say, "I had to urgently go to the hospital, work, airport, etc." There can be many urgent matters. On a hiking trip, you might think that you can kill time, but that's just a thought. Every day of the trip requires a certain amount of food, and the number of days on the hike is limited to avoid running out of food. You have to keep moving and reach the end no matter what happens and what problems arise. There's no doubt that difficulties will arise on the hike; things never go smoothly, and you often have to make difficult decisions immediately rather than putting them off.

As a result, hiking develops qualities such as determination and endurance in a person. It teaches you to set goals for yourself and solve them consistently, regardless of circumstances. You learn to make difficult decisions quickly, despite your immediate desires and your state of mind. You have to overcome difficulties and obstacles repeatedly, resolving problems on the spot instead of delaying them. Such a complex impact on the psyche leaves no chance for procrastination. The more you hike in the mountains, the healthier (in all senses) and more determined you become. As they say, you become "lighter on the ascent".

Hiking as a tool to combat procrastination