Hunting Procrastination

Alexander Lyadov
2 min readNov 21, 2023

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Chauvet Cave, about 30,000 to 32,000 years ago

The best cure for procrastination? Cave painting.

Sounds weird? Let me explain.

Anthropologist Henri Breuil believed that cave paintings were part of “hunting magic” rituals meant to bring luck in the hunt. The oldest one dates back 45,500 years.

Imagine the doubts and fears of our primitive ancestors before hunting dangerous beasts. No firearms, no radio, no antibiotics. Hungry children on one side, possible death on the other. Anyone would become a procrastinator, right?

But if you draw your fear on the wall and spear it with force, you transform somehow. Symbolically, a psychological barrier is overcome. The beast might still lurk in the grass, but the unseen flint tip has already pierced its skin.

So, when a daunting or unpleasant task looms over me, I remind myself: “Take a symbolic step.” It may be small, but it gets you closer to your goal. And be honest with yourself that mini-steps are enough this time:

  • Open the computer and load all the correspondence into your brain.
  • Visualize the balance of power across the negotiating table.
  • Make a clarifying call, and so on.

You’ll be surprised how “hunting magic” works even today.

Sincerely yours,

-Alexander

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Alexander Lyadov

As a business therapist, I help tech founders increase the value of their business by unlocking the potential of their personality.