Procrastination Isn’t Laziness — It’s a Missing Why

The neuroscience of curiosity shows that purpose — not willpower — is what drives us forward.

Remember being that kid who asked “why” a million times a day?

~ “Why is the sky blue?”

~ “ Why is the grass green?”

~ “ Why do I need to brush my teeth?”

As a kid, we were never worried about whether the question was silly.

We just asked. But as we grew up, somewhere along the way the world told us to stop asking but just follow.

We see this pattern all along.

Schools reward the what and the how — Which year did this happen?, How do you solve this problem?

Maybe because it’s easier that way. Honestly, even as adults, most of us don’t really know the answers.

When I was preparing my first SDS page gel, I followed the protocol as such, word-for-word. But my gel kept failing, and I couldn’t figure out why. I later realized that I had skipped an entire step while copying the instructions. Had I thought about the importance of each reagent, I wouldn’t have missed it. That moment stuck with me:

Asking why doesn’t just help you avoid mistakes — it turns routines into real understanding.

The difficulty of answering a why is often what makes it so beautiful✨. We need to lean more into the reasons behind a principle.

But what does neuroscience say about this?

Our brains crave meaning. Curiosity isn’t just personality — it’s biology. Neuroscience shows that when we’re curious, our reward system (the dopamine pathway) lights up (source).

We figure out things because of our need to understand the world around us.

In fact, a study published in 2014 revealed that when people expected an answer to a question they were curious about, their memory improved drastically.

In other words: we don’t just learn better when we ask why, we remember better too (source).

Think about the last time you avoided a task. You probably weren’t just lazy. More likely, you didn’t see why it mattered. When there’s no clear purpose, our brain naturally resists effort — it’s like trying to run without energy.

The moment you connect a simple task to a deeper why, the task in hand becomes much more easier. However there are things in life that might not be exactly inspirational but still if you dig deeper it usually reveals a reason worth moving for.

Ironically, even while writing this, I had to remind myself of my own why.

I’ll admit, writing this kind of story feels strange. As someone training in science, I’m used to focusing on hard data. Part of me worried this would sound more like a pep talk than an article worth reading.

But maybe that’s the point: questions of purpose aren’t just scientific — they’re human. Seeking meaning matters just as much outside the lab as it does inside, and maybe the real value is in holding both worlds together.

💡One practical tip that helps me when in doubt is to map out my thoughts on a piece of paper, it helps me clear my head and escape the trap of avoidance.

Become a “why” learner

Being a “why learner” doesn’t mean questioning everything in a cynical way. It means making a habit of asking:

• Why am I learning this?
• Why does this step matter?

In the lab, asking why, turns protocols into principles.

In school, it turns memorization into understanding.

In life, it turns routine into meaning.

In this fast-paced world, it’s easy to feel invisible. But every single person has a purpose. Your existence isn’t just random or a statistical occurrence.

I say this because, scientists now know that the egg chooses the sperm (source), it isn’t the most fastest or strongest sperm but the ‘chosen’ one. So you were meant to be.

As a society we often put too much pressure to be the outlier, the ‘successful one’. But if you were able to help just one person that is itself an achievement. If more people were to believe in their abilities and be a bit more confident we would have more of the good. And the more doesn’t just add but grows exponentially.

Every breakthrough — scientific or personal — begins with someone stubborn enough to ask, “Why?”

Try This Today

Pick one thing you’ve been putting off. Before you force yourself to do it, pause and ask: Why do I want to get this done? See if that simple shift changes how you feel.

Because once you find your why, the what and how start to take care of themselves.