The Mel Robbins Podcast

The reason you struggle with procrastination | Mel Robbins #Shorts

Order your copy of The Let Them Theory 👉 https://melrob.co/let-them-theory 👈 The #1 Best Selling Book of 2025 🔥 Discover how much power you truly have. It all begins with two simple words. Let Them. — Procrastinating is actually a sign that the work matters to you. According to bestselling author Seth Godin - the “godfather of modern marketing” whose work I’ve admired for nearly two decades - wants you to know that procrastination and resistance are not your enemy. They are a signal. Resistance points you directly to the work that matters most. Because if it didn’t matter…you wouldn’t feel resistance at all. And once you hear Seth explain what resistance actually means, you’ll stop seeing it as a warning to quit… and start seeing it as a sign you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. This episode of The Mel Robbins Podcast is one of my favorites to date. I can’t wait for you to watch it: https://youtu.be/cWZI2RyI9wM — Follow Mel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melrobbins/ TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@melrobbins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melrobbins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melrobbins Website: http://melrobbins.com — Sign up for Mel’s newsletter: https://melrob.co/sign-up-newsletter A note from Mel to you, twice a week, sharing simple, practical ways to build the life you want. — Subscribe to Mel’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/melrobbins?sub_confirmation=1 — Listen to The Mel Robbins Podcast 🎧 New episodes drop every Monday & Thursday! https://melrob.co/spotify https://melrob.co/applepodcasts https://melrob.co/amazonmusic — Looking for Mel’s books on Amazon? Find them here: The Let Them Theory: https://amzn.to/3IQ21Oe The Let Them Theory Audiobook: https://amzn.to/413SObp The High 5 Habit: https://amzn.to/3fMvfPQ The 5 Second Rule: https://amzn.to/4l54fah

Mel Robbinshost

Mar 11, 20262mWatch on YouTube ↗

WHAT IT’S REALLY ABOUT

Procrastination signals resistance to important, fear-inducing work ahead

Robbins defines “resistance” as the internal behavior that gets in our own way when something feels important and scary.
She argues that “writer’s block” is not a real condition but a story we tell to avoid being “on the hook” for producing something meaningful.
Resistance is inevitable when the work matters; its presence can be evidence you’re approaching a high-priority task.
Instead of trying to eliminate resistance, she suggests acknowledging it (“thank you”) and using it to identify the hard, creative, truth-telling work you’re avoiding.

IDEAS WORTH REMEMBERING

5 ideas

Procrastination often means the task matters to you.

When something feels important (a memo, a date, a creative project), you may delay to protect yourself from fear, judgment, or failure—being “on the hook.”

“Writer’s block” is a form of resistance, not a missing muse.

Robbins frames it as a constructed explanation that lets you avoid producing, rather than a genuine inability to write.

You can’t eliminate resistance; you can only respond to it.

Resistance shows up precisely when you’re doing meaningful work, so expecting it to disappear is unrealistic and keeps you stuck.

Treat resistance as a signal: prioritize what you’re avoiding.

If you notice yourself procrastinating, use that as data pointing to the work that deserves attention instead of interpreting it as proof you can’t do it.

Acknowledge resistance to disarm it.

Saying “thank you” reframes the feeling as a helpful alert—“this is important”—which reduces shame and increases agency.

WORDS WORTH SAVING

5 quotes

“Resistance means anything that we do to get in our own way to keep us from doing something that's going to scare us.”

— Mel Robbins

“There's no such thing as writer's block.”

— Mel Robbins

“If we're going to do something important, there's going to be resistance.”

— Mel Robbins

“If you don't feel resistance, it might not be important enough.”

— Mel Robbins

“The things I'm procrastinating, I'm procrastinating because of resistance… I now have a compass.”

— Mel Robbins

Resistance as self-protectionProcrastination as a fear response“Writer’s block” as a myth/narrativeImportance triggers avoidanceReframing resistance as a compassModern definition of hard workCreative risk and accountability

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