What does it cost you?

Written By ✼ Sophia ✼

"Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can." — Arthur Ashe

People from different walks of life have publicly mused about the cost of "not yet":

  • Public Thinker and Psychologist Jordan B. Peterson notes that you pay a price for everything you do and don't do, and you get to choose which "poison" you take.

  • Theodore Roosevelt exclaimed: "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing."

  • "Action is expensive, but inaction costs a fortune," says Shane Parrish, formerly CIS (Canadian Intelligence Services)

  • Eckhardt Tolle's take on that is: "The price of inaction is far greater than the cost of making a mistake."

I used to think I am not procrastinating. Now I know, I do. I get annoyed about myself NOT doing something - because the time is not right, I need to have X ready in order to do Y, I do not feel like it, I create something else to do, and so on....

Recently however, I have started asking myself:

What does it cost me, NOT doing this thing?

The inspiration came through a book, which a dear friend of mine has shipped to me from Germany. The Title translates to: "50 Questions that Ease Life". I work on one question a week. Should bring me through 2026... Sometimes I tweak the question to make it fit me. That is how "What does it cost me?" came into existence. 

That question works for things I wanna do - and things I am not doing (although I want to). I make myself aware of the consequences, and that helps me inform my actions. 

An example:

What does it cost me to keep my bum on my seat for hours without pause while I am typing away on my laptop? 

The answer:

At the end of the day, my shoulders will feel stiff (I know that) and I have this particular feeling of sluggishness. I do not like myself much then.

Would the result of my work be different if I got up and did 10 Jumping Jacks or perused my garden for a moment? No, I'd still get it done - after my pause, I'd feel much better about myself though.

I have tried different tricks - setting alarms, placing my water bottle far away, etc. All because I KNOW I should get up after a while (and not only after 3 hours), but I still ignored it. Now, I ask myself what the cost of this behaviour is - and if I am willing to pay the price! For some mysterious reason, that works  for me. Am I Scrooge McDuck? 

You might wonder why asking "What does it cost me?" feels more effective than setting alarms or moving my water bottle across the room. The answer is grounded in how our brains handle decisions and habits. Neuroscience.

Reflective questions like the above prompt weighing future consequences against immediate impulses—this builds intrinsic motivation through dopamine release, leading to more value-aligned choices. Alarms are external nudges, easily ignored as they lack emotional relevance.

We can think of this process as functions in an organisation: Our question prompts a quick cost-benefit review in our prefrontal cortex, the brain's main executive planning center. Like the CEO of an organisation, the prefrontal cortex is responsible for managing planning, decision-making, impulse control, working memory, flexibility, attention, and problem-solving. It connects today's choices to tomorrow's outcomes, sparking motivation from within via its colleague: Dopamine. Dopamine is the Chief Motivation Officer (CMO) of your organisation. It's the visionary executive who anticipates wins, energises the pursuit of goals, and motivates action by highlighting value before the payoff. It keeps the organisation driven toward what matters as long as CMO and CEO are playing Golf together.... We need good reason AND motivation. 

Alarms, however, rely on external habit loops that we tune out over time. In our company analogy, the outside alarm would be more like a routine memo from the Mailroom Intern—a low-priority ping that hits the inbox, processed by Autopilot Ops without escalating to the CEO or CMO for deeper review...

Our intrinsic approach through a simple question builds personal buy-in without draining willpower.

A 2025 study published in BMC Psychology showed this in action: Over 1,000 adults who answered six short reflective questions (on emotions, benefits, subtasks, and rewards) cut procrastination, boosted motivation and mood, and increased task starts—far more than the control group who merely listed tasks or received neutral prompts.

We are tapping the brain's natural "expected value of control" system. Practical, sustainable, and effective. So not Scrooge McDuck, but Savvy Sage. 


My mindful invitation to you this week:

  • Next time you procrastinate or are at a crossroads having to make a decision, ask yourself: "What does it cost me?" And: "Am I willing to pay the price?"

  • Choose your option. Act on it.

  • Notice what that feels like.

I'll give you another quote:
 

"Begin again 
— not next week,
not after you've prepared,
but now.

Because this is it.
Not the rehearsal.
Not the rough draft.
But the fleeting, brilliant, fragile now."
— Miles Foronda
 

This is your time!

With a positive balance sheet

Yours

Mel

Resources and Inspiration:

✼ Sophia ✼ https://sophiaeveline.com
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