厄班曾通过一个形象的故事，用来解释拖延的内部机制。他将那个总是让人们分心的部分，想象成一只“即时满足猴”（Instant Gratification Monkey），这只猴子只关心眼前的快乐，不记得过去吃过的亏，也不愿意想象以后会付出的代价。它会说，“上网几分钟没关系”，然后这只猴子就会把人拉进“黑暗的游乐场”（The Dark Playground）。

而在这个“黑暗的游乐场”里，各种娱乐应有尽有，好看的视频、好玩的游戏、有趣的购物软件等等，反正每一样都比眼前的任务要轻松。但人被这只“猴子”拉进里面，并不是真的快乐。一边刷视频，一边感到内疚、焦虑，甚至自我厌恶，心里很清楚自己不该待在这里。那个游乐场之所以叫“黑暗的游乐场”，就是因为它表面上像娱乐，但其实就是逃避。

It requires some time, usually up to an hour a day. That’s genuinely too much for some people, and if you work 80 hour weeks and/or have infants ricocheting around your home like screaming DVD logos, then you may want to put this ambition aside for now and deal with that instead. If on the other hand you spend any amount of time each day scrolling your phone while Netflix plays something you’re half-watching on a screen across the room, you do have time!