Procrastination

Have you tried "mindfulness" and/or "meditation" (which is a more pronounced form of mindfulness)? Procrastination often stems from the mind taking the path of least resistance, which is often just the "monkey mind" taking over. Avoiding this and getting into the "zone" or a state of "flow" can benefit from a better environment, but ultimately comes down to a person's state of mind, which is based on their thoughts, which is based on their feelings, which is based on their energy, which is based on their physiology. Therefore, the first recommended trick of paying attention to developing deep (large) rhythmic breathing not only brings a person back to the present moment, it is one easy thing that can affect physiology as well. In other words, try less to avoid procrastination, but rather fill the time with productivity.

Disclaimer: much easier said than done.

 

Yeah, that first version was rather too condensed. I was trying to make it fit within a profile comment. Here's another attempt, but this is strictly all based on my own readings and observations and not on any qualified opinion so I'll try to give references instead.

Another way to ask how to procrastinate less is: how can I be more productive? There is nothing wrong with some procrastination as it could simply be healthy diversion and a chance for the mind to rest. Sometimes, though, it can get out of hand and in the way of other objectives. These can be short-term or long-term objectives and for each there are separate yet similar solutions. Here is a TED Talk that concludes that one trick is to panic yourself into productivity. Even if you just want to get fit or start a company, you could try and see how little time you really have. But this is not my personal favourite. Instead, I think there are tools, understanding, and tricks that can be employed that also don't freak you out.

One trick you can try is simply removing the chance for excuses from what you want to accomplish. For example, set out your gym clothes the night before and in the morning just put them on before you have time to realize what you're doing. Another one is to simplify the task so much that it no longer feels like work. Example, agree with yourself that you're just going to go outside in your gym outfit. You'll then realize that, okay, now that I'm already outside (or at the gym, etc.) I might as well try and run a little bit or lift some weights. But there is no obligation to do so and tomorrow is another day so you don't need to over commit. Another trick is to associate bad things with the stuff you want to avoid and associate good things with the habits you want to form. Something to remember is that a person cannot eliminate a habit - they can only replace a habit with another one. So perhaps if you want to quit smoking you can think about early death or the stench that comes with smoking and every time you have a craving to smoke you can instead read a bit of an awesome novel and think about the pleasure of the excitement in the story.

The best book I found for long-term projects though is The War of Art by Steven Pressfield. He talks about how some people like to talk about being an author or an athlete, but they only do it on weekends, whereas the professionals do it everyday and talk much less about it. Just like a professional doctor goes to work on time and has specific routines, a professional freelancer must act with similar codes of conduct. It's easy to listen to the devil on your shoulder that says take a break, but if you want to stop procrastinating, you need to act with discipline. Again, there are some tricks you can do like surrounding yourself with other professionals, knowing your limitations and getting the help you need or delegating, or even having a coach or someone to be accountable to (like a surrogate boss).

Even more fundamental to creating a productive mindset is to know why you're doing what you want to do. If you want to sell yourself on an idea (or sell someone else on something) you can try out the book Start with Why by Simon Sinek. There's a TED Talk on that book too here. Essentially he is saying that because we have three brains (lizard, mammal, human), we must communicate in a fashion that respects that our lizard brain needs to understand why we're doing something (or else it may just want to go get another treat). If you start off by concentrating on what the task (or product) is, everyone including yourself is likely to tune out. Another TED Talk, this time on biohacking gives another insight on how your lizard brain needs to be fed first.

If it is fear that is holding you back, then you can try one of these two books that I haven't read yet, but that I've heard recommended: Risk by Dan Gardner and Make Change Work for You by Scott Steinberg. Essentially, negative emotions inhibit us - that seems normal. Thus, in order to achieve success, positive emotions are much more constructive. These books probably talk about reframing (that is to say, taking different perspectives). Something I have learned and proven to myself is that happiness leads to success, not the other way around.

These references are all great, but maybe they can be summarized by having the right state of mind and the right state of body to support that state of mind. By state of mind, the trick is to focus on what you do want rather than on what you don't want. Focus on the positive rather than the negative; that the glass is half full rather than half empty. Just like habits, you can only replace beliefs with other beliefs. A belief is an idea that is supported by evidence. Thus, you have to look for the bright side of things to form beliefs that help instead of hinder you.

The thing that was learned from the concept of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy was that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviour are all connected. So it is hard to think positive when you don't feel positive, and it's hard to feel positive when you're slouched over in pain or just still sulking in bed. Since the three are connected, some theorists claim that you can think yourself out of the bad feelings with either distractions, gratitude, or attitude, but I think it's easier to start with the body. Of course if you're sick you need to deal with that first, but then better posture, better food, etc. can make it much easier to have better feelings and then better thoughts.

What I was alluding to in the first message in this thread is that whether it is our monkey mind (i.e. unsupportive or negative thoughts) that lead to procrastination or negative feelings (like anxiety or fear) that lead to an inability to perform well, we can overcome them with mindfulness. Some of this stems from yet another TED Talk that argues (with a live experiment) that simple mindful breathing can lower heart rate variability and thus put you in a more powerful position to perform well. Another very short video here, this time explained by a monk, talks about how mindful breathing (even one short breath) can quite the monkey mind. So now we have come full circle.

 

Yeah, there are a lot of misconceptions out there. I'm still trying to figure this stuff out too.

I believe that there are two aspects to mindfulness and meditation though. Meditation is something that can be done with dedicated time and then the benefits can be felt in more mental clarity through the other times. Whereas mindfulness is something to do in the moment to gain control of the present moment (and avert thoughts of the past or the future).

That being said, my favourite little meditation tool is still the One-Moment Mediation, for which there is a short and well explained YouTube video here. And, like for everything, there's an app for that too (here).

I would love to hear about other tricks or just what people think of these summaries.