How to Stop Procrastination & Increase Motivation | Dr. Andrew Huberman | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR

To overcome procrastination, engage in activities that are more effortful or uncomfortable than the state of procrastination itself, leveraging the dopamine system's response to pain and difficulty.

Key Insights

• 🧠 Key Insight 1: The depth of the trough after a dopamine peak is proportional to the intensity and speed of that peak. The rate at which one gets out of the trough is also proportional to the steepness of the trough.
• 🚀 Key Insight 2: Engaging in activities that are harder or more effortful than procrastinating can help overcome procrastination faster. These activities should be challenging but not harmful or damaging.
• 💥 Key Insight 3: The dopamine system is influenced by what feels hard or easy in the moment. To combat amotivation and procrastination, one needs to push themselves into a state of discomfort that is harder than the current state.
• 🛀 Key Insight 4: Tangential activities or tasks unrelated to the main goal can be used to quickly shift oneself out of an amotivated state. For example, taking a cold shower or engaging in a significantly uncomfortable task can help increase motivation.
• ⚡ Key Insight 5: Limbic friction, which can be caused by tiredness or anxiety, can hinder progress and motivation. Overcoming limbic friction requires either energizing oneself or calming oneself depending on the situation.
• 🔥 Key Insight 6: A technique to motivate exercise is to start with a small milestone, such as exercising for just one minute. The successful completion of these small milestones can build momentum to continue exercising.
• ❄️ Key Insight 7: For individuals who struggle with motivation even after completing small milestones, engaging in a tangential task that is worse than being unmotivated can be helpful. Deliberate cold exposure, like cold showers or ice baths, can act as a more unpleasant task to overcome procrastination. ⏰ Key Insight 8: Waiting for procrastination to naturally disappear or relying on external deadlines is not the most efficient approach. It is better to actively take steps to get out of the state of amotivation and procrastination quickly.

Transcript

So how can we overcome procrastination? Well, it turns out that there are findings from within the addiction literature that turn out to be very powerful towards leveraging our way out of procrastination. And it has to do with this, you already know, because I've told you probably a dozen times now, that the depth of the trough after a dopamine pea... Read More

Questions & Answers

Q: How does the intensity of dopamine peaks and troughs affect our motivation?

The depth of the dopamine trough after a peak of motivation is directly related to the intensity and steepness of the peak. Similarly, the rate at which we recover from the trough is proportional to how steep the trough is, indicating that a steeper trough will lead to a faster recovery.

Q: What are some strategies to overcome procrastination?

One effective strategy is to engage in activities that are more effortful or uncomfortable than the state of procrastination itself. By doing something that requires more effort or is even mildly painful, we can rebound ourselves out of the dopamine trough more quickly.

Q: How can engaging in a task that is more painful help with procrastination?

When we engage in a task that is more effortful or uncomfortable than the state of procrastination, it creates limbic friction, which stimulates the dopamine system. This pain or discomfort pushes us out of the trough faster, helping us overcome procrastination.

Q: Can you provide an example of how to implement this strategy?

If you find yourself procrastinating and engaged in irrelevant tasks, you can put yourself in a state of discomfort by doing something tangential to your goal or by exposing yourself to cold water. By doing so, you create limbic friction, which helps you rebound out of the dopamine trough and overcome procrastination.

Q: Is waiting for procrastination to go away a viable solution?

Waiting for procrastination to evaporate on its own may work eventually, but it's not an efficient strategy. It's better to take action to get out of the state of procrastination quickly by engaging in activities that create discomfort or effort, leveraging the dopamine system's response to pain and difficulty.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• The depth of the dopamine trough after a peak of motivation is proportional to the intensity and steepness of the peak.

• The rate at which you recover from the trough is also dependent on how steep the trough is.

• Engaging in activities that are more effortful or uncomfortable than the state of procrastination helps to overcome it more quickly.