32 - Summing Up Procrastination

Learning well often involves bit by bit,

day by day building of solid neural scaffolds,

rather like a weightlifter builds muscle with day to day exercise.

This is why tackling procrastination is so incredibly important.

You want to keep up with your learning and avoid last minute cramming.

So, with that, here’s an overview of the key aspects of tackling procrastination.

Keep a planner journal so you can easily track when

you reach your goals and observe what does and doesn’t work.

Commit yourself to certain routines and tasks each day.

Write your plan tasks out the night before so

your brain has time to dwell on your goals and help ensure success.

Arrange your work into a series of small challenges.

Always make sure you and your zombies get lots of rewards.

Take a few minutes to savor the feelings of happiness and triumph,

which also gives your brain a chance to temporarily change modes.

Deliberately delay rewards until you finish the task.

Watch for procrastination cues.

Try putting yourself in new surroundings with

few procrastination cues such as the quiet section of the library.

Gain trust in your new system.

You want to work hard during times of focused concentration and

also to trust your system enough so that when it comes time to relax,

you actually relax without feelings of guilt or worry.

Have backup plans for when you still procrastinate.

No one is perfect after all.

Eat your frogs first every day.

Happy experimenting.

I’m Barbara Oakley.

Thanks for learning how to learn.