hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're going to learn how to stop procrastinating number
one prevent goal habituation so what's the best way to work or study for long periods
of time without losing focus way back in 2010 a group of researchers asked the same question
then they hypothesized that you can actually maintain focus or vigilance as they called it
by taking short periodic breaks throughout your workday during those breaks it's important that
you take a complete mental detour well in other words you shift your attention toward something
different from what you've been working on this change in focus prevents a decline in
focus and performance called goal habituation goal habituation is when working for an extended period
causes your brain to view your work just like a habit if something becomes habitual your brain
attributes fewer resources to it the process starts to feel automatic which essentially
ruins your concentration oftentimes people think losing focus means you've run out of attention but
attention doesn't function like the gas in your car or the charge of a battery you can't run out
of it losing focus just means that your attention is drifting towards something else so instead of
giving a hundred percent of your attention to your work it may be split 50-50 between work and some
event that you're excited to go to when your work feels like a habit this split gets more and more
distracting but how does your work become a habit in the first place well think about what happens
when you buy a new piece of furniture let's say you get a new couch for your living room now at
first it's going to feel weird every time you walk into the room and see that new couch right it's
a novel stimulus so your brains naturally excited by it but over time your brain will care less and
less until that couch eventually blends into the background researchers discovered that this also
happens when you work for long periods of time at first the work seems new and stimulating but
your brain will get used to it it will lose that special meaning it had in the beginning
so your attention just starts to shift unless you can do something to interrupt the process
that's where these brief diversions come into play they keep your brain from making a habit
out of your work in that way when your break ends your work will feel like a brand new and exciting
stimulus again now it won't feel as exciting as it did the very first time but researchers still
predicted that these breaks will significantly slow down goal habituation and you know what
they were exactly right in their 2010 study two groups of people were given a memorization task
to perform throughout the day one group took zero breaks while the other used these brief
scheduled detours as you might expect the first group showed major declines in performance in
general they were tired they were bored and they had trouble concentrating overtime but the second
group on the other hand saw minimal differences in performance their focus and sharpness remained
consistent throughout the entire task why well because those short breaks prevented
goal habituation from taking its toll each break refreshed their concentration by giving their
attention the chance to focus on something new so the next time you've got hours and hours of
work to do don't knock it all out in one sitting use these short but substantial diversions to stay
focused and perform at your best number two the tomorrow list an innovative strategy to avoid
procrastination is to create something called a tomorrow list everyone's heard of a daily to-do
list right well they're lists of assignments commitments and chores that you want to get
done that day the goal is to help you keep track of everything that you're supposed to be doing and
that way nothing slips through the cracks tomorrow lists works a little bit differently instead of
writing down what your going to do today just write down everything you've been putting off
until tomorrow in other words focus on the goals that you've been hesitating to pursue focus on
the opportunities that you've been ignoring yeah you know you want to do them you've spent plenty
of time thinking about them but every time you're about to get started on one you might say actually
I'll just do that tomorrow just take all those things that you've been procrastinating over and
stick them on your tomorrow list so no matter how big or small they are it's important that you put
them down on paper lay out every passion project that you've dreamt of starting write down every
career that you hope to have once you've got that done it's time to take action pick just one item
on your tomorrow list and add it to your to-do list it doesn't really matter which one it is
it could be the tiniest easiest thing on there all that really matters is that you're crossing
stuff off you're finally addressing the things that you've been procrastinating over yeah it'll
be challenging at first but the longer you keep this up the easier it will get to face your fears
and accomplish your goals number three scale your mountains have you ever heard the phrase you're
making mountains out of mole hills it means you're taking something small and blowing it out of
proportion this is extremely common among people who struggle with both focus and procrastination
when you put off the same responsibilities day after day who they get bigger and much scarier
the actual jobs seem more challenging than they did before it feels like everything that you've
been doing has been building up to this moment when you're dealing with that kind of pressure
anyone would have trouble getting started but the truth is your responsibilities haven't changed at
all your mountains are still mole hills even if you can't see them that way so to keep yourself
from procrastinating just take a realistic look at the top three things that you've been avoiding do
a little bit of research figure out what each one actually entails a step-by-step guide if
that's something you find helpful most of the time you'll discover that this giant roadblock
in your life is really nothing to be scared of that realization makes all the difference when
you're ready to tackle your goals not only does it raise your confidence but it also gives you the
courage to overcome any new obstacles that you might face in the future number four imagining
accomplishments when facing a new challenge you might spend the majority of your time focusing
on how terrible it's going to be how much work is going to be involved how many times you're
going to fail your mind is so preoccupied by this negativity that you forget about the most
rewarding part of the process what will it feel like when you finally achieve your goals how proud
and confident will you be when you overcome those obstacles that you've been afraid of for so long
if you want to avoid procrastination try shifting your emotional attention instead of constantly
thinking about the beginning or the middle concentrate on the end results let that potential
for positivity motivate you to push through the rough patches you know it's almost like bribing
your brain the same way you'd offer ice cream to a little kid after going to the doctor it's
not the most sophisticated strategy in the world but it doesn't have to be because it works and
it works well so if you want to accomplish your goals making progress is more important than how
you motivate yourself at least in the beginning stages self-discipline is something you have to
build over time it requires years of practice but you'll never be able to learn self-discipline if
you're constantly procrastinating so just use this simple strategy to get things started accomplish
something that you want to accomplish then work on improving your self-discipline the next time
around number five built-in confusion we often expect ourselves to enter new territory with a
plan of action to have it all figured out before we even think about getting started without that
all inclusive plan you might feel too unprepared or intimidated to tackle your goals so you just
wait around for that moment of clarity to come along and to show you what to do but this isn't
any different than procrastination because that plan won't magically come to you in a dream it's
something that you have to work for and figure out for yourself in fact the first step toward
any goal is to be confused yeah you have to spend that initial chunk of time deciphering what you're
supposed to be doing otherwise you'll never get anywhere so how does this information keep you
from procrastinating well let's say you want to start and finish a jigsaw puzzle so what's the
first step before you ever put two pieces together you have to open the box turn all the pieces over
and get an idea of what you're supposed to be making my point is that if you're figuring out
what you're doing you've already started working toward your goals you've gotten past that first
roadblock executing your plan is really step two if you're confused it means you're on your way
toward achieving your goals just remember that confusion doesn't disappear the moment you put
your plan into action you'll have to restructure and rethink your plan every step of the way
everyone even the most successful people get confused on a daily basis no strategy is perfect
and no one has it all figured out so look just do your best and progress will come hey thank you
for watching top think and be sure to subscribe because more incredible content is on the way