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4 Tips To Finally Get Some Work Done
If not now, when?
Have you ever read the Wait But Why series on Procrastination?
You know, every time we put off the thing we know we should be doing, for no particular reason.
I love reading about procrastination because it is just so damn relatable. We all do it, we all know we shouldn’t do it and we all want to figure out how to stop doing it.
The overarching idea is that procrastination comes from a constant battle between two parts of our brain: the limbic system (‘the Instant Gratification Monkey’) and the prefrontal cortex (‘the Rational Decision-Maker’). The limbic system is the oldest part of the brain and plays a crucial role in survival adaptation. Its focus is solely on the present. How can I feel most comfortable now? In contrast, the prefrontal cortex is the newer part of the brain that deals with higher-order brain functions like cognition and making decisions about the future.
When I’m procrastinating, I can almost hear those two parts in my brain arguing: “I’ll just do it tomorrow”, “It’s too late now to get started”, “It’s not that important anyway”, etc.
Here are some tricks I have been trying to silence the Monkey and get work done.
