5 Ways to (Actually) Fight Procrastination

Summary

In this Park Notes video, host Parker Scott explores five strategies from Cal Newport's book to combat procrastination. Key tips include keeping a work progress log for self-awareness, maintaining proper nutrition to sustain energy, making a big deal out of the most daunting tasks for accountability, establishing a routine to protect time for tasks, and planning intense workdays to tackle challenging projects. The video offers practical advice to enhance productivity and intellectual goals.

Takeaways

• 📝 Keep a work progress log to track daily tasks and identify procrastination patterns.
• 💧 Stay hydrated by drinking water constantly to maintain mental energy.
• ☕ Monitor caffeine intake to avoid crashes and maintain productivity.
• 🍽 Treat food as fuel for energy, avoiding heavy meals that can lead to sluggishness.
• 🚫 Don't skip meals, as they are essential for providing the body with energy for the mind to work well.
• 📅 Make an event out of the worst tasks to create accountability and motivation.
• 🗓️ Build a routine by setting aside specific times for cognitively demanding tasks to reduce the likelihood of procrastination.
• 🌞 Schedule difficult tasks for the morning when mental clarity is typically at its peak.
• 📈 Plan for hard days in advance to manage workload and avoid last-minute stress.
• 🤔 Consider intermittent fasting as a personal strategy for maintaining mental clarity, though it may not be suitable for everyone.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is fighting procrastination, specifically discussing five ways to combat it as outlined in Cal Newport's book 'How to Become a Straight A Student'.

What is the first tip for fighting procrastination mentioned in the video?

The first tip for fighting procrastination is to keep a work progress log, which helps in tracking tasks and increasing self-awareness about one's productivity.

How does keeping a work progress log help in fighting procrastination?

A work progress log helps by showing how much time is wasted on procrastination and whether tasks are being completed. It provides a clear view of daily productivity and can motivate better time management.

What is the second tip for fighting procrastination discussed by Parker?

The second tip is to feed the machine, meaning to maintain high energy levels to avoid procrastination, which includes drinking water constantly, monitoring caffeine intake, treating food as a source of energy, and not skipping meals.

What is Parker's opinion on Cal Newport's nutritional advice?

Parker suggests taking the nutritional advice with a grain of salt, especially considering the book's age and the fact that nutritional advice can vary widely. However, he agrees that taking care of one's body is important for mental productivity.

What is the third tip for fighting procrastination?

The third tip is to make an event out of the worst tasks. This involves telling people about a difficult task, planning to work on it somewhere out of the way, and committing to a specific time to work on it to create a sense of accountability.

Why is it suggested to tell people about a difficult task?

Telling people about a difficult task creates accountability, which can motivate one to complete the task and avoid embarrassment or the need to explain why it wasn't done.

What is the fourth tip for fighting procrastination?

The fourth tip is to build a routine by setting aside and protecting certain hours of the day for cognitively demanding tasks, ideally in the morning when one is most alert.

Why is it recommended to do cognitively demanding tasks in the morning?

It is recommended to do cognitively demanding tasks in the morning because many people are naturally more alert and focused during this time, and there are fewer distractions compared to the afternoons and evenings.

What is the fifth and final tip for fighting procrastination?

The fifth tip is to choose your hard days, which means planning for days when you will focus on completing difficult tasks or projects, but spacing them out so they don't occur back-to-back.

How can planning hard days in advance help with procrastination?

Planning hard days in advance helps by providing a clear timeline and goal for completing significant tasks. It reduces the stress of last-minute work and allows for additional time to refine and improve the work.

What does Parker suggest about mixing time block logging with bullet journals?

Parker suggests that one can mix time block logging with bullet journaling to effectively organize and schedule tasks, which can be a powerful strategy to combat procrastination.

What is Parker's personal experience with intermittent fasting and its effect on mental clarity?

Parker shares that he has been intermittent fasting for two to three years and finds that his best mental clarity is from waking up to lunchtime when he is not eating. He feels alert and productive during this fasting period.

Outlines

00:00

📝 Combating Procrastination with Work Progress Logs

The video begins by discussing the detrimental effects of procrastination on productivity. The speaker introduces himself as Parker, a philosopher, and the aim of his channel, Park Notes, which is to help viewers study, think, and read deeply. He then dives into the first of five strategies to fight procrastination from Cal Newport's book, 'How to Become a Straight-A Student'. The first tip is to maintain a work progress log, which involves noting down daily tasks in a notebook and marking them off as completed. This practice is suggested to increase self-awareness about time spent procrastinating versus being productive. Parker also suggests integrating time blocking into this log, assigning specific tasks to certain time blocks of the day to enhance productivity. He shares his personal preference for using notebooks and how this method has been beneficial for him.

05:01

🥗 Feeding the Mind: Nutritional Tips to Avoid Procrastination

The second paragraph focuses on the role of nutrition in combating procrastination. Parker outlines four nutritional rules from Cal Newport's book to maximize mental energy. These include staying hydrated, monitoring caffeine intake to avoid crashes, treating food as a source of energy rather than satisfaction, and not skipping meals. However, Parker shares his personal experience with intermittent fasting, suggesting that it has helped him maintain mental clarity. He emphasizes the importance of finding a nutritional routine that works for each individual to support both body and mind in avoiding procrastination.

10:01

🗓️ Prioritizing Difficult Tasks with Public Commitment

In the third paragraph, Parker discusses the strategy of making an event out of the most daunting tasks to avoid procrastination. He suggests publicizing these tasks to create a sense of accountability, which can motivate one to complete the task. The idea is to schedule these tasks in a way that makes it inconvenient to leave and return, thus encouraging focus and completion. Parker appreciates this approach and often uses it by working in locations that require a significant time investment to reach, thereby committing to the task for the day. However, he differs with Newport on the approach of talking negatively about the task, preferring to maintain a positive outlook to enhance motivation.

⏰ Building Routines to Structure Learning Time

The fourth tip presented in the script is about building routines to structure learning time effectively. Parker explains that late afternoons and evenings are often prone to distractions, making it harder to focus on cognitively demanding tasks. He suggests shifting these tasks to the mornings and protecting these early hours from procrastination. By establishing a routine and dedicating specific hours each week to the same type of work, one can create a structured learning environment that fosters productivity. Parker shares his personal experience with designing self-learning courses and how creating a routine helped him stay ahead in his academic pursuits.

💪 Planning for Hard Days to Overcome Procrastination

The final paragraph addresses the inevitability of hard days in one's intellectual pursuits and suggests planning for them to prevent procrastination. Parker recommends looking ahead at one's calendar and scheduling hard days, during which one can focus on completing challenging tasks or projects. He advises spacing these hard days far apart to avoid burnout and to allow time for revision and improvement. Parker shares his own method of pretending that deadlines are earlier than they are, which motivates him to complete major tasks ahead of time, giving him additional time to refine his work.

Keywords

💡Procrastination

Procrastination refers to the act of delaying or postponing tasks or actions, often leading to decreased productivity. In the context of the video, it is presented as a common enemy that hinders task completion and intellectual goals. The script discusses various strategies to combat procrastination and increase productivity.

💡Productivity

Productivity is the efficiency of an individual's work, often measured by the amount of work done in a specific time period. The video's theme revolves around enhancing productivity by overcoming procrastination. It suggests that managing procrastination can lead to more efficient work and the accomplishment of intellectual goals.

💡Work Progress Log

A work progress log is a tool used to track the tasks completed throughout the day. In the video, it is recommended as a method to fight procrastination by providing self-awareness of one's work habits. By logging tasks and marking them as completed, individuals can reflect on their productivity and identify instances of procrastination.

💡Time Block Logging

Time block logging is a technique where the workday is divided into scheduled blocks of time, each dedicated to specific tasks. The video mentions this as an advanced method of work progress logging, which can help in planning and allocating time for tasks, thereby reducing the urge to procrastinate.

💡Nutritional Rules

Nutritional rules mentioned in the video refer to guidelines for maintaining mental energy through proper hydration, caffeine intake, and food consumption. These rules are suggested to reduce low energy levels that can lead to procrastination, by ensuring that the body and mind are well-nourished to perform optimally.

💡Accountability

Accountability in the video script refers to the idea that making one's intentions known to others can create a sense of obligation to follow through on those intentions. It is suggested as a strategy to avoid procrastination by setting up a situation where one feels responsible to others for completing a task.

💡Event

In the context of the video, making an 'event' out of the worst tasks means treating a difficult task as a significant occasion that requires dedicated time and focus. This strategy is used to fight procrastination by creating a sense of importance and urgency around the task, making it less likely to be postponed.

💡Routine

A routine in the video refers to a regular pattern of behavior or way of doing things that helps to structure one's day and protect time for cognitively demanding tasks. Building a routine can help prevent procrastination by establishing predictable times for work, making it a habitual part of one's schedule.

💡Hard Days

Hard days, as discussed in the video, are periods set aside for tackling challenging tasks or projects that require intense focus and effort. Planning for these hard days can help manage procrastination by dedicating specific times to complete difficult work, thus preventing it from overwhelming regular work schedules.

💡Self-Talk

Self-talk in the video refers to the internal dialogue one has with oneself, which can be positive or negative. Positive self-talk is emphasized as a strategy to combat procrastination by encouraging oneself to believe in the ability to complete tasks, as opposed to focusing on the difficulty of the task.

Highlights

Procrastination can hinder productivity but might also lead to creative ideas.

Introduction to five ways to fight procrastination from 'How to Become a Straight A Student' by Cal Newport.

The book is based on interviews with straight A students and the author's insights.

First tip: Keep a work progress log to track daily tasks and procrastination.

Using a notebook can help manage tasks and fight the urge to procrastinate.

Combining time block logging with a bullet journal can be an effective strategy.

Second tip: Maintaining good nutrition can help fight procrastination.

Drinking water and monitoring caffeine intake are key nutritional tips.

Treating food as a source of energy, not satisfaction, can boost productivity.

Intermittent fasting can provide mental clarity for some individuals.

Third tip: Make an event out of the worst tasks to increase accountability.

Creating a sense of commitment by telling others about a task can help avoid procrastination.

Fourth tip: Build a routine to protect time for cognitively demanding tasks.

Designating specific times for certain tasks can make them a habit.

Fifth tip: Choose your hard days to tackle challenging tasks.

Planning for hard days can prevent them from catching you off guard.

Spacing out hard days can help manage stress and improve task completion.

Invitation for viewers to share their thoughts on the video and tips.

Encouragement for viewers to comment with their own tips for fighting procrastination.

Transcripts

procrastination saps productivity now

maybe there are good times to

procrastinate maybe that can help you

come up with new and fascinating ideas

but when you need to get some tasks done

procrastination is the enemy so if

you're anything like me then you need

some help fighting procrastination hey

welcome to park notes I'm Parker head a

case I'm a philosopher and this is a

channel where I help you study think and

read more deeply in this video I'm going

to cover five ways to fight

procrastination from K newport's book

How to Become a Straight A Student this

is a pretty old book but there's still

some gems hidden in here and so I've

been mining this looking for new ways to

fight procrastination help me be more

productive and help me accomplish my

intellectual goals I think Cal wrote

this book when he was in grad school or

when he just finished grad school he

surveyed a bunch of straight A students

from undergrad and then he coated all

their responses and added his own wisdom

and turned it into a book so in here he

gives five ways to fight procrastination

now I don't wholly agree with all five

of his ways as I go through all five of

his ways I'll let you know where I

disagree and maybe that'll be

instructive for you so make sure you

watch the whole video so you get all

five tips for fighting procrastination

let's Jump Right In okay so the first

tip to fight procrastination is to keep

a work progress log one of the problems

with procrastination is that it often

hides from us we're not always aware

that we're procrastinating in the moment

but even if we are we often don't know

how much we've procrastinated in a given

day keeping a work progress log can show

you how much you've been procrastinating

this idea is super simple you just get

yourself a notebook and each morning you

list off all the tasks that you have to

do for that day throughout the day as

you complete those tasks put a check

next to them or an axe or a line through

them show yourself that you've completed

them and then come back at the end of

the day and see how much progress you've

made on all of your tasks now maybe this

will show you that you actually are

crushing it and you don't need to worry

about the little amount of

procrastination you've been doing

alternatively maybe it'll show you that

you just have too many tasks that you're

trying to accomplish each day and it's

overwhelming or just not feasible or

possible free to do all those tasks in a

given day but it also might show you

that you're wasting the time that you

have to accomplish these tasks by

procrastinating so keeping a work

progress log is a good way to gain some

self- knowledge how am I spending my

time do I have realistic goals and is

procrastination destroying those goals

now I think this is the best tip that

Cal offers but this is the park notes

Channel I'm kind of obsessed with

notebooks I think they're one of the

most beneficial tools for aiding your

intellectual life and since Cal wrote

this book he has become a major

proponent of time block logging where

you look at your working day and you

block off each section and you get a

name to it this is what I'm doing in

this hour block or this half hour block

or this 90-minute block then you can

actually plug your tasks from your task

list into different blocks so you show

yourself here's where I'm going to try

to actually finish these tasks I think

you can mix this with a bullet Journal

as well especially bullet Journal

notation and I think this is a really

easy way to fight procrastination you

see all the tasks that you have to

accomplish you've given them each a time

of the day to work on them and so you

know right now if I'm scrolling through

my phone instead of working on this this

task I don't have any other time

throughout the day to complete it so I

better stop scrolling on my phone now I

did a whole video on how you can mix and

match time block Logs with bullet

journals if you want to see more on that

check out this video up here but that's

tip number one keep a work progress log

use a notebook to keep track of your day

and fight the urge to procrastinate tip

number two to fight procrastination is

feed the machine low energy breeds

procrastination now when it comes to

nutritional tips I'm a little bit uneasy

nutrition is like the wild west I think

everyone's got an opinion people keep

giving contrary advice and this book is

from 2007 so definitely take this advice

with a grain of salt or not if you're

like low sodium diet or something

anyways here are Cal's four nutritional

rules for maximizing mental energy tip

one is drink water constantly now I

generally think that's a good rule drink

a lot of water stay hydrated it's good

for your brain rule two monitor your

caffeine intake so this one's really big

for me if I end up having too much

coffee I'm going to crash and be super

unproductive for the rest of the day

I've noticed that this happens if I

drink coffee too early in the day I've

heard that you should avoid drinking

caffeine for the first 60 to 90 minutes

after waking up let your body wake up

itself and then you can have your

caffeine after your body's already

naturally woken up I've heard this will

help you avoid a crash later in the

afternoon as well rule three treat food

as a source of energy not satisfaction

so when it's productivity time food is

just fuel don't eat something big and

heavy that's going to mess with your

brain something that's going to make you

all sluggish for me if I have a lot of

carbs a lot of sugar then I'm going to

feel super lethar IC afterwards so I've

actually been trying glucose hacks this

is supposed to help stop insulin spikes

you can check out the glucose goddess

method for more on that I feel a little

bit weird saying yeah I follow the

glucose goddess method but it is what it

is you can find that book in the

description if you're interested at all

and then rule number four is don't skip

meals now I actually think this is

exactly wrong I've been intermittent

fasting for like two or 3 years now and

I find my best mental Clarity is from

when I wake up to lunchtime because I'm

not eating at all I'm just drinking

water and coffee I feel good I feel

alert and my mind comes alive every time

I step off of this pattern of fasting

and I eat breakfast I end up losing that

mental Clarity so that works for me you

might try it yourself but whatever the

case you can take or leave these

individual rules but the main sentiment

remains true you are a body and a mind

and they work together they interact

with each other so you have to take care

of your body if you want your mind to

work well so get your nutrition right do

what works for you and help your mind

avoid procrastination so tip number

three for fighting procrastination is to

make an event out of the worst tasks so

you have your task list you have your

work calendar you have your course

syllabus and the schedule for the full

semester whatever the case you know

there are big things coming that you

will definitely be tempted to

procrastinate on Kel says make an event

out of your worst tasks He suggests

telling people about this task maybe

even talking up how bad it is and then

plan to go somewhere to go work on it

somewhere kind of out of the way so it's

a hassle for you to leave and come back

so you won't be tempted to bail on that

time that you've allotted for that

difficult task the reasoning goes like

this if you tell a bunch of people hey

on next Tuesday I'm going to accomplish

this task it's a bear it's going to take

me all afternoon but I'm going over to

that coffee shop Two Towns over and I'm

going to hammer it until it's done then

there will be a certain level of

accountability they will hold you to

that and maybe they don't even need to

follow up with you maybe just telling

them is enough to signal to yourself hey

I I better get this done I don't want to

be embarrassed I don't want them to have

to follow up with me and me tell them oh

no I actually didn't get that done I

procrastinated all day so I actually

really love this suggestion I do this

often I have a couple places that are a

half hour away from me to an hour away

from me so it's a little bit of a drive

and this gives me like a burn the boats

kind of mentality there's no way I'm

driving all the way back an hour and

then try to go back again no I'm out

there for the day I'm out there until I

get enough of this project done that I

need to get done I also like the idea of

telling people that I'm doing this one

might be for safety hey this is where

I'm at but two is hey on this day I'm

going to be unreachable I have to get a

of this project done I have to get a

bunch of this idea down on paper I have

something that I'm doing all afternoon

or all day so if you send me a DM an

email a text there are so many different

ways that I get messages today if you

send me one of those on this day don't

expect me to get back to you right away

so I love to get out to one of these

spots turn off my phone and then just

dial in and get to work on what I need

to do this is often essential for me to

get big tasks done now I disagree with

Cal on talking up how bad this task is

going to be if I do that that it's just

going to make it worse for me the more I

say this is difficult and hard and man I

hate doing this kind of stuff the less I

want to get this task done man if it's

really that bad I'll just find a way out

of it so I may say that this is

difficult or hard or it's not my

favorite thing to do but I like to

emphasize when talking with others that

this is manageable I can get it done if

I go out there and give it the time

required to get it done I'm definitely

going to get it done that kind of

positive selft talk is really helpful

for me so I don't recommend you talk up

how difficult and hard the task is going

to be but again to each his own okay so

tip number four to fight procrastination

is to build a routine Cal Newport and

the students that he interviewed all

argue that time in the late afternoon

and early evening is super susceptible

to being globbed on to by other things

other than the tasks that you need to

get done now maybe your unique life

situation makes it so that you can only

do your cognitively demanding tasks at

night but if you can't avoid it then

shift that kind of work to the mornings

I think there actually is some

literature on doing cognitively

demanding things early in the morning

for best results but I don't know I'm

not an expert on that and I feel like

this literature changes a lot

anecdotally I'll say that I do my best

work a half hour to an hour after I wake

up all the way through noon or like 1:30

I can force myself to do cognitively

demanding things after that but it's

much more of a SLO and it takes much

more effort to do but even if that

weren't a psycho physiological type

thing still people want to hang out with

you in the afternoons you want to leave

your work you want to leave your class

you want to go hang out with friends and

family and see your kids whatever the

case afternoons and nights are harder to

protect for cognitively demanding tasks

and it's much easier to procrastinate

once the sun goes down try to set aside

and protect those earlier hours he also

recommends using those hours to do the

same kinds of work every week so maybe

you look at your schedule and you say

Hey Monday Wednesday Friday I have an

hour and a half in the morning that I

can set aside to study this to work on

this project to learn this new skill and

you make that your learning time your

progress time your getting your tasks

done time there's something about making

it a routine that really helps this is

not my time to procrastinate this is my

time to do X Y or Z I know that cuz I do

it every Monday Wednesday Friday or I do

it every single day or I do it every

weekday now I love this tip this has

been really helpful for me as I designed

my own University style courses to teach

myself new things before I went to grad

school I spent 5 years teaching myself

the kinds of things I'd go on to learn

in my three master's degrees this helped

me a ton it put me ahead of a lot of my

classmates and it put me in touch with a

lot of my professor's Works before I

even knew them I would set apart days

where I'm studying philosophy or

specifically logic or Systematic

Theology or the works of Cs lwis I made

my own courses and pretended I was in my

own University and then I scheduled out

class periods to watch YouTube videos

and I scheduled study time to read and

to write it was a really helpful way to

structure my autodidactic journey my

self-learning Journey if that's

something that interests you guys I did

a whole video on that you can check that

somewhere up here so that's tip number

four build a routine look at your week

find out when you have some free time or

carve out some free time protect that

time from procrastination and use those

same hours to do the same kinds of

things to build a routine okay and last

but not least tip number five to fight

procrastination choose your hard days

sometimes in your intellectual Pursuits

you're going to have really really hard

days these are days where you have to

finish writing a paper or write a paper

from scratch been there that's terrible

you're going to have to do a lot of

study sessions you're going to have a

bunch of test on the same day or you're

at work and you got behind on a project

and you just have to buckle down settle

in and Hammer something out these kind

of days are going to come but they don't

have to catch you off guard you can plan

for them so Cal recommends looking at

your calendar and plan out those long

arduous hard days but make sure you

separate them from each other there's

nothing worse than getting blasted by

two hard days in a row set those things

far apart from each other so let's say

you're a student give yourself two or

three weeks before the end of the

semester or before that final paper's

due and use a hard day to knock out a

penultimate draft of your final paper

now you have the bulk of it complete and

in front of you and you can use those

two or three weeks to further revise it

to tune things up to get feedback from

friends and you're going to have a much

better paper I really like doing this I

used to be someone who would let

procrastination push all my assignments

right up until the due date but I

started combating this by pretending

that the due dates were two or 3 weeks

sooner than they really were then I

could still give myself that positive

you stress and I could give myself one

of those really hard days which I used

to knock out the brunt of my papers and

then I had two or three bonus weeks to

really sharpen up those papers now if

you manage your time and your tasks well

maybe you can avoid some of these hard

days but I actually like using them to

knock out a major portion of a project

or a paper or a cognitive task then I

can breathe it's not hanging over my

head as bad and I have bonus time to

tighten it up so choose your hard days

plan for them don't let them happen to

you you go and happen to them all right

so that's it there are five tips for

fighting procrastination from Cal

newport's book How to Become a Straight

A Student if you made it this far into

the video then leave me a little thinky

Emoji so I know who the real ones are

you guys are awesome if you liked this

video then make sure to leave me a like

and I want to hear from you guys leave

me a comment which tip do you think is

best or most helpful do you already use

some of these tips and if you have a tip

that is not on this list please let me

know in the comments I'm always looking

for help fighting procrastination all

right that's going to do it for now I'll

catch you guys next time