Procrastination – 7 Steps to Cure

Summary

In this educational video, Dr. Jubbal from MedSchoolInsiders.com explores the science behind procrastination, introducing a motivational equation by Piers Steel. The equation, Motivation = Expectancy x Value / (Impulsiveness x Delay), helps understand the factors influencing procrastination. The video offers actionable strategies like breaking tasks into smaller steps, using the Pomodoro Technique, setting low bars, and leveraging Parkinson's Law to overcome procrastination, ultimately aiming to increase expectancy and value while minimizing impulsiveness and delay.

Takeaways

• 🧠 Procrastination is a universal challenge that affects everyone differently.
• 📚 Dr. Piers Steel's motivation equation (Motivation = Expectancy x Value / (Impulsiveness x Delay)) is a key framework for understanding procrastination.
• 🎯 Expectancy is linked to the belief in one's ability to succeed, which can reduce procrastination.
• 💰 Value is associated with the enjoyment of the task and its rewards, and increasing it can motivate action.
• 🚀 Impulsiveness is the tendency to get distracted, and reducing it can enhance focus and productivity.
• ⏳ Delay is the time until the reward is received; shorter delays can encourage quicker action.
• 📝 Breaking tasks into smaller steps can increase expectancy and make tasks seem more manageable.
• ⏱ The Pomodoro Technique can help overcome the initial resistance to starting a task by focusing on short, timed intervals.
• 🌱 Setting the bar low for starting tasks can increase expectancy and lead to exceeding initial goals.
• 🎁 Increasing the value of a task through rewards or improving the experience can combat procrastination.
• 📉 Parkinson's Law suggests that work expands to fill the time given, so creating artificial deadlines can reduce procrastination.
• 🏞️ Crafting a study environment that minimizes distractions can decrease impulsiveness and enhance productivity.
• 🔍 Understanding one's personality type can help tailor strategies to overcome procrastination effectively.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video?

The main topic of the video is the science of procrastination and providing actionable advice to overcome it.

Who is Dr. Jubbal and what is his contribution to the video?

Dr. Jubbal is the presenter of the video and contributes by explaining the science of procrastination and offering strategies to overcome it.

What equation does Piers Steel describe to understand procrastination?

Piers Steel describes the equation Motivation = Expectancy x Value / (Impulsiveness x Delay) to understand procrastination.

What does expectancy refer to in the context of the procrastination equation?

Expectancy refers to how much you expect to succeed at doing the task and thereby getting the anticipated reward.

How does the value component in the equation affect procrastination?

The value component affects procrastination by indicating how much you enjoy doing a task and how much you'll enjoy the reward; the more value, the less likely you are to procrastinate.

What is the role of impulsiveness in the procrastination equation?

Impulsiveness refers to the tendency to get distracted by other things, and it is inversely proportional to motivation, meaning high impulsivity can lead to more procrastination.

How does the delay factor influence the likelihood of procrastination?

Delay refers to the time-lapse until receiving the anticipated reward; the longer the delay, the more likely you are to procrastinate.

What actionable step is suggested to increase expectancy in the procrastination equation?

One actionable step is to break down tasks into smaller steps, which makes them seem easier to accomplish and thus increases expectancy.

Can you explain the Pomodoro Technique mentioned in the video?

The Pomodoro Technique involves working in 25-minute blocks, separated by five-minute breaks, focusing on one small task during each block to increase expectancy and reduce procrastination.

What is Parkinson’s Law and how can it be used to combat procrastination?

Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time allotted to it. It can be used to combat procrastination by creating artificial deadlines, which decrease the delay and increase the motivation to complete tasks.

How does setting the bar low help in overcoming procrastination?

Setting the bar low helps by increasing expectancy in the procrastination equation. By aiming for a smaller goal, it is easier to get started and often leads to exceeding the initial goal.

What is the significance of understanding one's personality type in optimizing productivity?

Understanding one's personality type is crucial as it helps in identifying which strategies work best for an individual, tailoring productivity and study habits to personal preferences and tendencies.

How can one improve the experience of studying to increase its value?

One can improve the experience of studying by giving oneself rewards for completing tasks, mixing up study environments, or listening to study music to make the process more enjoyable.

What is the importance of being deliberate with the study environment to reduce procrastination?

Being deliberate with the study environment helps in minimizing distractions, which decreases impulsiveness in the motivation equation and thus reduces the likelihood of procrastination.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Understanding Procrastination Through Science

This paragraph introduces the concept of procrastination and its impact on everyone. It presents Dr. Piers Steel's motivation equation, which is Motivation = Expectancy x Value / (Impulsiveness x Delay), to explain the factors influencing procrastination. The equation suggests that increasing expectancy and value while reducing impulsiveness and delay can enhance motivation and decrease procrastination. The paragraph also offers actionable steps such as breaking tasks into smaller steps to increase expectancy and using a personal to-do app to organize tasks. It emphasizes the importance of finding a structured timeline that works for the individual's personality and suggests that hyper-specific timelines can be particularly effective.

05:02

🚀 Overcoming Procrastination with Practical Strategies

The second paragraph delves into practical strategies to overcome procrastination. It discusses the Pomodoro Technique as a method to start and maintain focus on small tasks, thereby increasing expectancy. The paragraph also suggests setting low initial goals to make tasks less daunting and more achievable, which often leads to exceeding those initial expectations. To increase the value derived from tasks, it recommends self-rewarding upon completion and improving the experience of the work itself, such as by varying study environments or listening to study music. The paragraph also introduces Parkinson's Law, which posits that work expands to fill the time allotted, and suggests using artificial deadlines to decrease delay and impulsiveness. It concludes with the advice to create a distraction-free study environment and to understand one's personality type to tailor productivity strategies effectively.

Keywords

💡Procrastination

Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks or actions, often resulting in decreased productivity and increased stress. In the video's context, it is the central issue being addressed, with the aim of providing strategies to overcome it. The script mentions that 'procrastination sneaks up on us all,' indicating that it is a common problem.

💡Motivation

Motivation refers to the psychological drive that influences a person to pursue a goal or engage in a behavior. The video discusses an equation by Piers Steel, where motivation is the willingness to do work, which is the opposite of procrastination. The equation is 'Motivation = Expectancy x Value / (Impulsiveness x Delay),' highlighting the factors that can increase or decrease motivation.

💡Expectancy

Expectancy, in the context of the video, refers to the belief in one's capability to successfully complete a task and receive the anticipated reward. It is a component of the motivation equation and directly proportional to motivation. The script states that 'the more you expect being successful, the less likely you're going to procrastinate on it.'

💡Value

Value, as discussed in the script, pertains to the enjoyment derived from performing a task or the anticipated reward. It is another factor in the motivation equation that, when increased, can help reduce procrastination. The video suggests that 'the more value you derive from a task or the reward, the more likely you're gonna get straight to work.'

💡Impulsiveness

Impulsiveness is the tendency to act on sudden urges or desires, often leading to distractions from the task at hand. In the video, it is inversely proportional to motivation, meaning higher impulsiveness leads to lower motivation and more procrastination. The script warns that 'high impulsivity lures you to Instagram or Facebook instead of doing the work at hand.'

💡Delay

Delay is the time interval between the action and the receipt of the anticipated reward. The video explains that the longer the delay, the more likely one is to procrastinate, as the task may seem less urgent. It is also inversely proportional to motivation in the equation provided.

💡Pomodoro Technique

The Pomodoro Technique is a time management method that involves breaking work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. The video suggests using this technique to increase expectancy and make starting work less daunting. It is exemplified by working on 'one small task' during each 25-minute block.

💡Parkinson’s Law

Parkinson’s Law is the adage that 'work expands to fill the time allotted for its completion.' The video recommends using this law to one's advantage by creating artificial deadlines to decrease delay and increase productivity. It is a strategy to counteract the tendency to procrastinate by limiting the time available for task completion.

💡Study Environment

The study environment refers to the physical and psychological surroundings in which learning takes place. The video emphasizes the importance of a distraction-free environment to decrease impulsiveness and increase focus. It suggests tactics such as 'placing my phone on airplane mode' and 'going full screen with the work at hand' to minimize digital distractions.

💡Personality Type

Personality type pertains to the classification of individuals based on their psychological characteristics and behavioral patterns. The video concludes by emphasizing the importance of understanding one's personality type to tailor strategies for overcoming procrastination effectively. It mentions that different tips may work better for different personality types, indicating the need for personalized approaches.

Highlights

Procrastination affects everyone to varying degrees.

Dr. Jubbal introduces the science of procrastination and offers advice to overcome it.

Piers Steel's equation for motivation is explained as Motivation = Expectancy x Value / (Impulsiveness x Delay).

Expectancy is linked to the belief in one's ability to succeed and its impact on procrastination.

Value is associated with the enjoyment of the task and its reward, influencing motivation to start work.

Impulsiveness is the tendency to get distracted and its negative effect on task completion.

Delay is the time until reward receipt, with longer delays increasing the likelihood of procrastination.

Actionable steps are provided to maximize expectancy and value while minimizing impulsiveness and delay.

Breaking tasks into smaller steps increases expectancy and makes them seem more achievable.

Using a personal to-do app like Things 3 can help organize and plan study schedules.

The Pomodoro Technique is recommended for starting work by focusing on small tasks in 25-minute intervals.

Setting the bar low for tasks can increase expectancy and make starting less daunting.

Hacking pleasure from studying by rewarding oneself after task completion can increase value.

Parkinson's Law is discussed as a method to decrease delay and increase work efficiency.

Creating a deliberate study environment that minimizes distractions can reduce impulsiveness.

Understanding one's personality type is crucial for optimizing productivity and study habits.

Engaging with the audience to share personal tools and tricks for overcoming procrastination is encouraged.

Transcripts

None of us are immune.

Procrastination sneaks up on us all, some worse than others.

In this video, we'll go over the science of procrastination and provide you with actionable

advice to overcome it.

What's going on guys! Dr. Jubbal MedSchoolInsiders.com.

Piers Steel describes an equation useful in

understanding procrastination.

He argues that Motivation = Expectancy x Value divided by Impulsiveness x Delay whereby motivation

is the willingness to do work, which is essentially the opposite of procrastination.

Breaking down the equation, expectancy refers to how much you expect to succeed at doing

the task and thereby getting the anticipated reward.

The more you expect being successful, the less likely you're going to procrastinate

on it.

Value refers to how much you enjoy doing a task, and how much you're going to enjoy the

reward.

The more value you derive from a task or the reward, the more likely you're gonna get straight

to work.

Impulsiveness refers to your tendency to get distracted by other things.

High impulsivity lures you to Instagram or Facebook instead of doing the work at hand.

Delay refers to the time-lapse until receiving the anticipated reward.

The longer the delay, the more likely you are to procrastinate, as you figure it's something

you can just take care of later.

Now, we want to maximize expectancy and value, as they are directly proportional to motivation

and we want to minimize impulsiveness and delay, as they are inversely proportional.

Let’s go over actionable steps on how to use the equation to our advantage and overcome

procrastination.

First, break down the steps.

With any task you need to do, whether studying for an exam or completing a project, break

it down to smaller steps.

Doing so will increase expectancy in our procrastination equation, as smaller tasks seem much easier

to accomplish than larger projects.

While everyone has a different sweet spot, I find that being hyper-specific with timelines

is very helpful to me.

For example, if I need to study for an exam next week and I have several lectures and

practice problems to go through, I will take a few minutes to think which lectures I should

complete on each day as well as how many practice problems.

I then put everything into Things 3 which is my personal to-do app of choice, but you should

obviously use whatever tool you prefer.

You can see an example of a highly structured daily and weekly timeline I created in excel

in my Step 1 study schedule video.

This high level of structure works for me and for my personality but it definitely does

not work for everyone, again figure out what works best for you.

Number two, keep the task small.

The hardest part in getting work done is just starting.

One of my favorite study hacks to address this is the Pomodoro Technique.

In short, you work in 25-minute blocks, each separated by a five-minute break.

During each block, you focus on just one small task.

In my Pomodoro technique video, I go over in more detail of what the technique is and

exactly how to use it.

This was actually revolutionary for my study habits and we started using it in med school.

And you may be thinking, how does this actually help me get started on my work?

Going back to our equation, this increases expectancy.

If I sat down to study and told I myself I need to study for five hours, I would definitely

get distracted very, very, easily.

But if I instead tell myself, I only need to study 25 minutes on this one little task

it becomes far less daunting and it becomes much easier to not only get started but also

to stay focused for the 25-minute Pomodoro.

Number three set the bar low.

This is yet another trick to increase the expectancy in our equation.

Set the goal to something less than what you were actually capable of.

I have used this recently for my own meditation practice.

When I set out to meditate 20 minutes every day, I only get around to doing it a couple

times per week.

It just felt like I never had the time to actually sit down and do 20 minutes of meditation,

so I rarely did.

Instead, I lowered my expectations by aiming to meditate just two minutes every day.

By lowering the bar, I found myself meditating most days and even though I set the goal as

just two minutes, I almost always exceeded it.

Number four, hack pleasure from the experience of studying.

Do you ever feel like studying is boring?

What if you don’t actually support the immediate outcomes of the task?

Let's say you don't know what you want or maybe you have unclear priorities.

These examples all point to low value in our equation, increase in value will help us overcome

procrastination.

So how do we increase value?

One way is by giving yourself a reward for completing a task.

For example, you can reward yourself with a healthy and tasty meal or by hanging out

with your friends after and only after you finish your chemistry homework.

If you need help with self-discipline like this, check out our self-discipline video.

Alternatively, you can improve the experience of the work itself.

As you progress in your medical education, the work gets more and more focused on material

you actually enjoy.

However, at the beginning, you may have to grind through subjects that you do not find

stimulating.

To improve the experience of studying, consider mixing up your study environments or listening

to great study music.

If you want a taste of my own personal study music, check out the Insider Email Newsletter

where I share some of my favorite study songs every week.

You can sign up on the MedSchoolInsiders.com Website Number five, use Parkinson’s law

to your advantage.

The idea that you can complete your task at a later time can crush even the most productive

individuals.

Enter Parkinson’s Law.

Parkinson’s law states that work expands to fill the time allotted to it.

meaning if you have only 30 minutes of work to do, but you allot two hours of work to

do it, then you’ll end up spending the entire two hours.

As I've stated in other videos, I use this technique frequently by creating artificial

deadlines that force me to get work done more efficiently.

These artificial deadlines decrease delay in our motivation equation, thus decreasing

the likelihood of procrastination.

The trick is to not be too aggressive with your timelines as it can lead to unnecessary

stress.

With time, you will get more accurate at gauging how long a task will take and how to use Parkinson's

law to your advantage.

Number six, be deliberate with your study environment.

We can all agree that one of the biggest killers to our productivity are distractions.

Avoiding distractions through sheer willpower is unlikely to be fruitful long term.

Rather, approach it prophylactically by crafting a work environment that minimizes distractions.

In doing so, we're decreasing impulsivity from our motivation equation.

For me, this translates to placing my phone on airplane mode, putting my Mac on do not

disturb, and going full screen with the work at hand.

If working at home distracts you, then opt for a library or a coffee shop instead.

Above all, make sure you minimize your digital distractions.

I have found that any other type of distraction pales in comparison to the focus-killing nature

of notifications from your phone, smartwatch, or computer.

And last number seven, understand your personality type.

The issue with advice, in general, is that one suggestion can work wonders for one individual,

but not for another.

Of the previous six tips, I am doubtful that any of them will not work for you, but I am

confident that some will work much better than others.

Now, a big part of optimizing your own life, whether that's productivity or study habits,

diet, exercise, or anything else is understanding oneself.

One of the tips that didn't make this list, for example, is accountability and that's

because it's highly effective for some individuals with a certain personality type, but significantly

less so for others.

I go over how you can determine your personality type, as well as specific strategies for each

personality type such as accountability that you can use to your advantage in my four tendencies

video, link in the description below.

I’d love to hear from you what other tools, tricks, or hacks you use to overcome procrastination.

Have you found loss aversion useful for you?

How about accountability groups?

Share with the rest of us what has worked for you down below and let's help each other

out.

Thank you all so much for watching.

Shout out to my patron supporters that help make videos like this possible.

If you like the video, make sure you press that like button, hit subscribe if you have

not already and I will see you guys in that next one.