How I Make Myself Work When I'm Lazy (from a Top 1% Med Student)

Summary

In this video, Salim, a final-year med student, shares his 'Flow Method' for getting work done efficiently without relying on motivation or discipline. He outlines five steps: establishing a Pre-Focus Routine to ease into work, practicing Tunnel Vision to avoid multitasking, setting a Low Threshold for Effort to minimize resistance, adhering to The Two-Day Rule for consistency, and overcoming mental barriers by understanding the importance of tasks. Salim also introduces a 1-to-1 online coaching service to help viewers with their productivity and studying challenges.

Takeaways

• 🔑 Start with a Pre-Focus Routine to transition into work mode, similar to warming up before a workout.
• 🎯 Practice Tunnel Vision by applying Parkinson’s Law to prioritize tasks and declutter your physical workspace to minimize distractions.
• 💪 Set a Low Threshold for Effort to initiate tasks with minimal commitment, which often leads to completing more than intended.
• 📅 Adhere to The Two-Day Rule to maintain consistency in your activities by not skipping more than two days in a row.
• ⏰ Identify your best hours for specific activities to align your energy levels with your tasks for optimal productivity.
• 🤝 Consider group accountability with a friend to stay committed to your tasks and avoid disappointment.
• 🌟 Reflect on the deep reasons behind your tasks to understand their importance and overcome resistance to starting.
• 📝 Write down immediate and long-term reasons for your tasks to reinforce motivation and focus on the process, not just the outcome.
• 🚫 Avoid comparing your progress with others to prevent demotivation and maintain a healthy perspective on your personal journey.
• 📈 Learn from the speaker's experience and strategies shared in the script to enhance personal productivity and academic success.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Salim's video?

The main focus of Salim's video is to introduce the 'Flow Method,' a reliable way to make oneself work efficiently without relying on motivation or discipline.

What is Salim's educational background mentioned in the script?

Salim is a final year medical student who has also completed an undergraduate and postgraduate degree.

What is the first step of the Flow Method that Salim suggests?

The first step of the Flow Method is to establish a Pre-Focus Routine, which is an easy or simple activity done before starting work to prepare the mind for the task ahead.

How does Salim compare the Pre-Focus Routine to exercising?

Salim compares the Pre-Focus Routine to warming up at the gym before lifting heavy weights, as it prepares the body and mind for the more demanding task.

What is the concept of 'Tunnel Vision' as discussed by Salim?

Tunnel Vision, as discussed by Salim, involves two parts: mentally focusing on one task at a time to avoid multitasking, and physically clearing the workspace of distractions.

How does Salim apply Parkinson’s Law in the context of the Flow Method?

Salim applies Parkinson’s Law by suggesting a brain dump where one lists everything on their mind that needs to be done and then picks the most urgent tasks to focus on within a 3-minute time frame.

What is the 'Low Threshold for Effort' strategy mentioned by Salim?

The 'Low Threshold for Effort' strategy involves setting a very low initial goal to start a task, which often leads to completing more than initially intended due to the momentum built during the process.

What is the 'Two-Day Rule' that Salim discusses?

The 'Two-Day Rule' is a consistency strategy where one is not allowed to skip a task for more than two consecutive days, ensuring regular engagement with the activity.

How does Salim suggest identifying the best hours for productivity?

Salim suggests identifying the best hours for productivity by recognizing when one has the most energy and scheduling tasks during those times to increase the likelihood of completion.

What is the service that Salim offers to help with productivity and studying?

Salim offers a 1-to-1 online coaching service where he provides personalized action plans and advice to help individuals improve their productivity and academic performance.

How does Salim address the issue of comparing oneself to others in terms of productivity?

Salim addresses the issue of comparing oneself to others by emphasizing the importance of understanding one's own reasons for doing a task and focusing on the process rather than just the end result.

Outlines

00:00

🎓 The Flow Method for Productivity

Salim, a final year medical student, introduces a method called the Flow Method to help overcome laziness and start working efficiently without relying on motivation or discipline. He shares his personal experiences and offers actionable steps and mindset adjustments. The method includes a Pre-Focus Routine, similar to a warm-up at the gym, to prepare oneself for work. Salim suggests doing something easy or simple before starting work to condition the mind for focus. He also discusses the importance of avoiding multitasking, applying Parkinson’s Law for a brain dump, and creating a focused workspace to maintain tunnel vision. The paragraph emphasizes the need for a low threshold for effort to initiate tasks and the Two-Day Rule for consistency.

05:02

🏋️‍♂️ Overcoming Resistance and Efficiency in Studying

In the second paragraph, Salim addresses the issue of resistance to work and provides strategies to overcome it. He talks about the importance of understanding the personal significance of tasks and setting clear, immediate, and long-term goals. Salim shares his own journey of studying for medical school and how he overcame the mental barriers by focusing on the process rather than just the end result. He also discusses the importance of efficient studying, hinting at a video where he shares key insights from his university experience on how to study effectively and achieve high grades with minimal effort. Additionally, Salim announces a new 1-to-1 online coaching service to help individuals with their specific productivity and studying challenges.

Keywords

💡Motivation

Motivation refers to the internal and external factors that stimulate desire and energy to act towards achieving a goal. In the context of the video, the speaker challenges the conventional belief that motivation is necessary to get work done. Instead, he introduces an alternative approach, the Flow Method, which aims to make oneself work efficiently without relying on motivation.

💡Discipline

Discipline is the practice of training oneself to follow a set of rules or a pattern of behavior, typically for personal or professional betterment. The video script suggests that, like motivation, discipline may not always be the key to productivity, and the speaker proposes a method that can help initiate work even in the absence of discipline.

💡Flow Method

The Flow Method is a self-regulation technique described in the video that involves a series of steps to help individuals work efficiently without the need for motivation or discipline. It is presented as a reliable way to overcome resistance to starting tasks and to maintain productivity.

💡Pre-Focus Routine

A Pre-Focus Routine is a preparatory activity done before starting work, similar to a warm-up exercise. The video uses the analogy of a gym warm-up to explain how this routine can help transition the mind into a focused state, ready for work. Examples given include spending 10 minutes in thought or doing a language lesson on Duolingo.

💡Tunnel Vision

Tunnel Vision, in the context of the video, is a strategy to avoid multitasking and distractions. It involves concentrating solely on the task at hand, both mentally and physically. The speaker advises applying Parkinson’s Law for a brain dump to identify urgent tasks and then physically clearing the workspace of unnecessary items.

💡Parkinson’s Law

Parkinson’s Law, as mentioned in the video, is the adage that 'work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.' The speaker uses this law to suggest a brain dump exercise where one lists all tasks within a 3-minute limit, helping to prioritize and avoid the trap of overthinking and procrastination.

💡Low Threshold for Effort

A Low Threshold for Effort is a strategy where one sets a very low initial goal to start a task, making it easier to begin. The video explains that this approach can overcome resistance to starting tasks that seem daunting or require significant effort, as it allows one to start with minimal commitment and often leads to completing more than initially intended.

💡The Two-Day Rule

The Two-Day Rule is a consistency strategy where one allows themselves to skip a task for one day but must perform it the next day. This rule, as explained in the video, helps maintain regular engagement with a task while providing flexibility. The speaker also connects this rule with identifying one's most productive hours to make it easier to follow.

💡Accountability

Accountability is the state of being responsible for one's actions or decisions. In the video, the speaker suggests that having a friend to do the Two-Day Rule with can increase accountability, as the desire not to let the friend down or to compete with them can motivate one to stick to the task.

💡Mental Barriers

Mental Barriers refer to the psychological obstacles that prevent individuals from taking action or achieving goals. The video discusses overcoming these barriers by deeply understanding why a task is important and focusing on the process rather than just the end result. The speaker shares a personal example of studying for a medical school admissions test to illustrate this concept.

💡Productivity

Productivity is the efficiency of producing desired results in a specified period. The video's main theme revolves around improving productivity through various methods and mindsets, such as the Flow Method and understanding the importance of tasks. The speaker's aim is to help viewers work more efficiently and make better use of their time.

Highlights

A reliable method to make yourself work without motivation or discipline.

The introduction of the Flow Method with actionable steps and mindset.

The significance of the Pre-Focus Routine to prepare for work.

Using a Pre-Focus Routine similar to a warm-up exercise at the gym.

Examples of a Pre-Focus Routine: 10 minutes of thinking or language learning apps.

The importance of Tunnel Vision to avoid multitasking.

Applying Parkinson’s Law for a brain dump to avoid multitasking.

Creating a distraction-free workspace for physical Tunnel Vision.

The challenge of maintaining motivation and overcoming resistance to work.

The concept of a Low Threshold for Effort to initiate tasks.

The effectiveness of starting with a small task to build momentum.

The Two-Day Rule for consistency and flexibility in work habits.

Identifying the best hours for productivity to follow the Two-Day Rule.

The offer of personalized 1-to-1 online coaching for productivity and studying.

The importance of understanding personal goals and the reasons behind tasks.

Overcoming mental barriers by focusing on the process rather than the end result.

The impact of comparing progress with others and how to overcome it.

The necessity of efficient time usage for effective studying and productivity.

Transcripts

Most people believe that they need to be  motivated or disciplined to get work done.

But what if I told you that there’s a reliable way  

to make yourself work without  motivation or discipline..

I’m Salim, I’m a final year med student, and I’ve  also done an undergrad and postgraduate degree.

And like you right now, I’ve had times where  I’d be on YouTube when I should be doing work.

But over my 8 years at uni, I’ve figured out a  reliable method to immediately make myself work,  

even when i feel lazy - so that I work efficiently  and still have time for more of what I care about.

So I’ll go through the 5 steps of the Flow Method  which covers actionable steps and the mindset you  

need to help you do this too - and the last point  had a massive role in helping me get into med  

school and start this YouTube channel, so stick  around until the end for this important point.

So first, I have a question - when do you feel  the most resistance to doing work? Usually,  

it’s when you try to start a  task, rather than carrying on.

And because of this, it makes sense for  me to explain the first step you need  

to take so that you can start doing work,  even when you don’t want to - and this is  

by making sure to have a Pre-Focus Routine  - and I like comparing this to exercising.

When I’m at the gym, I warm up before  I go on to using te heavier weights so  

that my muscles can get ready  to handle the higher weights.

And in a similar way for working, this is doing  

something easy or simple that’s only ever  done before you start working or studying.

It’s there to act similar to the warm up exercise  at the gym, because it doesn’t need much effort to  

do, but helps you directly prepare your  energy into what you’ll be doing next.

So as an example for a pre-work routine, one  thing I do is spend exactly 10 minutes to do  

nothing besides think - I just think about what  I want to work on, planning the exact thing I’ll  

be starting on, so that when the 10 minutes is  up, I’m aware of what I immediately need to do.

Or another example is that  I do lesson on Duolingo or  

Brilliant to ease myself into a focused mindset.

Leave a comment below for a routine that  you’d do for yourself - just make sure  

that the routine is something  you only do before working,  

so that you condition your mind to  associate this routine with your work.

And now, I want you to think back to  something I know you’ve experienced.

Think back to a time where you were on your phone,  and somebody came up to you - they started talking  

to you, but you couldn’t really listen to them  properly because your mind was on your phone.

But after you put your phone away,  you don’t remember what they said,  

so they repeat what they said and  now you can properly speak to them.

Those experiences make it very clear that  you can’t do multiple things at once,  

and this applies to getting work  done; so what you should do,  

is have Tunnel Vision - but this isn’t only to  avoid multitasking, there’s a second part to this.

But first, the best way to  avoid multitasking is to  

apply Parkinson’s Law for a brain  dump - and what does this mean?

Give yourself only 3 minutes to list down  everything on your mind that you need to get done,  

and pick up to three of the most urgent things  to do today - whichever one you pick out first  

is your most urgent, meaning your most  time-sensitive - so start with that.

People think too much and that clouds  their judgement, but by making it quick,  

your brain just knows what needs to  be done and what can wait until later,  

without you having to actually think too much.

And I said there’s a second part to  this - so similar to having tunnel  

vision for directing yourself mentally, you  should have tunnel vision physically too.

In an exam setting you only have what you need,  

so make your work space similar where if there’s  something you don’t need, get rid of it so your  

mind and your eyes stay focused - because  literally anything can become a distraction.

And you might think oh but, your desk isn’t clear  - and you’re right, but I’ve only ever use my  

desk to work, and I don’t have a problem with  focusing anymore, so this point isn’t for me.

But now for the next point, there is something  I do have a problem with, that most people have  

too - quite a lot of the time when I have to  go to the gym, or start editing my next video,  

I don’t have any motivation to do them, or I  feel a very strong resistance to doing them.

Because it takes a lot of effort - they  take up a lot of energy to get through.

But what’s helped me maintain going to  the gym 5x a week for the past few months,  

or have a video out every single week,  is having a Low Threshold for Effort.

This is when I tell myself that, I don’t need  to do anything big, I don’t have to script,  

record, and edit a video in one  day - all I have to do right now,  

is think of one thing I can start doing,  and feel free to stop after that’s done.

If I don’t want to go to the gym, I  just take a walk to my gym and back,  

or for editing, this might only be adding  music and sound effects to the videos.

And when I do this I noticed that, I always  end up doing more than this low threshold;  

99% of the time I’d end up going to the  gym, or I’ll almost finish editing a video.

So for you, this could be doing the  smallest thing to make progress on  

your work or studying, whether that’s  organizing your schedule for tomorrow,  

doing a few practise questions, or  writing a small paragraph for an essay.

This works because starting with nothing  is what’s difficult - but once you get  

going your mindset naturally shifts  as you build momentum with your task.

And this idea of minimal effort links well  

with the next point which is a  rule that you need to follow.

So over the past few months, I said that I’ve  been going to the gym 5x a week - and this is  

the same for practising the piano 5x a  week, or working on my YouTube channel.

And what’s helped me be consistent with  this and still be flexible, is following  

The Two-Day Rule - and there’s one thing I’ll  get to that will help you follow this rule.

But first, this is a rule  where you aren’t allowed to  

skip more than two days in a row - the  flexibility comes from the fact that,  

if I really don’t want to go gym today, that’s  fine, I just have to make sure I go tomorrow.

And the thing that helps me do this is identifying  my best hours for what I need to do - so for gym,  

I have the most energy in the morning, so I make  sure that I save early mornings for the gym,  

or for piano, I like practising at  night, so I leave that for later.

This works with the rule because I can  anticipate when I’ll be bothered to do  

the thing, so that I don’t feel bad if  I miss the gym today after med school,  

because I know I’ll be happy  to go early tomorrow morning.

This is something you can  apply to almost anything,  

like making sure to study at a time you  focus better - and having a friend do  

this with you can help you both  be accountable for each other,  

because you probably won’t want to lose to your  friend, or you wouldn’t want to disappoint them.

And before the next point, you might have noticed  that I haven’t had a sponsored video in some time.

And it’s not because I haven’t  been getting sponsor opportunities,  

it’s because I was thinking of how I  can promote something to you that’s  

as helpful as possible besides  my YouTube or Instagram content.

I do believe in the sponsors I’ve mentioned in  the past, but I felt as though there was more I  

could do to help you learn better, not just for  your academic life but also your personal life.

So I’ve been working on something  I can give you by directly helping  

you with your specific problems  for productivity or studying.

And that’s through a 1-to-1 online  coaching service where you can directly  

speak to me about any problems you’re  facing with studying or productivity.

The purpose of these video calls is to help me  understand your personal problems, your goals,  

and things you want to improve on, so that  I can create a personalized action plan  

and give you detailed advice that’s going  to level up your productivity or grades.

And these consultations are just one part  of the package - because even after them,  

we’ll keep in regular contact and  I’ll make sure you’re progressing  

well and address any problems  or questions you might have.

And you might be thinking, how much does it  cost - so I’ll have two offers: for students,  

I know that money’s hard to come by,  so I’ll have a form you can fill out  

with a reasonable price for you to  suggest and we can work from there.

But because of this, I’ll only have  4 spaces for this student offer.

For everyone else including students that  miss out on the spaces, I’ll have a fixed  

price that changes depending on supply and  demand, but there’ll be around 10-15 spaces.

So if you want real, personalized advice  that I’m confident is going to take your  

productivity or academic life to the next level,  

visit my website linked in the description  and I’ll see you in our next call.

And now for the next point,  I have another question - how  

often do you find yourself comparing  your progress with another person’s?

I’ve had people commenting on my videos wondering  how I manage everything I do, because they say  

they’d find it impossible to do - and that mindset  makes it even harder to get themselves to work.

And it also shows me that they feel they  should have accomplished more with their  

time - and this has been a problem for  me, and I’m sure it affects you too.

Because even for piano or exercising, I feel  that there’s more I could do to make progress,  

more effort I can put in or different  things I can try - especially when  

I see how far other people have  gone - which can be demotivating.

But what I’ve found useful to make myself work,  

is overcoming the mental barriers - and  I have a personal example at the end.

So before that, the first thing you need  to do is really understand why something  

is important to you, and why you aren’t doing it  - because when was the last time you sat down to  

deeply think about why you need to study for  that exam besides thinking oh I need to pass,  

or why you’re working the job you  have that you don’t really enjoy.

Write down the immediate and long-term  reasons for why you need to do something,  

because that can make you more likely to  get on with it when you realise what can  

happen if you don’t do it, or can even help you  realise that it’s not actually that important,  

and you should be focusing  on something else instead.

For example, I remember a point where I  didn’t want to study for the admissions  

test back when I was applying for med  school, and it especially didn’t help  

seeing how competitive it was to  get into graduate entry medicine.

But I spent quite a bit of time thinking  about why it was important that I did study,  

what I was worried about happening if I didn’t  study, and what could help me want to study.

When I spent time thinking about why it was  important, I thought beyond the oh I need to  

get a high score to get an interview - I thought  about how it would set me up to become a doctor,  

how it would help me learn about  things I’m actually interested in,  

and even back then I was thinking about how  I’d make a YouTube channel as a med student.

Beacuse I thought about why it was important, I  could then focus on the process of doing, because  

I realised the importance of taking action,  instead of only focusing on the end result.

And this focus on end result is something we  

typically do because the end result is  all we see online from other people.

So spend a good amount of time writing  these things for what you need to be doing,  

spend even up to an hour if you have to, because  it’ll remind you why you need to make progress.

But another problem is that, even if you can  think of good reasons to make yourself work  

when you don’t want to, it doesn’t mean  you’ll be using your time efficiently.

I’ve had this problem a lot sin my undergrad  degree where I spent a lot of time studying,  

but because I wasn’t using time productively,  

I studied a lot more than I really had to,  which took time away from my personal life.

But after thousands of hours of studying,  I’ve figured out the most important things  

to reliably get high grades whilst  studying as little as possible.

And in this video here, I talk about the key  things I’ve learnt from 8 years at university that  

can help you make use of your study time as best  as possible - so click the video to learn more.