Procrastination: Crash Course Study Skills #6

Summary

This video script tackles the persistent issue of procrastination, introducing Dr. Piers Steel's Temporal Motivation Theory and the Procrastination Equation as a framework to understand underlying causes. It offers practical strategies to enhance expectancy, value, and decrease impulsiveness, such as breaking tasks into smaller parts, seeking help, and setting mini-rewards. The script also covers the Pomodoro Technique as an effective method to combat procrastination by focusing on short, timed work intervals, and emphasizes the importance of high-density fun as a motivator for productivity.

Takeaways

• 📚 Procrastination is a major issue that can be tackled using the Temporal Motivation Theory, which is outlined in Dr. Piers Steele's book 'The Procrastination Equation'.
• 🧠 The Procrastination Equation is a useful mental model represented as Motivation = (Expectancy * Value) / (Impulsiveness * Delay), helping to identify the causes of procrastination.
• 💪 Expectancy, or belief in one's ability to complete a task, inversely correlates with procrastination. High expectancy increases motivation.
• 💰 Value, including rewards and the experience of completing a task, also inversely correlates with procrastination. Increasing value can boost motivation.
• 🌀 Impulsiveness, the tendency to be distracted, directly correlates with procrastination. Reducing impulsiveness can help in overcoming procrastination.
• ⏳ Delay, the time until a task's reward is received, directly correlates with procrastination. Longer delays tend to increase procrastination.
• 📈 To raise Expectancy, break tasks into smaller sub-tasks and seek help when needed, making the task less daunting and more manageable.
• 🌟 To improve Value, choose fulfilling work, enhance the work experience, and add mini-rewards for completing sub-tasks.
• 🎮 Gamification, like using the app Habitica, can turn productivity into a game, making work more enjoyable and motivating.
• 🎉 Allowing yourself high-density fun, such as playing a video game or joining a club, can act as a motivator for completing work.
• 🐸 The 'Eat the Frog' technique suggests tackling the most difficult task first to prevent procrastination and ensure important tasks are completed.

Q & A

What is the main topic of the video script?

The main topic of the video script is addressing the issue of procrastination and discussing strategies to overcome it.

What is the Temporal Motivation Theory?

The Temporal Motivation Theory, as explained by Dr. Piers Steele in his book 'The Procrastination Equation', is a theory that suggests a person's motivation to complete a task can be represented by an equation that factors in expectancy, value, impulsiveness, and delay.

How is the Procrastination Equation structured?

The Procrastination Equation is structured as: Motivation = (Expectancy * Value) / (Impulsiveness * Delay).

What does 'Expectancy' in the Procrastination Equation represent?

In the Procrastination Equation, 'Expectancy' represents how strongly a person believes they can complete a task, and it has an inverse correlation with procrastination.

How is 'Value' related to procrastination in the equation?

'Value' in the equation includes the rewards for completing the task and the pleasantness of the task experience, and it also has an inverse correlation with procrastination.

What does 'Impulsiveness' represent in the context of the Procrastination Equation?

'Impulsiveness' represents the susceptibility of a person to distractions and impulses to do other things, and it is directly correlated with procrastination.

What is 'Delay' in the Procrastination Equation and how does it affect motivation?

'Delay' is the amount of time between now and when the reward for completing the task will be received, and it is directly correlated with procrastination, as people tend to value short-term rewards more.

What are some ways to increase 'Expectancy' as suggested in the script?

To increase 'Expectancy', one can break tasks into smaller sub-tasks and seek help when needed, which makes the task seem less daunting and increases the belief in one's ability to complete it.

How can the 'Value' of a task be improved according to the script?

The 'Value' of a task can be improved by choosing more fulfilling work, making the work experience more pleasant, and adding additional rewards or mini-rewards for completing sub-tasks.

What is the concept of 'low-density fun' versus 'high-density fun' as discussed in the script?

'Low-density fun' refers to activities that are more attractive than work but are not truly enjoyable and can be addictive, whereas 'high-density fun' refers to activities that are genuinely enjoyable and can serve as a motivator for completing work.

What is the 'Pomodoro Technique' and how does it help with procrastination?

The 'Pomodoro Technique' is a time management method where one works for 25 minutes followed by a 5-minute break, using a timer. It helps with procrastination by reframing the task as input-based and creating an external motivator to stay focused.

What is the role of 'willpower' in the context of the video script?

The script mentions that while there is controversy around the concept of 'ego depletion' and willpower being a limited resource, it is clear that the body and brain operate on cycles of work and rest, and that starting with the most difficult task can help prevent mental exhaustion from easier tasks.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Understanding Procrastination

This paragraph delves into the reasons behind procrastination, introducing the Temporal Motivation Theory from Dr. Piers Steele's 'The Procrastination Equation.' It explains the equation 'Motivation = (Expectancy * Value) / (Impulsiveness * Delay)' as a framework to understand what drives procrastination. The paragraph breaks down the components of the equation, discussing how expectancy (self-belief in task completion) and value (rewards and experience of the task) have an inverse relationship with procrastination, while impulsiveness (susceptibility to distractions) and delay (time until reward) have a direct relationship. It also touches on the evolutionary aspect of valuing short-term rewards and suggests that this instinct can hinder long-term goals in modern life.

05:02

🛠️ Strategies to Combat Procrastination

The second paragraph offers practical strategies to tackle procrastination by manipulating the factors in the Procrastination Equation. To increase expectancy, one can break tasks into smaller, manageable sub-tasks and seek help when needed. Enhancing the value of a task can be achieved by improving the reward, the work experience, or by adding mini-rewards for sub-task completion. The paragraph also introduces gamification through an app called Habitica and discusses the concept of low-density versus high-density fun, advocating for the allowance of high-density fun as a motivator. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of environment in reducing impulsiveness and touches on the debate surrounding ego depletion and willpower, concluding with the 'eat the frog' approach to prioritizing difficult tasks.

10:02

🕒 The Pomodoro Technique for Productivity

The final paragraph introduces the Pomodoro Technique, a time management method to overcome procrastination. It involves setting a timer for 25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute break, repeating this cycle until a longer break is taken. The technique is effective because it reframes tasks as input-based (working for a set time) rather than output-based (completing a task), reducing initial resistance. The use of a timer serves as an external motivator, helping to maintain focus and discipline. The paragraph concludes by encouraging the application of the discussed techniques to enhance productivity.

Keywords

💡Procrastination

Procrastination is the act of delaying or postponing tasks or actions, often despite knowing that it may have negative consequences. In the video, it is identified as a prevalent issue that affects productivity and focus, with the main theme revolving around understanding and overcoming it. The script discusses various strategies to combat procrastination, such as the Procrastination Equation and the Pomodoro Technique.

💡Temporal Motivation Theory

Temporal Motivation Theory is a psychological concept introduced by Dr. Piers Steele in his book 'The Procrastination Equation.' It suggests that a person's motivation to complete a task can be quantified through an equation that takes into account expectancy, value, impulsiveness, and delay. The theory is central to the video's exploration of procrastination, as it provides a framework for understanding the factors that influence one's tendency to delay tasks.

💡Expectancy

In the context of the video, expectancy refers to an individual's belief in their ability to complete a task, which is inversely correlated with procrastination. A high expectancy indicates confidence in one's skills, leading to increased motivation. The script uses the concept of expectancy to explain how breaking down tasks into smaller sub-tasks can enhance one's belief in their ability to accomplish them.

💡Value

Value, as discussed in the video, encompasses the rewards associated with completing a task and the pleasantness of the task itself. It is another factor in the Procrastination Equation and has an inverse relationship with procrastination. The script suggests improving the value of a task by making the work experience more enjoyable or by adding mini-rewards for completing sub-tasks.

💡Impulsiveness

Impulsiveness is the tendency to act on sudden desires or distractions, and it is directly correlated with procrastination. The video describes impulsiveness as a factor that can be managed to reduce the likelihood of delaying tasks. It is used in the script to highlight the importance of resisting distractions and focusing on the task at hand.

💡Delay

Delay in the video represents the time gap between completing a task and receiving its reward. It is a factor in the Procrastination Equation that influences motivation levels. The script explains that longer delays can lead to increased procrastination because humans naturally prioritize immediate rewards over long-term ones.

💡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 technique is presented in the video as an effective way to combat procrastination by making tasks feel more manageable and by providing a structured work routine.

💡Ego Depletion

Ego Depletion is a psychological concept that suggests willpower is a limited resource that diminishes as one makes decisions throughout the day. While the video mentions that this theory has been challenged, it discusses the idea that mental resources can be exhausted, which can impact one's ability to resist procrastination.

💡High-Density Fun

High-Density Fun refers to activities that are genuinely enjoyable and provide substantial satisfaction, as opposed to low-density fun, which are distractions that seem entertaining but do not provide true pleasure. The video script uses the concept to encourage viewers to allow themselves time for meaningful leisure activities as a way to increase motivation and reduce procrastination.

💡Low-Density Fun

Low-Density Fun are activities that may seem appealing as short distractions but ultimately do not provide lasting enjoyment or satisfaction. In the context of the video, these activities are contrasted with high-density fun and are identified as time-wasters that can contribute to procrastination by drawing one's attention away from more meaningful tasks.

💡Gamification

Gamification is the application of game-design elements and principles in non-game contexts to increase engagement and motivation. The video mentions the use of gamification through an app called Habitica, which turns productivity tasks into a role-playing game to make them more enjoyable and to reduce procrastination.

Highlights

This week's focus is on addressing procrastination, a common issue among students.

Temporal Motivation Theory by Dr. Piers Steele is introduced as a framework to understand procrastination.

The Procrastination Equation is presented as a formula to calculate motivation to complete tasks.

Expectancy is inversely correlated with procrastination; higher expectancy means less tendency to procrastinate.

Value, including task rewards and the experience of doing the task, is also inversely correlated with procrastination.

Impulsiveness, the susceptibility to distractions, is directly correlated with procrastination.

Delay, the time until task rewards are received, is a significant factor in procrastination.

Breaking tasks into smaller sub-tasks can increase Expectancy and reduce procrastination.

Asking for help can improve Expectancy and task completion.

Improving the actual reward or the experience of doing the task can increase its Value.

Adding mini-rewards for completing sub-tasks can enhance motivation.

Choosing work that is fulfilling can inherently improve the Value of a task.

Making the work experience more pleasant through environment and activities can increase Value.

Gamification, like using Habitica, can turn productivity into a game to increase motivation.

The concept of low-density fun versus high-density fun is discussed as a distraction versus true motivator.

Creating anticipation for high-density fun can serve as a motivator for completing work.

The Pomodoro Technique is introduced as a method to combat procrastination through timed work intervals.

Eating the frog strategy suggests tackling the most difficult task first to prevent procrastination.

The role of willpower in procrastination and its potential limitations are discussed.

Transcripts

Down to brass tacks, friend.

Last week we covered several techniques for improving your ability to focus on your work and resist distractions.

This week we’re digging into a related issue, which is in fact the most pernicious problem that perpetually plagues pupils… procrastination.

Nick, I still think that intro needs more alliteration. And cowbell.

[Theme Music]

Before we dive into specific solutions, it’s useful to know why we procrastinate.

Now, we could go deep on the biological battle between your prefrontal cortex and your limbic system, or in a million other directions,

but since our focus is on solving the procrastination problem, one recent explanation that I find to be particularly useful is

Temporal Motivation Theory, which is laid out by Dr. Piers Steele in his book The Procrastination Equation.

This theory suggests that a person’s motivation to complete a task or assignment can be represented by – you guessed it – an equation.

And that equation is:

Motivation = (Expectancy * Value) / (Impulsiveness * Delay)

Now, while I don’t really think all the complexities of human behavior can be boiled down into a neat little equation,

I do think that this Procrastination Equation is a useful mental model for pinpointing the specific causes of our procrastination.

So let’s go ahead and break it down.

Expectancy is a term that represents how strongly you believe that you’re able to complete a task, and it has an inverse correlation with your procrastination.

If you feel competent at what you’re doing, your expectancy will be high and that will increase your motivation to get to work.

If the task looks really difficult, though, expectancy will be low and you’ll be more likely to procrastinate.

The other place where you’ll find that inverse correlation is between procrastination and Value,

which includes the rewards you get for completing the task, as well as how pleasant – or unpleasant – the experience of actually doing it is.

Impulsiveness is how susceptible you are to distractions and, well, impulses to do other things, and it’s directly correlated with procrastination.

The less able you are to resist that sudden desire to go check Twitter, the more you’re going to put off working on that English paper.

And if you’re thinking about going to check Twitter right now, remember:

if you can resist that impulse, you’ll actually be strengthening your brain’s ability to focus.

So fight it, friend.

Finally, there’s Delay, which is the amount of time between now and when you’ll get the reward for completing the task.

Let’s go to the Thought Bubble.

The longer the delay is, the more you’ll tend to procrastinate.

This happens because human beings naturally place far more value on the short-term rather than long-term rewards –

even if those long-term rewards are objectively greater.

For most of human history, this was a helpful bit of brain programming.

If you were a hunter-gatherer living in 10,000 BCE, you had no reason to care about the antelopes you were gonna hunt in 3 years –

all that mattered was the one in front of you right now.

But today, when your success in life depends more on studying for tests and remembering to put money in an IRA than on your antelope-hunting skills,

your brain’s hard-wired preference for short-term rewards becomes a hinderance.

It’s the main reason why you consistently find yourself cramming for tests the night before;

rationally, you know you should start studying a few weeks in advance, but most of your brain is like, “Eh, is that really necessary?”

And to make matters worse, Delay is the hardest factor in the equation to control, since the time at which we’ll get a task’s reward is often set in stone.

This is especially true when you’re in school, since almost everything has a due date.

Thanks, Thought Bubble.

It’s useful to simply be able to recognize that the delay between now and when you’ll reap a task’s reward matters a lot when it comes to your procrastination.

And, really, that’s the value of the equation as a whole; it’s a mental model that makes it easy to pinpoint why you’re procrastinating.

If it’s because you feel like you’re not skilled enough to actually complete the task, then you need to find a way to increase Expectancy.

Or, if you notice that your attention is constantly being pulled in other directions, then it’s time to figure out how to decrease your Impulsiveness.

So now let’s go over some specific ideas for manipulating those three most malleable factors.

To raise Expectancy you can do several things.

One of the most helpful is to break the task down into smaller sub-tasks.

Doing this allows you to narrow your focus to something that’s not nearly as daunting,

and it also lets you more clearly define the specific actions you have to take.

So if you’re writing a paper, realize that “write a paper” is a project that can – and should – be broken down.

You’ve got the research phase, the rough draft phase – which you can break further down into sections, like the intro, arguments, and conclusion –

and then you’ve got the editing phase.

Once you’ve defined these actions and know what order to tackle them in, you’ll have a much clearer vision of what should be done right now.

Plus, writing the rough draft of an intro paragraph is much easier than trying to write the entire paper all at once.

Another great way to raise Expectancy is to simply ask for help.

While being able to figure things out on your own is definitely a useful skill,

there comes a point when refusing to reach out to someone else only slows you down.

So go to your teacher’s office hours, or find a friend to form a study group with.

Now when it comes to improving a task’s Value, there are a few things you can do:

1. Improve the actual reward for completing the task

2. Improve the experience of doing the work itself

3. Add additional rewards, or mini-rewards for completing sub-tasks

The best way to improve the first item on the list is to choose work that’s more fulfilling to you.

Now, you have some amount of control over this when you’re selecting your classes,

and as you move into your career and build up more experience, that amount of control will definitely increase.

However, when you’re a student, there are still a ton of required classes and things that you just have to do.

And once you’ve started, it’s pretty difficult to improve the actual reward – it’s usually set in stone.

If you finish a math assignment, you’ll get the credit for it and you’ll improve your math skills. Pretty simple.

But you do have a lot of control over the other two items.

To make the experience of doing the work itself more pleasant, you could choose a study location that you enjoy being in –

like a coffee shop or your favorite spot in the library.

You can also find a good study music playlist, work with a friend, or go for a quick walk beforehand to raise your energy levels before you start.

And additional rewards can further boost your motivation.

There are several ways to create these, including gamification, which is the idea of taking elements from games and applying them to your work.

One of my favorite ways to do this is with Habitica, an app that essentially turns productivity into a role-playing game.

Habitica takes all the elements that make RPGs like Pokemon and Final Fantasy so addicting

– leveling up, experience points, gear – and it applies them to real life.

I use Habitica as a tool for sticking to my morning routine and making sure I work out enough,

but there’s also a to-do list function, which you can use for individual assignments and tasks.

Now, if you don’t want to do that, you can keep things simpler by just setting up small rewards for finishing sub-tasks –

like letting yourself watch a movie or go out with friends after you finish taking notes on a couple of sources for that research paper you’re working on.

And it’s here that I want to talk about the concept of low-density fun vs. high-density fun.

See, a lot of students feel like they have too much work to ever let themselves do anything fun that takes a significant amount of time.

Maybe you’ve had these kinds of thoughts yourself, as well.

You think, “Man, I’d really love to play Horizon Zero Dawn right now, but I should really use that time to study.”

The irony is that these same students who are constantly denying themselves that high-density fun

are also spending a lot of time checking Facebook, or picking new outfits for their Bitmoji avatars, or browsing dank memes.

These things represent low-density fun; they’re more attractive than doing work, and it’s easy to convince yourself that you’re only gonna do them for 5 minutes.

But inevitably you do end up spending a ton of time on them –

after all, these websites and apps are literally designed from the ground up to be as addictive as possible – and what’s worse, they’re not actually fun.

They’re just distractions.

And if you waste all your time on them, you leave no time for actual, high-density fun that can act as a true motivator for finishing your work.

So the counterintuitive tip here is that you NEED to let yourself have this high-density fun.

Give yourself two hours tonight to play that new video game.

Or join that offroad dirtboarding club you’ve had your eye on.

When you allow yourself to do these things, you create anticipation that can be used as focusing energy for your work.

And that brings us to Impulsiveness.

Now, to be honest, last week’s video on Focus and Concentration provided most of the in-depth tips you’re gonna need to reducing your tendency to give into distractions.

So today I’m just gonna reiterate that your environment really matters.

If you’re studying in a place where you have access to distractions, your attention is more likely to be pulled away by them.

So find a dedicated study spot away from friends and away from video games.

Sometimes, you might even need to lock that environment down a bit.

In fact, when I was writing the script for this very video, I used a program called Cold Turkey to literally block most of the websites I usually visit.

One thing that the Procrastination Equation doesn’t cover is the role that willpower plays in procrastination.

Now, for a long time, it was believed that willpower was a limited resource –

and that it drained throughout the day as you made decisions that deviated from the path of least resistance.

This phenomenon was called ego depletion.

During the past couple of years, though, the ego depletion theory been challenged by some conflicting research,

so it’s tough to say whether or not willpower itself really is this limited pool that you draw from throughout the day.

Ego depletion controversy aside, though, your body – and, by extension, your brain – runs on a cycle of work and rest.

There’s only so much you can do in a day before you exhaust your mental resources.

Plus, when you put off a challenging assignment in favor of doing a bunch of easy work first,

it becomes really easy to convince yourself that you’ve “done enough” for the day once that easy work is done.

That’s why one of the best ways to beat procrastination is to just knuckle down and do the most difficult, unpleasant thing on your to-do list first.

This is often called “eating the frog” – and as Mark Twain once said:

"If it's your job to eat a frog, it's best to do it first thing in the morning.

And If it's your job to eat two frogs, it's best to eat the biggest one first."

Now, I’d prefer not to eat any frogs whatsoever.

I’d much rather eat a tomato, which in Italian would be called a “pomodoro” –

and that happens to be the name of the final technique we’re going to discuss today.

The Pomodoro Technique is a simple little hack you can use to stop procrastinating, and all it requires is a timer and a little piece of paper.

To use it, first decide on one singular task you’re going to work on.

Then, set your timer for 25 minutes, and work as hard as you can on that task during that time.

If a distraction comes up, or if you get the impulse to do something else, write it down on the piece of paper and then get back to work.

Finally, once the timer goes off, take a 5 minute break and then repeat the process until you’re ready for a longer break.

This method works so well because the timer helps you to reframe your task as input-based rather than output-based.

Instead of feeling like you need to finish an entire math assignment or that rough draft of your paper, you know you just need to work for 25 minutes.

This act of reframing cuts down on the initial resistance you feel towards the task, since 25 minutes of work doesn't feel like a huge investment of effort.

Additionally, the timer creates an external motivator.

Instead of relying on your brain to keep track of how long you should work, you let the timer do it for you.

It’s the next best thing to having a coach or drill instructor there to keep you on task

– and for that reason, you need to make sure you actually use a timer –

or at least a timer app, like tomato timer.com, or Tide on iOS and Android.

Now there are definitely more techniques for beating procrastination that we could talk about,

but there comes a point where talking about productivity becomes a form of procrastination itself.

So now it’s time to take what you’ve learned from this video, apply it, and get to work. Good luck.

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