The ONLY Way To Stop Procrastinating | Mel Robbins
Summary
TLDRThis video challenges the idea that people are procrastinators by nature, emphasizing instead that procrastination is a habit linked to stress relief. The speaker explains how stress triggers avoidance behaviors, such as watching videos instead of working. To break this habit, they suggest recognizing the stress, counting from 5 to 1 to interrupt the pattern, and committing to just five minutes of work. The goal is to overcome the habit of avoidance by starting small, as research shows that 80% of people who start will keep going.
Takeaways
- 😄 You are not a procrastinator; you have a habit of procrastinating, which is a key distinction.
- 🤔 Procrastination is not about the work itself but a form of stress relief.
- 😥 Stress, from various aspects of life, triggers procrastination.
- 😅 The brain avoids stressful tasks by distracting itself with activities like watching videos.
- 😤 The habit of procrastination has three parts: the trigger (stress), the pattern (avoiding work), and the reward (stress relief).
- 🔄 Breaking the procrastination habit involves changing the pattern of avoidance, not eliminating stress.
- 🧠 Interrupting the procrastination pattern awakens the prefrontal cortex, enabling action.
- 🕔 Start working for just five minutes to break the habit of avoidance, as the problem is not work itself but starting.
- 📊 Research shows that starting to work leads 80% of people to continue beyond the initial five minutes.
- 🎯 Counting down from 5 to 1 can interrupt the procrastination pattern and activate action.
Q & A
What is the main difference between being a procrastinator and having a habit of procrastination?
-Being a procrastinator implies that procrastination defines who you are, while having a habit of procrastination means it's just a recurring behavior, and habits can be changed.
How is procrastination related to stress, according to the speaker?
-Procrastination is a form of stress relief. When someone is stressed, they avoid doing tasks that may add to their stress and instead engage in easier, more pleasurable activities to relieve stress temporarily.
What are the three parts of a habit as described in the script?
-The three parts of a habit are: the trigger (which, in the case of procrastination, is stress), the pattern (avoiding the task), and the reward (temporary stress relief).
Why does the brain choose to procrastinate instead of focusing on important tasks?
-The brain seeks to avoid additional stress when already overwhelmed. When faced with challenging or stressful tasks, the brain opts for easier distractions, like watching videos, to reduce the immediate stress.
How can someone break the habit of procrastination, according to the speaker?
-To break the habit of procrastination, one must change the pattern of avoiding work. This can be done by acknowledging the stress, counting down from 5 to 1 to interrupt the habit, and then starting the task for just five minutes.
What is the purpose of counting down from 5 to 1 when dealing with procrastination?
-Counting down from 5 to 1 interrupts the habit of procrastination, awakening the prefrontal cortex, which helps the person regain control and shift focus from avoidance to action.
Why does the speaker suggest working for only five minutes?
-The speaker suggests working for five minutes because the hardest part of overcoming procrastination is starting. Once someone begins, 80% of people tend to continue beyond the initial five minutes.
What should you do when you notice you're procrastinating?
-When you notice you're procrastinating, you should acknowledge that it's a reaction to stress, count down from 5 to 1 to break the avoidance pattern, and then start working for five minutes.
Why is it important to recognize the trigger of procrastination?
-Recognizing the trigger (stress) helps you understand that procrastination isn’t about the task itself but about managing stress. Once you acknowledge this, you can take steps to change the avoidance behavior.
What research finding does the speaker mention regarding starting work?
-The speaker mentions that research shows once someone starts working, 80% of people continue to work beyond the initial five minutes, highlighting the importance of simply beginning the task.
Outlines
💡 You're Not a Procrastinator—It's Just a Habit
The speaker challenges the belief that procrastination defines a person, emphasizing instead that it's simply a habit. This distinction is important because habits can be changed, and the speaker introduces the idea that science can help break this habit. They suggest that procrastination is a form of stress relief rather than an issue with the task itself.
😅 Procrastination Is About Stress, Not Work
Procrastination isn't related to the difficulty of work but rather to stress. The speaker explains that life's pressures—whether from relationships, health issues, or finances—carry over into the workplace. Stress triggers procrastination, leading people to avoid stressful tasks by distracting themselves with unrelated activities, like watching videos.
🎯 The Brain's Role in Avoidance
When faced with stress and difficult tasks, the brain seeks to avoid the perceived discomfort by encouraging procrastination. This avoidance is a habitual response where the brain opts for distractions, like browsing online, instead of tackling the task. This leads to a cycle where avoiding the task temporarily reduces stress, but also delays progress.
🔄 Understanding the Habit Loop of Procrastination
The speaker breaks down procrastination into a habit loop: stress is the trigger, avoiding the task is the pattern, and stress relief is the reward. They explain that to break the procrastination habit, you don't need to eliminate stress (which is impossible), but you can change the avoidance pattern. Recognizing this loop is the first step.
🧠 Interrupt the Habit with a Simple Trick
To break the procrastination habit, the speaker advises using the '5-4-3-2-1' countdown technique. Counting interrupts the habitual avoidance response and activates the prefrontal cortex, allowing you to break free of the stress-triggered procrastination cycle. The key is to take immediate action, even if it’s just working for five minutes.
🚀 Start Small to Overcome Procrastination
The speaker emphasizes that starting is the hardest part of overcoming procrastination. Once you begin, research shows that 80% of people will continue working. The focus should be on initiating action, not on completing the entire task immediately. By committing to just five minutes of work, the habit of avoidance is disrupted.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Procrastination
💡Habit
💡Trigger
💡Stress
💡Pattern
💡Reward
💡5-4-3-2-1 technique
💡Prefrontal cortex
💡Start for five minutes
💡Avoidance
Highlights
You're not a procrastinator, you have a habit of procrastinating. Big difference.
Procrastination has nothing to do with your work; it is a form of stress relief.
You can break the habit of procrastination by using science.
All habits have three parts: a trigger (in procrastination, the trigger is stress), a pattern (you avoid doing something), and a reward (stress relief).
The way to break a habit is not to deal with the trigger, but to change the pattern.
You will never get rid of stress in your life, but you can change the pattern of avoiding work.
Next time you hesitate or avoid work, acknowledge the stress and interrupt the habit with the 5-4-3-2-1 technique.
Counting from 5-4-3-2-1 interrupts the habit loop and awakens the prefrontal cortex.
The key is to start working for just five minutes, as the issue is not the work itself, but the habit of avoiding it.
Research shows that if you start, 80% of the time you will keep going.
Procrastination often stems from the stress in other parts of your life, not just from the task at hand.
Your brain tries to avoid discomfort, such as calling higher-level professionals, by opting for distractions like watching cat videos.
Recognizing and acknowledging the stress helps in breaking the avoidance pattern.
You can’t remove all sources of stress, but you can control how you respond to them.
Breaking the habit of procrastination involves recognizing the stress, interrupting the pattern, and starting small.
Transcripts
you're not a procrastinator you have a
habit of procrastinating big difference
because if it's a habit I can teach you
to use science to break it so let's talk
a little bit about procrastination who
in here struggles with procrastination
yeah and the rest of you that are
trading your hand or just
procrastinating on doing it aren't you I
know you see I always thought
procrastination had to do with the thing
I was procrastinating around right like
that procrastination has something to do
with work believe it or not
procrastination has nothing to do with
your work procrastination is a form of
stress relief let me explain this so
let's say that you've got some stuff
going on in your life and heck who
doesn't have stuff going on in your life
maybe you're fighting with your
significant other maybe moms or dads
health is failing and it's really really
upsetting you maybe you've got some
financial stuff you put too much of your
savings into Bitcoin and now that that's
crashed you're stressed out about it
right and so you go into work and when
you get into work you got stuff to do
you kind of walk in and you got this big
stress ball that subconsciously is
hanging over your head and so you walk
in and you sit down and you know you've
got 13 phone calls you need to make and
you also know that you've been
chickening out you've been making easy
calls and there's a bunch of CIOs or
other people that are higher level that
you haven't been calling and so as you
sit down to do it you've got the stress
on your shoulders your brain that it
starts to go wait a minute what you want
me to make a call to somebody that I'm
scared to make absolutely not I'm so
stressed out about can we just watch
some cat videos for a minute and next
thing you know an hours gone by and then
of course what do you do you beat
yourself up so the only way that you can
break this habit and that's an important
word for you to hear you're not a
procrastinator you have a habit of
procrastinating big difference because
if it's a habit I can teach you to use
science to break it you see all habits
have three parts there's a trigger and
in the case of procrastination the
triggers always stress then there's a
pattern you repeat and in the case of
procrastination it is to avoid doing
something and then there's a reward you
get a little stress relief the only way
to break a habit you guys is not to deal
with the triggers you're never gonna get
rid of the stress in your life but you
can 100% change your pattern of avoiding
work so next time that you're in a
situation where you feel yourself
hesitate you spent way too much time
checking out the highlights from last
night's scores what you're gonna do is
you're gonna go up I must be stressed
out about something acknowledge the
stress then go 5 4 3 2 1
I want you to count to yourself because
I want you to interrupt the habit that's
stored here and I want you to awaken
your prefrontal cortex then I want you
to just work just for five minutes the
reason why I want you to only work for
five minutes is because your problem
isn't working it's the habit of avoiding
I just need you to start and here's the
other cool thing we know based on
research that if we can get you to start
80% of you are going to keep going
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