A science-based trick to end procrastination

We’ve all been there: you have a lot of work on your plate, but you find yourself doing other things: the ones that are easier than what you really need to do such as cleaning off your desk or computer. Yet, to get out of a motivational trough, that’s precisely the opposite of what you should do.

What to do

When you find yourself procrastinating, start with doing something unrelated that’s even harder than what you’re trying to do. In other words, do something tangential that sucks.

Why it works

Our “molecule of motivation” is dopamine. It lowers our threshold for taking action toward our goals. When our dopamine levels are higher in our brain and body, we tend to focus our attention on outward goals and feel motivated to pursue them.

Stanford Professor Andrew Huberman compares dopamine in our system to a wave pool: there is a baseline of water, and there are waves with peaks and troughs. The deeper and steeper the troughs of these waves, the higher and steeper their peaks are (and vice versa).

This logic points to the counterintuitive key to moving out of a motivational trough and toward a peak. You first need to make the trough steeper and deeper. The quickest way to pull that off is doing something unrelated that’s even harder.

How to do it

Have a list of activities that are hard for you. When you find yourself procrastinating, pick one activity that’s feasible in the situation. Here are three ideas to start with.

1) Focus your attention on your breath for three minutes. As you inhale, count “one” in your mind. When you exhale, count “two.” Continue counting up to ten, then start over from one. If your attention wanders, acknowledge the distraction and bring your focus back to the breath, beginning the count from one again. Closing your eyes will help, but it isn’t necessary.

2) Exercise hard for three minutes. For example, do a 3-minute squat and pushup challenge. Set a timer for three minutes. Perform five squats, then go for five pushups. Next, do six squats followed by six pushups. Add one squat and pushup every round until the three minutes are up. Rest whenever needed, but keep the timer going. 

3) If you plan to work on a procrastination-provoking task in the morning, start your day with a cold shower. Doing this sucks while you’re in it, but it increases your dopamine levels by 250% for hours. Safety is key: To avoid cold shock, start warm and turn the water to as cold as you can safely tolerate at the end of your shower. Begin with up to 30 seconds.