Daily productivity is a universal struggle. We all want to make the most of our time, be efficient, and achieve our goals, yet find ourselves plagued by an uninvited guest—procrastination. Stanford psychology professor Andrew Huberman provides insights into this battle, offering solutions to boost our productivity and overcome procrastination. Based on notes from his podcast, let’s take a deep dive into these strategies, turning the science into actionable tips for your everyday life.
Restore Your Dopamine Levels
Sleep and sunlight are the two primary natural stimulants for dopamine production. Aim to sleep for a solid eight hours each night, which helps to reset your baseline dopamine levels. To boost your morning dopamine, step outside for at least 10 minutes early in the morning (double the duration if it’s cloudy). These simple daily habits can significantly influence your motivation and mood throughout the day.
Regulate Your Dopamine Peaks
Understanding how dopamine works is critical in managing procrastination. Imagine your dopamine levels as a wave pool. A surge in dopamine levels (from achieving a desired goal, for instance) can create an overwhelming wave that causes a drop in baseline dopamine levels. This drop triggers cravings and leads to procrastination. Therefore, regulating your dopamine peaks can mitigate the risk of subsequent procrastination.
Stimulants like caffeine can help achieve this, but the key is timing. Consume your caffeine early in the morning to optimize its benefits without interfering with your sleep cycle.
For an additional dopamine boost, consider incorporating L-Tyrosine supplements (500 mg – 1 gr) into your morning routine, but always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new supplement regimen.
Embrace Discomfort
Counterintuitive as it may sound, engaging in uncomfortable activities can actually help you conquer procrastination. Whether it’s a cold shower, physical exercise, or tackling a challenging task, intentionally embracing discomfort can reset your dopamine levels, lifting you out of the procrastination zone. Remember, this isn’t about experiencing physical or mental pain but rather stepping out of your comfort zone.
Reevaluate Your Reward System
Huberman points out an interesting phenomenon regarding our reward system. If we consistently reward ourselves after performing a pleasurable activity, we may actually lose the intrinsic pleasure derived from the activity itself. This shift can make an activity that was once enjoyable feel ‘meh’, leading to a lack of motivation.
Therefore, try to appreciate the activity itself without associating it with external rewards. Occasionally, you might enjoy boosts like caffeine or L-Tyrosine, but don’t let your brain start to associate these with a specific activity or time (“it’s caffeine time”), as this can lead to cravings and dependencies.
Cultivate Intrinsic Motivation
Huberman refers to the ability to attach a reward to the effort process itself as the ‘holy grail of motivation.’ It’s about finding satisfaction in the journey, not just the destination. This might mean finding pleasure in the process of studying for an exam, the brainstorming phase of a project, or the incremental progress in a fitness regimen.
Exercise and Abstinence
Physical exercise is a universal dopamine booster. Any exercise will do, so find something you enjoy and incorporate it into your daily routine.
Meanwhile, if you’re aiming to break a habit that’s contributing to your procrastination, consider a 30-day period of abstinence. This period will be challenging, but it’s a proven method to break harmful patterns.
Understand the Three Types of Pleasure-Unpleasure
Our brains categorize experiences into ‘yum’ (pleasurable), ‘yuck’ (unpleasant), and ‘meh’ (neutral). By recognizing these categories, we can better understand our motivations and responses to different activities and situations.
The process explained above is just a tiny snippet of what Huberman offers in his quest to free access to education. Optimizing productivity and overcoming procrastination is a multifaceted process, incorporating healthy lifestyle choices, a thorough understanding of dopamine, and a reevaluation of our reward systems. While it may take time to adapt to these strategies, the benefits to your productivity, well-being, and achievement are well worth the effort.
Follow Andrew Huberman’s podcast on YouTube for great insights into your brain and how to make it work the way you want to.