How to Stop Procrastination & Increase Motivation | Dr. Andrew Huberman
Dr. Andrew Huberman discusses how leveraging findings from addiction research can help combat procrastination and increase motivation.
Dr. Andrew Huberman is a tenured professor of neurobiology and ophthalmology at Stanford University School of Medicine and host of the Huberman Lab podcast.
Watch the full episode: • Leverage Dopamine to O...
Show notes: www.hubermanlab.com/episode/l...
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The Huberman Lab podcast is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine, nursing or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice, and no doctor/patient relationship is formed. The use of information on this podcast or materials linked from this podcast is at the user’s own risk. The content of this podcast is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Users should not disregard or delay in obtaining medical advice for any medical condition they may have and should seek the assistance of their health care professionals for any such conditions.
This clip is from the Huberman Lab episode "Leverage Dopamine to Overcome Procrastination & Optimize Effort.” The full episode can be found on KZhead here: kzhead.info/sun/fpGNh5Z7n6KwZ6M/bejne.html
Thank you for linking the full discussion. 😊
How would you prove robot has consciousness using empirical data. How do you prove to blind man what color red is using empirical data. In theory, robot can be programmed to move its hand when it touches hot surface. How do I know its having the experience of hot using test tube(Deduction/induction). The only thing i am certain of is that i have experience of hot. This experience can only come from entity that can already experience existence (Allah-one/indivisible/self-sufficient/unique/All-Loving infinite perfection). If you cannot prove your own consciousness using “scientific method”, then how can you reject the existence of Perfect/infinite metaphysical being(Allah)? “Cogito ergo sum”( I think therefore I am) should be read as “cogito ergo est”(I think therefore Allah is)
As a person who struggled with this for the most part of my life, i can tell that the only thing that works is to get out of the house. If you need to study, or smth, just go to a library, rent an office a spot at some workspace, or whatever. Suddenly, when you are at a purpose fit location all the friction magically goes away. There is something about the commute, increased distance from place of rest, and like minded people in close proximity. No distractions about cleaning the kitchen. Basically this is tried and true 9-5 routine and no amount of willpower or productivity hacks while torturing yourself with WFH can replace it
iirc there is something to this. same with addicts staying clean in a new environment. a space can be made to fit a function.
So true! I finally invested in a co-working space and it has helped a lot.
@@rebeccasaltzburg5553 what is co-working space? what do you mean by investing into it?
Depends. Some people need ritual or quiet or few interruptions to get into a productive flow.
@@ArtemLokhovitskiyIt's an office space you can rent out. Usually a nice floor of a building, other people rent out their own areas.
A trick I learned about procrastination is to actually slow down...a lot. The book "30 Days to Overcome Procrastination" by Corin Devaso had interesting exercises because it had nothing to do with time management but self management and letting go. Letting go and slowing down actually speeds things up in the long run, ironically. It's our fear of missing out or not getting or not becoming that slows us down.
Hey, thanks for this comment man! It gives me a new perspective to know, you can tell me a little more about it. I am literally procrastinating a lot. I do weird things in procrastination, like watching KZhead or designing a document in an aesthetic way or worse watching hot* videos. I don't know why this happens. But I think it is what you are saying, I actually try to do many things at the same time, but I feel like missing out especially when I see my juniors are making money through online work. If you have time please reply back with one or 2 of your learnings. And Thanks mate.
@@rittss13 I'd suggest slowing down a lot...doing mindfulness helps, that book I recommended helped me with that. It's important to slow down and even stop and do a deep dive into how we perceive ourselves, what our core values are, if the goals we have are really ours or are they adopted from society of family, if our expectations are too high or unrealistic, etc. This takes time, and it's probably the best time ever spent in life is learning oneself.
wow thank man for your help@@magueysunset
I do that when i feel overwhelmed, good idea
Yes 🙌🏼
In other words, punish yourself for being amotivated or when procrastinating to trick/tell your mind those are not desirable outcomes by giving yourself something even worse to do in the precise moment (not actually harmful to one self). Eventually the brain will associate procrastination with punishment and you'll see yourself more motivated! Thanks Andrew for all the wonderful information you share with us! This helped me immensely!
this actually makes lots of sense
so Huberman's trick is basically about conditioning the system by stick & carrot?
Mom's who said "oh you're bored? well I got some chores for you to do." were right all along
It’s not about punishment, it’s about stimulating your brain to produce neurochemicals by prodding it into action. It’s working with the us and downs of dopamine, not punishment.
Holy crap - The cold shower REALLY worked for me.. I have a couple exams over the next week or so + with the full time job i feel so gassed and stressed from work - the cold shower changed everything. I felt a surge of energy out of no where. 10000x times thank you!!
Hope your exams went well buddy.
I scare to death of cold water. When I was a kid my mother kept telling me that cold is dangerous. Years passed, I'm almost 41, I walk in the house bare foots for couple of years and have just started trying eating yogurt from the fridge without warming it. It is so hard to overcome. But the cold shower... I don't know. Does it really work and is it really worth it?
@@dmitriizheleznikov2949 When you take a shower next time, in the last 20-30 seconds (even 10 seconds) keep the water a little bit colder than what you usually do. Turn it a centimeter to the colder side, try it out. Commit to this for 7 days and see how you feel yourself when you do it. No need to go all cold in the beginning friend, just like Huberman said, if it's cold enough that you're getting A LITTLE uncomfortable, it's working.
@@Darknight526 thanks, I will try. Nothing bad will happen if I stay 10 seconds under a little colder shower.
@@dmitriizheleznikov2949 As a fellow cold hater who has finally come around to cold showers yes it works. And starting off with very short time is also what worked for me. I added about 10 seconds each shower until I hit the 3 minute mark. Now I can do ten minutes even in the winter, as long as the bathroom isnt below 70° . Keep breathing as naturally as possible, you don't want to hold your breath, which is the typical reaction to cold for myself. You're younger than I am and probably in better health ( it's an assumption but I'm in pretty poor state but the cold showers are a game changer!!! Nothing to lose , lots to gain. 👍
Also just plain doing nothing can work, stare at the wall, turn off everything and stay still... Suddenly working out or studying or doing whatever task becomes something you crave.
I think this is why yoga nidra or nsdr work as well.
HUH?
How long does that take you
@@damonrossouw9732 I would say 15 minutes and you will feel like doing anything instead of nothing. There is a study that I remember being referenced (I don't remember it off the top of my head so take it with a grain of salt) where people would prefer to push a button which causes them a shock and was a bit painful, the majority of the participants ended up pressing that button instead of just doing nothing for the time they were given. Another thing is no matter how long it takes you it's still better than continuing to procrastinate for the whole day, week, month etc. There is no way you would last 6 hours of doing nothing where you have the option of doing something engaging, at least compared to doing nothing.
I would probably just fall asleep.....as crazy that sounds, it's true.
what I like to do to overcome procrastination is to sit still, close my eyes, and observe/pay attention to the procrastination feeling,
mindfulness!?
You would still be procrastinating but at least you would be less stressed about it.
I'm so grateful for this channel man.
You took my daily challenge, and supplied real time tools in under 7 minutes. You are a pioneer in bridging the gap between complex therapy & delivering it in Laymans terms. Grateful 🙏
As Always Outstanding! If it is a clip or it is an entire podcast the value is priceless!!!!
thank you Andrew, eventhrough my lazy and crazy mind won't let me live as I would like and should, your videos really help me to go on ❤
I’ve had success on a vibration plate, I paid about $100 for it online. I’m recovering from illness and most mornings are rough, my body stiff and fatigued and I just want to go back to sleep.I’ve been exploring at least standing on the vibration plate and it’s been a game changer… it intensely stimulates my circulation my body opens up to wanting to move more and more, and I do while still on the plate twisting from side to side bending over stretching. And within 10-20 minute I’m not just significantly more mobile I’m more clear and in a totally more motivated state of mind. And all I had to do was commit to switching on the power button and standing on the plate for at least 10 minutes. Everything else just begins to happen seemingly on its own.
Brilliant! I always wondered why procrastination was affecting me so badly, its great to learn the science behind this
Cold shower that's not even super cold but enough cold to make you uncomfortable for at least 2 minutes can literally change your behavior for the rest of the day and even for the day after!
Did you try cold shower ? If so what were the benefits ?
@@srisungazesplash1340 yes i did and i still do it sometimes. Makes you more alert and after a couple of days/weeks you are more cold resiliant when you go outside on a cold because you are more used to it. It's really hard to do it in the morning because you just woke up and your body is super hot, but getting that shower that is enough cold to make you uncomfortable will wake you up and make you feel like you have superpowers! It's gonna be so strange when you go to school/work in the morning ready to hit it meanwhile everyone else is sleepy xD.
Here are some other actions to make you uncomfortable other than a cold shower: - Listen to Annoying Sounds: Play a sound or music you find particularly annoying or grating in the background. - Wear Uncomfortable Clothing: Put on something slightly uncomfortable, like an itchy sweater or tight shoes. - Awkward Seating: Sit in a less comfortable chair or position or sit on an object that is causing discomfort. - Hold a Plank Position: Hold a plank position for a minute or so. It's physically demanding but not harmful. - Backwards Clothing: Wear an item of clothing backwards.
Majority of these are just annoying tho, not uncomfortable. The only one featuring discomfort in my view is the plank suggestion.
@@Kuk0sanyes, & requires ‘action’ to move you out of inertia.
Thanks for the suggestions.
A breathwork session is good for changing states. I do 11mn Wim Hoff guided breathing when I’m in a procrastination state.
I relate to this, sometimes weeks go by and I just get the basics done, not much progress on my goals. However, when I have a bad day at work, lot of hours no breaks, I am much more motivated end of the day. There's probably an element where I don't feel as in control when I'm stuck at work. I want to go home but can't so when I finally get home I'm super active. Although I should be more tired, I end up working out, doing cardio, cleaning, doing laundry, drawing, playing games. On a normal day, I mostly just work, eat, and lounge around. As far as I'm concerned, bills are paid, I'm saving money, I'm physically fit, life is good. However when under stress, I just have insane energy and so much gets done, I can't stop Also lol, many times my house gets cleaned when I'm avoiding other activities
You have just described me 😀
procrastinating by watching this video
I saved this video and i know that i'm never gonna watch it
Thanks for the video, when I was listening, I realised that sometimes, I am doing naturally that type of hard tasks when I am down. Actually on the cover of want to doing something crazy, different or something for breaking the routine.
Outstanding topics
I’ve watched so many self help videos like this for advice and motivation, yet I can never break free of how lazy and inconsistent I am. JUST WANT TO SCREAM.
You are not alone. Let's keep pushing.
🫂 us moment
Are you holding yourself accountable? Or do you have everything in your life that makes you lazy?
I’m right there with you. Something that really helped me a lot was the book “Atomic Habits” by James Clear, and he talks about implementing systems so that you eventually will be able to do certain things on autopilot, leaving the motivation for the more important things. It’s hard to explain here, but I highly recommend that book. It has completely charged my life.
Used to feel the same. But I think it's because people like us get mentally tired quicker and take longer to recharge, so we underperform. Well that's the way we are, and blaming ourselves doesn't make it any better. In fact it spends the very few resources that we need to get ourselves up anx running. Quit blaming yourself, just do whatever you can, however little, only do it well. Besides, sometimes it's good to be behind to see something overlooked by others.
Dude thanks to put this into a format that I can actually motivate myself to watch 😊 as opposed to thinking ok I wanna know it but two hours.....
Cold shower, hate them but they definitely work. ❤
Definitely Required This but its More about Sifting too much Information sort of Procrastinating 😊😊😊 Blessings Professor
I just want you to know that your show is l one of the best on KZhead the work and the quality is great on your channel keep up the good work
First, I would like to say that I love to hear you on Spotify, you inspire me to grow up. Thank you. So, could you speak about how the magnesium works in our brain? I am using, and I can separate my life and after and before magnesium. Now, I'm using zinc too.
como siempre, muy buen video y útil, gracias y saludos desde Chile
Such a valuable video! I'll do my homework after watching this
your vids are saving my grades
Thank you Dr Huberman! You made such an impact to my life ❤
Incredible
00:04 Overcoming procrastination through leveraging dopamine peaks and troughs 00:58 Doing something more effortful or painful can help you rebound out of procrastination and lack of motivation quickly. 01:49 To stop procrastination and increase motivation, do something that's harder than the current state. 02:45 Engage in discomfort to combat amotivation and increase productivity. 03:39 Limbic friction can hinder motivation. It can be caused by tiredness or anxiety. 04:26 Exercise for a short while to overcome lack of motivation and procrastination. 05:21 Steepening the trough by doing something that really sucks, like immersing oneself in very cold water. 06:15 Stop procrastination quickly and increase motivation. Crafted by Merlin AI.
Life Saver Bro
Immediately added this to my Watch Later…
I love to procrastinate and take my sweet loving time doing things. However, I do recognize there is a time to be assertive and proactive.
Yes, and the perfect time is First Thing Tomorrow!
@@frederickschneider3165 lol
Love this guy
thank you bro
Saved to watch later!
Thank you. I have been watching several times a week and take away a great deal from your work and wisdom. I’d like to ask an odd, irrelevant question if I may. What brand of shirt do you wear? The look, fit, aesthetic are spot on.
I'll save this clip for later.
i appreciate all the clips. i prefer them haha
So.... to stop procrastinating I need to get off my butt and do something challenging.... But I'm A-motived and doing things, anything, is tough. So how am I going to search out discomfort when I'm A-motivated??? I'm already not wanting to do ANYTHING...
Someonee anyonee please answer thisssss!!!
just think what's the thing you avoid to do the most, that probably is the hardest one for you in the moment. now take your phone an set a 2 minute timer to do that thing. then when you do that, increase to 5 min, then 10 min and so on until you reach 90-120 min of concentrated, focused work at a time. it's ok if in the beggining you just hallucinate doing nothing for the first minutes, that's just your brain being scared, remember it takes courage to beat the procrastination
"Oh, you can't get up? The solution to not getting up is just getting up, so get up!" Like, okay, I don't think we're speaking the same language... You're starting from the "GO" position, whereas I'm starting from "PROBABLY DEAD, CHECK FOR PULSE." These are not the same. Your solution is a non-starter for the near-dead.
@@andi-roo9426 seems to me that you're pretty able to formulate an articulate answer longer than a few words, so your pulse is allright. Just trust me and do 2 minutes, it will feel like trying to move a car with the bare hands but you can do it, i don't know you but i know you can focus for 2 minutes on a task, start from there.
Do a cold shower
Needed to hear this cause I cringed hard with the cold water suggestion.
thank you bro i no longer procrastinate, i noobcrastinate!
Excellent info! Absolutely excellent!!
I will have a look at this a little later
0:32 months before yesterday i felt like i could never make a css design by myself .. today i just made a full fledged project out of nowhere
Proud
I procrastinated watching this video, that's how messed up my brain is
Then take a cold shower, Captain Cynical.
I don’t get it. From a neuroscience perspective, this is almost certainly 100% accurate, but if using your example, I’m procrastinating going to the gym because I see it as painful (even though I know it will be beneficial) how do I get my brain to agree to doing something even worse? I’d end up procrastinating the cold shower, and the gym would be completely out of mind! 😕
😂 Exactly my thoughts
When you are in the shower, turn the hot water off. Stand under the water as it gets colder & hop around under it for a few minutes. Bask in the pride of knowing you did something hard! Mentally, if you get in the habit of doing something mentally “harder” than working out (like take an unwanted cold shower), you are more likely to be able to do something less hard ( like working out).
How about Looking at the future, better-looking you? Having that picture in mind, or a “movie” of oneself in such a state ( goal accomplished) interacting with one’s most loved, adored person (or even those who bullied you?). 🎥 May Play the movie in mind before going & while doing exercise. I tend to dwell in the present myself. 😁
Same! My brain sucks
procrastinate everything 😂
Also me saving the video to watch later
Gonna watch this later
Procrastination is totally about believing the circumstances are not that bad until they are. Example: shoveling snow is not important unless you: 1. Can't get out of your driveway 2. May lose your job. Then it becomes very important. Money or lack of it has always been a motivator.
I cringed when you said cold shower lol 🤭 Thank you! This is great for my business! Although I am self motivated, I procrastinate on a few things personally.
Saved to watch later.
😆
I did when I first show it last week lolololllol. I am just getting t watch it toda.
I've been procrastinating watching this for 2 days. Help.
I have added this to watch later
This looks like it would be interesting... I will watch it later
In other words, just do what you need to do because it takes less effort than to put yourself in a harder state, take yourself out of that harder state, and then put yourself into the proper state to get done what needs to get done in the first place. Then, you'll have time to chill at the end of the day. Bonus. 😁
As I understood he suggests putting yourself in a state of some discomfort, not the state of discomfort more than required for the task you are procrastinating on, just add some of it. It should increase you dopamine level and give you some motivation to actually work on that task. He always advocates for cold shower as that discomfort because it is scary, uncomfortable (even painful), and quick. I don't know... I will try to convince myself to try 🙂
Very helpfull
I'll get to this video eventually.
For me its its getting stuck in which way to go so i sit on it and wait. Then its fear of making the wrong decision then its stress from running out of time to do it until i am too fearul and lost to know what to do so i dontdo anything and feel like crap for letting everyone down once again. Those feelings of fear, confusion, and stress make you paralyzed in not doing anything. I am getting worse and worse with time. Ive always had very little interests in life and even those interest that kept me moving are now put on the back burner not wanting to do them. I sleep a lot and ind nothing really enjoyable.
Is it possible to jump-start the motivation with a steep crest for a short period (a short dopamine spike)? For example, having a delicious snack, dish, or ice cream... I understand, the 'sugar intake', but if one has a dish or snack (spicy, some guys might get addicted to it) or fast food that mostly appeals to them.
il watch this video later. il put it in my watch later
I am procrastinating while watching this
What are some examples of things that are “safe but suck”? I agree with Dr Huberman here that the cringe could be a powerful clue.
Sauna, ice bath, cold shower, apnea and surely there are others
Exercise
I'd also like some more examples. I already do the cold showers. Here are a couple that come to mind... - an exercise you don't normally do - facing fears - like (safely) approaching dogs if you're afraid of them, or touching spiders, etc - eating something gross, like if you hate pickles - eating something spicy on its own - doing 10 minutes of difficult math problems - stretching your comfort zone by sending a nice email that goes beyond what you'd normally be comfortable saying - uncomfortable things that are helpful to others Not sure if all these would work. I'm thinking along the lines of what preteens would dare each other to do. Lol. Hopefully more people give some better ideas!!
@@MichaelCavano the thing is that these basic ones are hard but also increase dopamine So I don't see any reason to do others
@@tomazhb1692 - True. But I don't have a sauna and there are only so many cold showers you can have in a day. Tolerance builds and my water doesn't get any colder. And who has time for setting up an ice bath when there are 1000 things overdue from too much procrastination? Plus cold showers aren't always feasible anyway. So more tools in the belt are never a bad idea
Gold❤
Before this video I was crying and I felt like I had ADHD because I wouldn't be motivated and be overwhelmed by the work until deadline but then last minute I ended up doing nonstop 7hrs of work. Is this sign on ADHD?
Thank you!! How do we get up earlier when we never feel like we get enough sleep???
Go out and look towards the sun for two to ten minutes. Life changing. He talks a lot about this.
I'll write a funny comment later.
I 'll write another*
Advanced humor 😂
Do it now you won’t
😂
I’ll write a funny response to your comment tomorrow.
sleep well... eat healthy... exercise regularly... motivation becomes easier as you become better at these
One minor correction. Procrastination is not laziness or a lack of motivation so increasing these won't do much. Its more like an emotional regulation problem. But overall the tips and doing something that really sucks is exactly how to attack emotional dysregulation
Yeah, if you can make yourself do something that's worse, you didn't have a motivation problem to begin with. I could see how this could work if the 'replacement task' is emotionally less difficult but still boosts your dopamine, so it makes you better equipped for the task you find so hard to do. It creates some momentum. It basically dopes you to do the hard thing.
This sounds really difficult equation. If you find that cold water helps, it'll become plesurable thing you want to do. For me, it has been that for ages. Whenever there's a change to saw a hole on ice and go there from sauna, I do it. I live in Finland and nearby lake, and here water is below 8C from mid september to mid may and frozen from october to end of april. I used to take a short swim almost every night and make a hole and swim there at least few times per week. I didn't felt it painful and it made me feel good. Now I have get more lazy, but I still enjoy it when I do it. Anyway, it feels difficult to find something unpleasant or painful to do.
I will watch this video in a few days.
No pain no gain
Saved for later.
🎉 perfect.
I was procrastinating on reading, I did a 1 minute plank and then started reading🙏🏾
Awesome
“Really sucks and yet is safe.” I had an epiphany, at least I hope I did. From a psychological point of view, the comparison of the really sucky activity (a) to the activity I procrastinate on (b) places b in a more desirable light compared to a. So then going through (a) really sucks and (b) becomes, or is perceived as, somewhat of a reprieve. Fracking dopamine! 😂
Thanks for the video, but I think I'm going to watch it later!
watching this after I found it in my watch later list 5 months later
by just finding what are hard things that i should do is enough of a mental workout for me to stop procrastinating 😭
I believe that's the whole point of this technique. Because how on earth is someone who is not motivated to do a particular thing, going to motivate to himself to do something that's even worse? If you can do that, you didn't have motivation problem to begin with. So I think the only way this could work is when thinking of something worse is going to make you do the thing you were procratinating.
I actually sat through this video. Keep up the short and direct advice. I just want to drive the car and not learn the engineering behind the car. Btw, does Huberman talk about fixing short attention span too ? Asking for a friend 😂🤫🤥🤨
Yep
Dr ANDREW HUBERMAN I respect you but How can I do a task that is more difficult than my current state while I'm procrastinating doing simple tasks that are easy? Please make a short video about it
Thank you.
I’ll watch this later
In addition of a cold shower, what are other examples of those harder situations?
He gives only cold shower as example
Is this also true for people with ADHD?
I’ve been procrastinating watching this video.
will doing an elbow plank increase the dopamine level? i noticed this exercise is harder and even painful. please respond
A friend gave me an excellent course on avoiding procrastinating. I actually lost the CDs because I never got around to listening to them. HELP ME, HELP ME
Nice! I made a reaction on my channel about this video! Im just a normal dude in a JOURNEY to LEAVE procrastination
I love cold showers, but hate the hot showers, can I use them instead of cold ones?
What are some ideas other than cold exposure?
Awesome! I'd say "I can't wait to try it"... but that cold shower.... ugh ;) ...so, yeah, it oughtta work ;)
Woulld be much better if you can make shorts so that first they wont procrastinate watching it ❤ ,appreciate your efforts❤
I Start punching my heavy bag with 16 oz, it works
Does anyone know any examples of how to get out of this state other than cold shower? I just cant think of anything
Something that comes to my mind is: If you look up 5 minute abs or 7 minute abs, they are basically extremely painful ab exercises to get a six pack. They really, really hurt - they’re supposed to be hard. Or force yourself to watch a video on a topic that you’re not passionate about at all/which bores you and force yourself to pay attention and think critically about everything said in the video. Or force yourself to read a book you don’t want to read. Or, as I like to do once in a blue moon, try to think of good standup comedy material; think really hard and push through times when you have writer’s/thinker’s block. Or work on a really hard math problem. Or force yourself to count backwards from 10,000 in sevens. Or force yourself to eat food that tastes really bad but may or may not be healthy. Or go outside if you hate going outside.
@@JohnSmith-cg3cv This is good advice. I though about the same thing. I don't want to do cold showers since that, especialyl during winter here, seems to be bad for the immune system and trigger some cold or migrane. Exercising or forcing yourself to read a really boring book is good advice though. It is tough, but does not harm you in any way.
Hey Doc does this apply to adhd Brains?
You have no idea how much I have procrastinated watching this video😂