Learning How to Learn Part II
23 Jul 2020
“Little by little, I will get there” - Anon.
How to get started and avoid the inner procrastination zombie.
Learning How to Learn Part 2
We are a set of habits built across the years. It’s a biological adaptation, drawing from our chunks and going into a semi-autonomous or zomblie-like mode perform the routine quickly. And procrastination, is just one of these habits with less-than-desirable results.
Now the good news, zombie-mode itself is neither good or bad. And if we can master the art of feeding our inner zombie with positive reinforcement, we can get the zombie to work for us.
Maintaining a positive and judgement-free mind set is the key. It’s very easy to get discouraged when we start looking at the mountain of work in front of us, focusing on nothing but the end goal. A few tricks I’ve found helpful are:
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It’s very normal to experience negative emotions before commencing a task, the feeling will quickly subside once you pick up steam.
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Focusing on the product is what causes us pain and judgement - the fear of failure. Instead, focus on the process instead - the eased feeling of being in the flow, for a simple 25 Pomodoro minutes.
Keeping It Going
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Follow a routine and have a sacred place where you can focus on working. Personally, I like to study outside of home, and reserve the comfort of my couch for full-on entertainment.
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No one is perfect, try to eat our frogs early in the day, and it’s okay to miss our goal sometimes. A snippet from Jordan Peterson’s second rule, don’t tyrannize ourselves, and remember to negotiate with ourselves like someone whom we care about. So, call it a day after 5 PM, go out for a run (diffused mode) or get a few friends together for a night out. You deserved it.
Now … only if I can follow my own rules more. Alright, until next time my internet friends.