Procrastination and Memory

Procrastination

• Brain zombies - automatic replies of brain to specific cues to make here and now better.
• We procrastinate about things we don’t like.
• Procrastination is similar to addiction - provides temporary pleasure.
• Procrastination has feedback loop - making it harder and harder to get out of it.
• Neurologically - habit is an energy saver.
• Habit is four parts
  • Cue - the trigger.
  • Routine - the default response.
  • Reward - immediate feeling of pleasure.
  • Belief - why the default response, the story you tell yourself about why you have certain habits.

Process vs Product

• Okay to feel negative when you thinking of doing something.
• Research finds that non procrastinators feel the same, but put those feelings aside.
• reframing helps with avoiding procrastination. Instead of thinking I am going to complete a task, think that you are going to work on something for 20mins, irrespective of whether you complete it or not.
• Build processes, small habits/chunks, to avoid procrastination.
• Focus on completing a pomodoro, rather than completing a task.
• Process also means you are not worried whether you are close to finishing the task or not or get worried when you are behind.
• Distraction free environment helps.

Harnessing habits/zombies

• Cue
  • Understand which cues trigger procrastination - location, time, feeling, reaction.
  • Turning off distractions like cellphone etc will avoid most of the cues.
• Routing
  • Must need to actively focus to avoid going into the default habit.
  • Figure out a plan that works for you. Turn off wifi, or changing time of day to early morning. Or what ever works.
  • Might need to experiment a bit to figure out what is most suitable to you.
• Reward
  • Investigate why you are avoiding.
  • Figure out a different reward. Like an internal challenge. Or a piece of chocolate.
  • Celebrate bigger achievements with bigger rewards.
  • Habits create craving. So use that to create good habits.
  • Having a deadline does indicate a good reward and helps to be more productive.
  • Be patient.
• Belief
  • Hardest part is to believe that you are going to complete a task.
  • Specially when things are hard, you tend to go back to old habits.

Task lists

• Write list of weekly goals or key tasks.
• Main a daily to do list.
• Important - always write to do list the evening before as research shows it helps with getting diffused mode engaged while sleeping to work on those tasks.
• Mix physical tasks like cleaning with mental tasks. Diffused mode breaks.
• Important - Plan time when you are going to stop working.
• Include your reward in the daily to do list or planner.
• Do the most important task or most disliked task in the morning. At least make progress on it.

Memory

• We have really good spatial and visual memory.
• Using images as a way to store information can be very effective.
  • Lot of memory champions use image associations to retain information.
  • Use funny and evocative images.
• To move something from working to long term memory it should be memorable and needs repetition.
• Spaced repetition, index cards, note taking, oral repetition - all help build memory.
  • Anki system?

Long term memory

• Hippocampus is important for learning and memory of facts and events.
• Memories are not fixed, they change all the time.
• It is possible to implant false memories.
• Memory consolidates over a period of time. If memory is retrieved it under goes reconsolidating. Hence spaced repetition is important for retaining knowledge.
• Astrocytes -
  • Provides nutrient to neurones, help repair neural damage.
  • Einstein had better than average amount of astrocytes.
  • Could be important to learning and intelligence?

Techniques for building memory

• Make meaningful (visual) groups.
• Create abbreviations for meaningful groups.
• Associate numbers with important dates/figures.
• Mnemonics. Used a lot in fields like medicine.
• Memory palace technique
  • Useful grouping technique to store information.
  • Use known locations - like your house - and attach information to various parts.
  • Useful for grouping things that are not related to each other.
  • Useful for remembering lists - grocery list, list of cities etc.