Habits & Procrastination Flashcards
1
Q
What were some key points of habit discussion? (N)
A
- Many people waste doing tasks mindlessly
- Understanding habits allows us to take advantage of them
- Modulating cues and rewards saves our willpower
- Not over taxing mental resources, like willpower, increase success of changing a habit
- Planning ahead increases chance of success
2
Q
What is the Pomodoro routine?
A
- 25min of focused work effort
- 2-5min breaks + reward for every 25min session
- 30min breaks when no urgent time constraints
3
Q
What is more important Process or Product? Why?
A
- Process > Product, by focusing on the product we create stress/pain leading to procrastination, by focusing on the process, we develop productive habits that do not cause pain, and enlist the help of our inner zombie. Allows you to relax into the flow of the work, with less stress on when the product will be completed.
4
Q
What is mental contrasting?
A
- Envision your goal/future-self and contrast that image with your current reality, reminders of the goal/future-self prime the diffuse-mode and help create change.
5
Q
Why are habits powerful? Can they be helpful?
A
- Habits create neurological cravings.
- Habits chunk information and free up cognitive resources for other tasks.
6
Q
How are habit helpful? (N)
A
- By reducing the cognitive load, and automating actions. Automated actions require fewer cognitive resources and allow those resources to be used to accomplish other tasks.
7
Q
What does other research say about changing a habit? (N)
A
- To avoid the cue, and create a new cue.
8
Q
How can a habit be changed?
A
- Cues – identify procrastination cues.
- Develop a plan for new routine for the cue.
- Reward substitution – find new productive reward(s)
- Believe that habits can be changed
9
Q
Habits
What does Oakley suggest is the best way to change a habit? (N)
A
- To change our response to a cue, using willpower to create a new routine to the cue.
10
Q
What are the four components of a habit?
A
- Cues – Triggers that launch a habit, leading to routines. To change a habit, you need to exercise willpower to change your response to the cue
- Routine – Responses to cues, which can be helpful or harmful
- Reward – The benefit of the habit, can also be harmful like procrastination (seeking a good feeling by sacrificing productivity)
- Belief – Habits have power because of our belief in them
11
Q
How does Multi-tasking effect neuro connections?
A
- Interrupts attention, like pulling a plant up by the roots, the information is unable to be encoded into long term memory and we forget what we have learned. Preventing neuro connections from establishing themselves fully.
12
Q
What is “Learned industriousness”?
A
- In this context it is the rewiring of the brain for a new habit based on reward substitution.
- The opposite of learned helplessness, theory that increases productivity
13
Q
Procrastination has what four parts?
A
- Same as the habits
