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HC: Learning to Learn > Module 3 - 1: Procrastination > Flashcards

Module 3 - 1: Procrastination Flashcards

1
Q

How is arsenic a metaphor for procrastination?

A

You can build up a tolerance but that doesn’t mean it isn’t causing terrible problems - damaging organs and causing cancer, like not building a good knowledge foundation and choking on the test.

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2
Q

In the context of this course,

What are zombies?

A

Routine habitual responses your brain falls into as a result of specific cues.

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3
Q

What is the focus of inner zombies?

A

Making the here and now better.

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4
Q

What is the problem with cramming?

A

It doesn’t build solid neural structures.

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5
Q

What is the opposite of cramming and why is it better?

A
  • use the same amount of time
  • start earlier
  • space learning

Creates solid neural structure.

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6
Q

What are the drawbacks of willpower?

A
  • Hard to come by

- Uses a lot of neural resources

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7
Q

Should you use willpower to deal with procrastination?

A

No, do not waste willpower on fending off procrastination unless absolutely necessary.

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8
Q

What happens in the brain when we procrastinate?

A
  • We feel uncomfortable about the task.
  • Pain centers in the brain light up
  • Causes you to shift focus to something more enjoyable
  • Feel temporarily better
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9
Q

Why is procrastination called a keystone bad habit?

A
  • It influences many important areas of your life

- Improving it will cause other positive changes to gradually unfold

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10
Q

How is procrastination similar to addiction?

A

Temporary excitement and relief from boring reality.

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11
Q

What are common thought patterns when procrastining?

A

1) Fooling yourself into thinking something else is the best use of the moment (surfing for info instead of reading the text)
2) Creating excuses for doing poorly (I’m bad at spacial reasoning so of course I’m bad at organic chemistry)
3) Devising irrational excuses that sound reasonable (If I study now I’ll forget before the test)
4) Convincing yourself procrastination is an unchangeable characteristic.

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12
Q

Why is it more important to tackle procrastination as you go higher in studies?

A

What worked earlier will bite you now!

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13
Q

What are some features of the first time you do something like back out of a driveway?

A
  • Overwhelmed by a deluge of information
  • Hyper alert
  • Seems impossible
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14
Q

What are some features of doing something like backing out of a driveway after you’ve chunked how to do it?

A
  1. Just have to think, “Let’s go”
  2. Brain goes into Zombie Mode
  3. Only semi-aware of a few key factors
  4. Not overwhelmed by all the data.
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15
Q

What are some features of a habit?

A
  • Energy saver
  • Frees mind for other activity
  • Don’t have to focus to perform the habit
  • Can be good and/or bad
  • Can be brief (brush hair out of face) or long (taking a walk)
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16
Q

What are the 4 parts of a habit?

A
  1. Cue
  2. Routine
  3. Reward
  4. Belief
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17
Q

Is a cue helpful or harmful? What about a routine?

A

A cue is neither helpful nor harmful, it’s the routine we do in reaction that matters.
A routine can be useful, harmful or harmless.

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18
Q

What happens when at the cue stage?

A

A cue trigger launches you into zombie mode - the routine habitual response.

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19
Q

In a habit, how focused do you need to be to perform a triggered routine?

A

Focus is not necessary. Your brain need only be semi-aware of a few key factors to keep on track.

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20
Q

Why is procrastination such an easy habit to establish?

A

It rewards us leading to both the development and continuation of the habit.

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21
Q

What is the reward in procrastination?

A

Mind focuses on something more pleasant (as opposed to lighting up the pain centers).

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22
Q

What is the fourth part of a habit and why is it important?

A

Belief.
Habits have power because you believe in them.
To change a habit you must change the underlying belief.

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23
Q

What is a normal way to feel at the beginning of a study session?

A

It’s normal to feel negative at the beginning of a study session, even if it’s a subject you like.

24
Q

What do non-procrastinators say to themselves at the beginning of a study session?

A

“Quit wasting time and get on with it and you’ll feel better.”

25
Q

What is a helpful way to reframe things when you are avoiding uncomfortable tasks?

A

Focus on process not product.

26
Q

What is process? Give an example.

A

Process is the flow of time and the habits and actions associated with that flow of time.
Example: I’m going to sped 20 minutes working.

27
Q

What is a product and an example?

A

Product is the outcome. E.g. a homework assignment you need to finish.

28
Q

What should you avoid focusing on to prevent procrastination and what should you focus on instead?

A

Avoid focusing on the prodcut and instead focus on building processes - simple habits that allow you do to do the unpleasant tasks.

29
Q

What is going on mentally when there’s a class you don’t like doing homework for and you say, “It’s only five questions!”

A
  • It is easy to live in the fantasy that it’s only five questions and you can therefore easily do it at the last minute.
  • Deep down you know it could be a lengthy job and you are avoiding that discomfort and procrastinating.
30
Q

What causes the pain of procrastination?

A

Focusing on the product.

31
Q

What is a way of thinking about the product to shift your focus back to process?

A

Who cares if I finish the homework or grasp the key concepts in any one particular session.

32
Q

What is the point of process focused work?

A

To calmly put forth your best effort for a short period. Relax into the flow.

33
Q

What is an easy way to focus on process?

A

Do a Pomodoro timed session for 25 minutes, instead of focusing on a task.

34
Q

What focus does the zombie part of your brain like and why?

A

It likes to focus on process because it can mindlessly march along without judging (e.g. am I close to done?).

35
Q

What are two things to do to deal with distractions?

A

1 - Train yourself to let distractions flow by

2 - Minimize distractions by working in a quiet place or wearing noise cancelling headphones

36
Q

Why was this section called “Surf is up?”

A

Because the physicist surfer was focused on what he was doing in the moment, not on the achievement of having finished surfing the waye. (Process not product)

37
Q

What are the four categories of cues?

A
  1. Location
  2. Time
  3. How you feel
  4. Reactions - either to other people or something that just happened
38
Q

Give an example of being unaware you’ve started procrastinating.

A

You get a text message and you take ten minutes to get back into the flow, either because you’re texting or you’re thinking about the text.

39
Q

How can you prevent reaction cues to procrastinate in the middle of a study session?

A
  1. Shut off the phone
  2. Stay away from the internet
  3. Study some place quiet

For the duration of your study session.

40
Q

What is the key to rewiring an old habit of diverting attnetion? What else might be helpful? How do you work on this?

A
  • Have a plan.
  • Developing a new ritual may be helpful
  1. Adjust the plan as necessary
  2. savor victory
  3. don’t try to change everything at once
41
Q

Give an example of a simple emotional reward.

A

A feeling of pride in accomplishment, even if it’s just a small sense of satisfaction.

42
Q

How can you create more reward opportunities in a study session?

A
  • Small internal bet or contest

- Turn something into a game

43
Q

Why are habits powerful?

A

Habits create neurological cravings.

44
Q

What helps overcome previous cravings?

A

Adding a reward to the new habit that is replacing this old one.

45
Q

When does rewiring take place for a new habit?

A

When your brain starts expecting the new reward.

46
Q

Give an example of setting a reward at a specific time.

A

Breaking for lunch at noon for lunch with friends.

47
Q

You may have trouble getting into the flow state right away. How did Barbara say this worked for her?

A

She might take a few days and some Pomodoro cycles where a new task feels like drudgery, before she starts to feel in the flow and enjoy it.

48
Q

What kind of beliefs help with new habits and overcoming the tendency to slide back into old habits?

A
  • Belief that you can do it

- Belief that your new systemworks.

49
Q

What can reinforce positive beliefs about your new study habits?

A

Community (e.g. classmates) with the same can-do philosophy you want to develop.

50
Q

What task should you do in your planner journal weekly?

A

Write a list of key tasks for the week.

51
Q

What task should you do in your planner journal daily and when?

A

Make a list of tasks you can reasonably work on or accomplish that day.

Work on it the evening before.

52
Q

What advantage is there to writing down tasks the night before and what drawback is there to thinking about by not writing down the list?

A

When you make the list the evening before the subsconscious grapples with the tasks on th elist so you can figure out ow to accomplish them - enlists the zombies.

If you don’t write it down it wastes real estate in working memory that could be used for something else.

53
Q

In addition to tasks, what should you write in your planner journal?

A

What worked and what didn’t.

54
Q

In addition to tasks, what is good to include in your daily list in your planner journal?

A

An end time.

55
Q

What is “eat your frogs first?”

A

Doing the most important or least favorite task first thing in the morning.

56
Q

What is the Law of Serendipity?

A

Lady Luck favors the one that tries.

HC: Learning to Learn (7 decks)

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