Are you tired of battling procrastination?
Do you find yourself caught in a cycle of avoidance when it comes to important tasks? You’re not alone.
Today, we’re unpacking the science behind procrastination, guided by the insights of Rían Doris, co-founder and COO of the Flow Research Collective.
Rían Doris, a Forbes 30 Under 30 list, has dedicated his career to understanding peak performance and flow states.
Along with Steven Kotler, Rían co-founded the Flow Research Collective, the world’s leading peak performance research and training institute. Their work has been featured in Fast Company, PBS, and Big Think, helping teams at major companies unlock their full potential.
The Three Faces of Procrastination
Rían identifies three types of procrastination: inertia (inability to start), distractibility (inability to maintain focus), and chronic delay (perpetual postponement of major goals). These patterns aren’t just annoying – they can seriously impact our productivity and well-being.
Here’s the short video that inspired this blog.
The Neurochemical Civil War
Intriguingly, procrastination isn’t simply a lack of motivation.
It’s often high motivation plus inaction. Rían explains this as a “neurochemical civil war” in our brains – an approach-avoidance conflict between our dopamine-driven desire to act and our cortisol-fuelled fear and anxiety.
The Flow Cycle: A Path to “Buttery Execution”
To overcome this internal struggle, Rían introduces the concept of the “flow cycle” – a four-phase process of struggle, release, flow, and recovery.
By understanding and harnessing this cycle, we can move from procrastination to what Rían calls “buttery execution” – a state where tasks feel effortless and we’re fully engaged in our work.
Practical Tools to Overcome Procrastination
Rían offers several strategies to combat procrastination.
Set ridiculously clear goals by breaking tasks into microscopic steps. Tune the challenge-skills balance by adjusting task difficulty to match your skill level.
Practice response inhibition by training yourself to act before your brain has time to resist. Leverage the “flow payoff” by ensuring uninterrupted time to get into a flow state.
The Sleep-to-Flow Strategy
One particularly intriguing tip is the “sleep-to-flow” strategy. By starting work immediately upon waking, we can harness brain waves conducive to flow states, potentially bypassing our tendency to procrastinate altogether.
Embracing the Flow
As we explore these concepts, it’s clear that mastering our motivation isn’t just about willpower – it’s about understanding and working with our brain’s natural tendencies.
The key lies in creating environments and habits that support our desired behaviours.
Are you ready to transform your relationship with work and unleash your full potential? Let’s leave procrastination behind and embrace the flow of “buttery execution”!
- Facebook group (8.000+ members)
- Discord channel (2.000+ members)
- Follow us on Instagram @microdosepro.amsterdam and @humanpro.amsterdam
- Follow me on Instagram @asha_md_coach
As always,
Shine bright. Do good. Flow strong.
Asha ✨