For the longest time, I struggled with procrastination. It was tough to regularly hit the gym, study for exams, or tackle challenging tasks—even when I knew they were good for me. Recently, however, I’ve discovered a way to consistently take action. It turns out, it has nothing to do with willpower. Instead, there’s a method to trick our brains into doing difficult things, even when we don’t feel like it.
To outsmart our brains, we first need to understand how our minds work. Our behaviors often follow patterns, and if we pay attention, we can identify two types of resistance we face when confronted with hard work: negative emotions and the ego.
How Our Mind Works
I like to think of our brains as spoiled children. When they don’t get their way, they complain and throw tantrums. Similarly, when we encounter something stressful or boring, our inner child awakens and we procrastinate. For instance, we might dread the idea of starting a new project, studying for exams, or asking someone out on a date.
The second type of resistance comes from our ego—our self-image. Our minds strive to protect our egos from harm, as our self-worth is often tied to it. If we believe we’re gifted or better than others, stepping outside our comfort zone can feel threatening. For example, if I had to ask someone out, I might avoid it entirely to protect my ego from the potential failure that could shatter my self-image.
In either case, trying to fight against our brain’s natural resistance to hard tasks is often futile. However, if we identify the source of that resistance, we can change our approach to trick our brains into cooperating.
Negative Emotions
The amount of negative emotion we feel toward a task often correlates with its perceived size. For example, the thought of spending two months without my phone feels overwhelmingly worse than just one hour. Similarly, the idea of writing an entire book is daunting, while writing a single paragraph feels much more manageable. Our brains perform a mental calculation of the effort required, which can seem intimidating.
So, what if we shifted our goals?
The 2-Minute Rule
The first tip is to tell yourself that you’re only going to do the hard thing for a little while. Instead of focusing on finishing the entire UWorld question bank, commit to just one practice problem. Instead of aiming to get jacked, tell yourself you’ll just do one set of bench presses. Running a 10K sounds exhausting, but how about just running around the block?
James Clear refers to this technique as the two-minute rule. By lowering the stakes of a task, we make it feel less overwhelming, and we’re more likely to follow through. After completing that small task, we can re-evaluate how we feel. Often, we find it wasn’t as bad as we imagined, and we might be motivated to continue.
Get Ready
Another effective trick is to simply start getting ready. If I’m supposed to go workout but feel resistance, I might just change into my workout clothes, put on my shoes, and grab my keys. If I’m frustrated about studying, I’ll open my textbook and pull up my study schedule. By merely going through the motions of getting ready, I often convince myself that I might as well just do it now that I’m already prepared.
This happened to me just the other day when a salesperson called while I was busy. He said, “Well, since I have you on the phone already, we might as well talk about our services.” It’s funny how that kind of thinking can work for us too!
Batching
Another method is batching difficult work with enjoyable activities or rewards. Think of our brains as those spoiled children again. When babysitting, I might tell a child, “Finish your homework, and then you can choose the movie we watch.”
Batching can be incredibly effective. In school, I’d make plans to go out with friends only if I completed my work first, or I’d allow myself to watch anime only while on the StairMaster. By pairing hard tasks with enjoyable rewards, we lower the negative emotions associated with the effort and increase our likelihood of getting it done.
The Ego
Our ego, shaped by past experiences, defines our self-perception and influences our reality. In Maxwell Maltz’s book, Psycho-Cybernetics, he explains that our actions, feelings, and behaviors are consistent with our self-image. Essentially, we can only act according to how we view ourselves. However, our beliefs don’t dictate the actions themselves.
Take the Pressure Off
One strategy I call “taking the pressure off” can be particularly helpful. During clinical rotations in medical school, I often faced situations that forced me out of my comfort zone. Giving lectures, performing procedures, and breaking tough news were all daunting tasks.
I observed that some classmates handled these pressures with ease, even after making mistakes. When I asked one friend how she managed to stay positive, she explained that she focused on having fun. She immersed herself in the learning process and treated it like a game. This idea resonated with me: when we take the pressure off and focus on enjoying the task, we lower our resistance and perform better.
Change the Narrative
Sometimes, it’s hard to envision a challenging task as fun. For instance, waking up at 5:00 a.m. to run in freezing temperatures may not sound enjoyable. In these cases, we can change the narrative we tell ourselves.
The language we use to talk to ourselves is powerful. For example, if I say, “I need to work out and get in shape,” my brain interprets that as a signal that I’m not in shape. Thus, I might resist working out because I’m not someone who exercises. However, if I adjust my wording to say, “I am a person who works out,” that aligns my identity with the action. People who work out go to the gym, which makes it easier for me to commit.
By aligning our identity with the actions we want to take—rather than just focusing on the end result—we trick our brains into acting in ways that support our goals.
Align Your Identity
It’s essential to align our identity with the actions of the person we want to become. Instead of saying, “I want to get in shape,” I might say, “I am someone who exercises regularly.” This shift focuses on progress and actions rather than unattainable outcomes.
Now, it’s important to note that we don’t want our brains in a constant state of deception. Tricking our brains isn’t a permanent solution; however, it can help kickstart our motivation. Once we cultivate consistency in our actions and habits, it creates a snowball effect. Consistent action leads to progress, which in turn fosters motivation.
For example, seeing gains in muscle growth can motivate us to keep going. The more we go to the gym, the better we become at exercising. No one enjoys being bad at something; it leads to negative emotions and ego buffering. As we develop consistency, we begin to enjoy hard tasks and embrace the challenges that come with them.
Conclusion
These are some strategies I use to trick my brain into tackling hard things. I encourage you to try them out for yourself. If you have any other strategies that work for you, drop them in the comments below—I’d love to check them out!