An Unconventional Way To Skyrocket Your Productivity

Happy Sunday!

Welcome to the 3rd edition of The Elevated Mindset.

Procrastination gets a bad rep.

99% of people procrastinate wrong.

Procrastination with purpose can actually skyrocket your productivity & quality of work output.

Today, we'll learn how through my 4 step framework to unlock the power of purposeful procrastination.

Estimated Read Time: 3 minutes

What is Purposeful Procrastination?

The best way to explain this concept is through an example.

Suppose you have a deadline to complete a project at work, but you also have a personal goal to learn a new skill that is important to you.

Purposeful procrastination would involve prioritizing your personal goal over the work project.

Purposeful Procrastination vs. Regular Procrastination

Purposeful Procrastination - Choice based on a conscious decision to prioritize certain tasks over others.

Regular Procrastination - A result of avoidance or indecision.

By using purposeful procrastination, you can stay focused on your most important goals and use your time and energy more effectively.

R.I.E.M Framework

From researching Tim Urbans ideology & work, I have formulated a framework that allows me to get more quality work done in less time.

✅ Recognize: Tame Your Instant Gratification Monkey

✅ Incubate: Allow yourself To Be Bored

✅ Execute: Take Action

✅ Monitor: Track Your Habits

Let's dive into each component

Step 1 - Recognize: Tame Your Instant Gratification Monkey 🙈

Tim Urban describes how procrastinators have an "Instant Gratification Monkey" that focuses on maximizing instant pleasure and reward without any regard for the future.

The "Instant Gratification Monkey" causes procrastination by focusing on short-term pleasure over long-term goals, causing delays in important tasks.

Here's what you can do:

✅ Recognize & accept that you are procrastinating.

✅ Dig deep & understand the root cause of why YOU procrastinate?

✅ Create a game plan to overcome each of the root causes in step 2.

Be the captain of your own ship. Do not let your desires steer you away from your goals.

Step 2 - Incubate: Allow Yourself To Be Bored 🐣

Boredom is a powerful tool for unlocking your creativity & therefore your quality.

By stepping away from constant stimulation, boredom can lead to incubation - a process where time and space are given for an idea to mature and develop.

Here's what you can do:

✅ Allow your mind to wander free. Reflect and write down ideas/thoughts.

✅ Pause, observe, & notice what's going on around you

Step 3 - Execute: Take Action 💪

Motivation drives action. But how do we get motivated?

Dr. Andrew Huberman links dopamine to our motivation levels.

Having a healthy brain boosts motivation, enabling us to make positive changes.

Here's what you can do:

✅ Clearly identify what you want to achieve.

✅ Develop a roadmap for reaching the goal.

✅ Regularly check in on progress and adjust plans as needed to stay on track.

✅ Recognize and celebrate progress and achievements.

Read more about Dr. Andrew Huberman's work here:

Step 4 - Monitor: Track Your Habits 📈

When you have a record of your actions, you're more likely to be more consistent.

Plus it's rewarding to see how much you have grown over time!

Here's what you can do:

✅ Write down which habits you would like to track in a journal

✅ Draw boxes underneath it

✅ Check the boxes as you go

TL;DR

R.I.E.M framework for purposeful procrastination:

1. Recognize: Tame Your Instant Gratification Monkey

2. Incubate: Allow yourself To Be Bored

3. Execute: Take Action

4. Monitor: Track Your Habits

That's a wrap! Thanks for reading! 

Want to read more? Check out my past editions here!

Till next time! 👋

-Payal