A science-based trick to end procrastination

We’ve all been there: you have a lot of work on your plate, but you find yourself doing other things: the ones that are easier than what you really need to do such as cleaning off your desk or computer. Yet, to get out of a motivational trough, that’s precisely the opposite of what you should do.

What to do

When you find yourself procrastinating, start with doing something unrelated that’s even harder than what you’re trying to do. In other words, do something tangential that sucks.

Why it works

Our “molecule of motivation” is dopamine. It lowers our threshold for taking action toward our goals. When our dopamine levels are higher in our brain and body, we tend to focus our attention on outward goals and feel motivated to pursue them.

Stanford Professor Andrew Huberman compares dopamine in our…