One of our most significant weaknesses as a species is that we have a propensity for instant gratification. The evolutionary processes that have molded us into who we are have also given us tendencies that are not conducive to productivity.

When I was reading “Sapiens” by Yuval Noah Harrari, a great book, by the way, I came across a profound insight. Back in the hunter-gatherer days, food was scarce, and the only way most humans could consume calories was by hunting an animal. This was not an easy task. Tracking and killing an animal required effort and energy while at the same time they had to remain cautious of any lingering predators.

When a group of hunter-gatherers would stumble upon a tree with berries or fruits, they would all gather around and eat the berries. Because if they didn’t, some other animal would eventually find it. When your survival depends on every minor food source you can see, nitpicking what to eat and when to eat was not usually an option.

Researchers believe that such circumstances in our evolution have hard-wired us for prioritizing instant gratification. However, the problem is that we no longer live in a state of scarcity. If anything, we are surrounded by overabundance. This doesn’t only apply to food but also a host of other things like entertainment and activities. This may as well be the reason why you feel inclined to watch another episode of Rick and Morty instead of studying or completing the assignment that’s due shortly.

We hear a lot about procrastination and its implications on productivity, but none of the famous “tips” that have become clichés at this point help overcome this eternal cycle of in-action.

Thankfully, in my experience, you can successfully put an end to this ordeal by approaching the question of procrastination and lack of motivation with the right mindset. Following is the understanding that helped me realize that I was looking at the whole thing the wrong way.

Our Understanding of Motivation is backward.

For a long time, I used to believe that motivation was a precursor to getting things done. After all, isn’t this what we are told all our lives? It was only recently that I came across a new way of looking at the idea of motivation that completely changed my understanding of it.

Motivation is not the cause of action but its product. In his book, The Myth of Motivation, Jeff Haden discusses the idea that motivation is not what gets you to do something. Instead, it’s the “doing” that brings about inspiration.

This idea completely transformed my attitude towards motivation as my mind instantly flashed back to countless examples that testified to this idea. I remembered the various instances where I didn’t have any incentive to do a particular task. However, my obligation to do it would prompt me to start, and once I started, the job would become easier and easier with every passing minute.

I am sure you can relate to this too. Think about the time when you couldn’t be bothered to do that thing, but once you made that initial push, everything else just fell into place.

Hence, motivation is not a prerequisite for action but a result of it. The more important question then becomes, how do we take that initial step? Once we do a particular task often enough, it becomes a habit, and habits don’t require motivation nor willpower.

Initial Resistance is the Enemy

Push starting a car on a gradually declining road is only difficult in the very beginning, right? Once you apply enough force, the vehicle begins to gain momentum. You can view procrastination in the same light. It is not the task in itself that you lack the motivation for. Instead, it’s the initial “push” required to get going.

This idea is discussed at length by Steven Pressfield in his book The War of Art. He states that resistance is at the core of procrastination and prevents action, creativity, and progress from ever leaving the ground.

Just the mere realization that you can overcome procrastination by making that initial push is empowering in itself. However, a couple of practical rules have helped me tremendously in overcoming that initial resistance. They are the “2-minute “ and “5-minute” rules.

The 2-Minute Rule

In his book, Getting Things Done, David Allen states that if you have a pending task that will only take 2-minutes to complete, you should do it right away without even contemplating it. He calls this the 2-Minute Rule, and the idea is to trick your brain into thinking that you will do a task for only 2-Minutes. You will tell yourself that if you complete a task in 2-Minutes, all is well and good. However, if it takes longer, you will stop.

I have found that when I use this trick, I tend to work for way longer once I get started with something. I use this to clean my room, organize my study desk, and do other little things throughout the day.

I know you are asking yourself how to use this Rule when I know that a specific task will take much longer.

This is where the 5-minute Rule comes in.

The 5-Minute Rule

This Rule works on the same principle as the 2-Minute Rule; however, the objective is to do things that take much longer. If the minutes seem arbitrary to you, then you are right. The actual number of minutes does not matter. You can change this to a 10 or 15-minute rule if you want. The important thing is that you tell yourself how long you will spend on a task in advance.

Once you start doing that thing, magic will happen, and you will not feel like stopping even after the predetermined minutes have passed. The most beneficial outcome of this method is that you will not have to trick yourself over time because it will become a habit when you do an activity often enough.