Extend Your Intuitive Mind and Overcome Procrastination
Maybe you’re like us and you like to work alone, but also want to be surrounded by friends. Ideally, you’re in a flow-state getting lots of magical downloads and intuitive hits wherever you work. But this isn’t always the case. Sometimes you can’t get there from here.
That’s why we’re all about thinking of ways to use the Extended Mind Theory to increase our containers for creative work.
In this episode, Michelle, Janelle, and Wallis muse on:
What’s at the root of our procrastination habits and how has COVID contributed to this?
What are the alt POVs on procrastination we can draw from?
The Extended Mind Theory, co-working, and how to design your ideal working environment to design impactful work
“We have to learn how to step outside of the procrastination itself and realize we want to do this thing. I think one thing that helps reframe that idea or one way that you can come out of that presentation, is remembering the WHY!”
“Basically, procrastination is a way that we protect ourselves from failure. And I think also, it’s like a safeguard.”
“If you have ADHD or you have a squiggly brain, then your brain needs that extreme norepinephrine and dopamine hits. So you actually get into that cycle of procrastination where when you procrastinate, your anxiety goes up. Procrastination is a form of self-violence, right? All that it does is make you worry more.”
“Procrastination for some people can feel necessary. That’s why oh, I can’t do this until the hour before it’s due. I literally sit down to try and do it and I cannot do it. And it’s because you’ve trained yourself to get into that cycle. And trust me, I know it well.”
“It’s emphasized when you’re working alone a lot, too. When you’re a freelancer or you work from home, even with other teams, but you spend a lot of time alone, there’s not a lot of accountability potentially built into your schedule. Or if you’re managing your own schedule, all of this is heightened tenfold. And then so you have to rely on a lot of willpower, which doesn’t last very long. As the days and weeks go on, you have a very limited supply of willpower. So relying on that is also setting yourself up to fail.”
“I think anything that isn’t helping you grow that you’re doing unconsciously is self-sabotage.”
“What I like about extended mind theory, specifically is that it’s a framework to use to understand that your brain is not necessarily a muscle or a computer. It’s much more complex than that. If you work your brain harder in one direction, that doesn’t mean that you’re going to get the thing done that you set out to do. Sometimes you actually need to do something entirely different to extend your mind in a direction that you really couldn’t conceive.”
“There’s a limit to what our brains can absorb and the rest, we really collect in our unconscious. And there’s a limit to our mental bandwidth.”
“If we’re feeling like we’re stuck, there are some things that we can immediately shift that can make a huge difference. And often we can shift our environment.”
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Anchor, Breaker, Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Pocket Casts, and RadioPublic
Show Notes
Procrastination and the sheds that come with procrastination
What is procrastination?
The art of procrastinating
The self-worth theory of achievement motivation
Having a really strong will and desire to do something and the fear of failing at it
Learn how to step outside of the procrastination itself
Procrastination in the lens of people who have ADHD or squiggly brain
Does willpower last?
Shall we define procrastination as self-sabotage?
Relying on our habits to help us get through the times of darkness of depression
The extended mind theory
Active externalism based on the active role of the environment in driving cognitive processes
Limit to what our brains can absorb and a limit to our mental bandwidth
Gesturing, and gestural foreshadowing
Shifting our environment causes a tremendous difference
Extending your cognitive processes
Quantum Con overview
Resources and People Mentioned
Your Elusive Creative Genius - Elizabeth Gilbert