On Brewer (2021):
Anxiety is what happens when you mix fear with future scenarios
We use the prefrontal cortex to handle future scenarios. This is used for planning and problem solving. Anxiety seeps in when fear enters our planning.
Anxiety is the opposite of flow
So anxiety is very much the opposite of Flow state
Worrying is a rewarding behavior, be careful
We worry because it's rewarding. It feels like we're doing something instead of just waiting for bad things to happen. This is related to Anxiety is what happens when you mix fear with future scenarios.
It's the way we cope with the lack of control. Worrying about things outside your control is wasted energy
Procrastination is related to negative feelings, not time
Procrastination is not related to time as people tend to say. It's all about a negative feeling that we are avoiding. For instance, we don't want to do tasks imposed on us (Autonomy mastery and purpose).
Try to identify and address those feelings to tackle procrastination. (use the Trigger, behavior, result. AKA The habit loop mental model)
Trigger, behavior, result. AKA The habit loop
It's part of the habit loop. This was developed by Dr. Jud, but it's very similar to habits literature in general (being "Atomic Habits" by James Clear and "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg two books with similar takes on the habit loop)
- Trigger / Reminder: the starting point. I.e.: seeing your notebook prompts you to write
- Behavior / Routine: doing the stuff you were prompted to. I.e.: writing
- Result / Reward: The outcome of doing. I.e.: deepening your perspective
I slightly prefer Dr. Jud's terminology, because "result" makes it more obvious that a habit is not necessarily positive. This is, after all, just a loop.
The local minimum in behavior
It's the minimal place where things work. Not necessarily the best, it just means that something settled at the first place it worked.
People tend to throw noise into machine learning systems so they don't settle for the local minimum. We as humans also sometimes settle for the local minimum.
RAIN for self-awareness
R - Recognize what's happening
A - Accept/allow yourself to go through that
I - Investigate whatever is happening without being too harsh on yourself
N - Note it down so you are more aware in the future
This is a good tool to map and deal with habits, especially when trying to avoid The local minimum in behavior, avoiding anxiety (Anxiety is the opposite of flow and Anxiety is what happens when you mix fear with future scenarios) and trying to establish/cut habits (Trigger, behavior, result. AKA The habit loop)