For me its the opposite i am more than whilling to wast a day and so i wasted the last 3 years. I am just 16 but still i feel like im wortheless and cabt do anything right. Giving up on my goals even before the work has started.
@@joaoreis185 Dude if you're 16 and you already realize that you have problem and you try to improve by watching dr. K or searching for some self help then you're already way, way ahead of me. Be proud of yourself!
reminds me of when I was in HS. i had a big art project I kept putting off because I didn’t think it would turn out good. my art teacher said “I’m giving you the weekend but it has to be turned in Monday, finished or not”. she was actually being nice and giving me more time bc it was already late. so my mom makes me sit down at the table and I wasn’t allowed to do anything except paint. it was barely worked on. i didn’t wanna do it at all. but guess what? eventually I just started painting because of boredom. i ended up finishing my whole painting (it was pretty big) and turned it in that monday. the look on my art teachers face that morning lol she didn’t think I’d finish it, hell I didn’t even think I would. it ended up being put into a college art contest and I won 1st place. someone even offered to buy it from me. definitely gonna start practicing this method more! ☺️
@@dariovdo3237me too. I knew about him but always procrastinated cuz the video's were too long. Meanwhile I would watch hour long videos of my fav entertainment youtubers. But I am so glad I built up the motivation to give it a try and just kept on going because I kept on finding solutions to my sufferings and what was not letting me do it, helping me along the journey
Dealing with that one is definitely something I’ve got a still learn....But hey if you figure it out before I do please remember this thread somewhere in the back of your mind 😊😊😊
Hey, If the circumstances are awful, of course you wont be resistant to frustration. You're doing your best even though things suck and it gets worse due to a mistake or due to someone else's incompetence... It feels really unfair.
@@lunar686If it's in the context of study or work. Just remember the feeling of frustration basically means your making progress. You'll start to take joy in the frustration knowing you're doing your best and not diverting your attention. Can be similar to delayed onset muscle soreness in the gym when you feel super sore the days after. If you reframe it to understand how much you've accomplished or are accomplishing with that feeling, you grow to absolutely love feeling sore like that. Alternatively hunger could be another one although still comes from a gym focus on cutting. Slight hunger within healthy calorie deficit can be a persistent reminder that you're succeeding in your diet.
@@Zane-zz5ht no idea why you used a ‘training’ analogy...but...thank you for your psychic powers 🙂!!! Didn’t actually realise that there were already aspects of my life I was already successfully applying this to. Not saying I have the tolerance of a gym-junkie, lol I’m a former national athlete actually and slowly learning about all the things I didn’t know that I kinda wish I had known when I was competing, so don’t seem to know as much as the people at the gym doing bodybuilding, lol used to think I was putting my body to the best tests, now I’m learning that there is so much more that can be learned and unlocked (even if I’m not as young and injury free as I used to be, I weirdly like the challenge of what the current version of me can do, plus I get to show off a little by asking coach ‘which’ bicep head he wanted me to build up back in the day lmfao)... So yeah, honestly thank you for that one. Makes it easier to remember and look out for
Takeaways: →Acknowledge the different parts of you (the self and the mind). → Hard reset : delete the options of productive & dopamine and reduce it to work & boredom. → Analyze whether the productive action is scheduled or an antidote to boredom. → Check what is driving your action through self introspection. → The self has to overcome the trickery of the mind. → Sometimes you should be willing to waste a day so that you don’t waste years.
I finally realize why dr. K timing is so perfect... it's because 99% of his videos are relatable to something we are doing wrong and we try to be better so of course the timing will be always perfect.
Confirmation bias is probably at play here as well. I'm sure there are a ton of times the video's timing isn't perfect, it might be about a problem you're not struggling with particularly at the time, but you don't think much about it. When they do relate to something you're going through at the moment, you think the timing is perfect. Most of these issues happen over long periods of time, too, so there's a higher chance that a video is about something you're going through.
I just realized that the "mind" in this case, is basically your inner child. It wants to do anything but be serious, and like a child you might raise irl, you have to consciously create circumstances where they have to do the one thing they never want to do. The child will cry, lash out, say mean things, and get clever to get what they want, but ultimately it's up to you to stand your ground. Thank you Doctor K for explaining the "mind" and "self" in a way that I could understand, and hopefully, get shit I want done, done lol.
People usually say "monkey mind", emphasizing the restlessness of it. Both aspects are important, but I like your child analogy for emphasis on the devious / manipulative aspects.
i taech kids the piano and they can't stand the boring slow repetition... Even if that's really the only thing you have to do to learn pinao, get your mind muscle memory on point xD They get so restless and manipulative, indeed just like the "monkey mind" I had never thought about it... Usually what i do is I try to change the piano instrument (to violin for example) and add a dummer so that they don't get bored Anyway now i find it creepy how children are basically raw "minds" going around and about...
@@Herosoyyo2 Personally, What I like te most about the child analogy is how, in relation to the child, the self would be the parent. And in a way, that gives me more clarity about how I should treat my mind.
@@sidonelmet6501 Parent can be another aspect of the mind, potentially just as harmful as the child. Most common situation is the normative parent, which is your mind telling you what you should do with little regard for what you want to do. Of course very helpful, but can lead to shame and anxiety when the shoulds are impossible to fulfill. The self is usually referred to as the rational adult, which makes sense for both of the relationships it should have with the parent and the child.
@@togfanatic3781 It most definitely is a kid. It wants what it can't have, it's highly egotistical, it always wants what it wants right now but if you ask it what it wants it'll never know. I could go on & on but we get the gist. 😂😂😂
"We're gonna waste the whole day? Let's do that." That one sentence felt so weirdly empowering to hear, like the whole time I've been feeling like I'm wasting day after day and feeling guilty about it, it's as if this time, by getting out and confronting my mind about it and showing it that THAT WAS A CHOICE WE MADE, suddenly my mind starts to take accountability for that and squirms and tries to do something else. Seeing yourself really is the first and most important step in getting control of yourself.
He's talking about the studies with schizophrenia, I am living proof of how it can work. I got schizo about 10 years ago, and spent about 8 of those years doing nothing much, not having motivation to do anything productive or positive or in any way live life(it's called avolition). But now I'm in therapy and I'm working on these variables and my life is totally different. I'm exercising, doing hobbies, meditating, cleaning, *actually showering on a regular basis*, and tons more. I felt hopeless for so long and now it's insane how much better I feel and how much better my life is.
Ever since the pandemic started, this became a habit of mine. I'm just constantly finding excuses or distracting myself over the chores I need to do. Even at work I just make things take longer that they need to and that leads me to "stay working late" when in reality I did my task in 30 minutes with an hour of distraction every five minutes. Heck, even writing this comment is distracting me from my tasks! I'm going to start applying this method asap!
Quick update, I was just fired from my job because I was so efficient that finished the project faster than anticipated and they no longer needed my services. 🫠
15:40 ‘So when my dad was in medical school he had a rule for himself. That if he didn't feel like studying, and he taught me this rule by the way if he didn't feel like studying he wouldn't study. He was allowed to sleep as much as he wanted to, he was allowed to sit there and do nothing as much as he wanted to but those were his only two options besides studying. That's it nothing else.’
To try to understand and "hack" my ADHD, I have watched countless videos, listened to dozens of podcasts, conducted hours upon hours of reaearch, seen therapists and psychiatrists, and paid for special courses/workbooks. This video, above all else, has been the greatest revelation for me. All of it. I could go on and on, but I have work to do and it's time to follow the advice in this video and give myself two options: do the work or be bored. Let's go!!! Thank you for all of your content, Dr. K!!!
I was doing that "I will stare at a wall until Im really bored" and it really works...I should start doing it again, since obviously more people think thats a quite good strategy
I can’t believe these videos are up for free, I wish I found this channel earlier because it’s provided me so much value already! Dr. K’s lessons have really changed the way I see myself and they’ve taught me so much about how my mind works. Really appreciate the time the team puts into these ♥️
Heard plenty of times that boredom can be the problem AND the solution. The real solution here was to mold the environment so the "productive thing" was the only thing you were allowed to do when you were bored. If that means not having an internet connection and only having a single program on your device that lets you do the work you need to do that you must be, so be it. If the work is something you're absolutely passionate about, the challenge is reasonable enough to push you to your limits, the reward is immediate+obvious and points you towards doing even better work, and the time constraint is just enough to force yourself to do absolutely nothing but that task, that should be a recipe for flow perfection. Flowmadoro (modified tomadoro where you count up time instead of count down and the break is equal to the time working divided by 3) should do wonders with this kind of environment.
so say i did 21 minutes of work, would i then have 7 mins of break? and then 60 mins of work, I would have 20 after that? does it have to be the same each time
Literally god-tier timing! I failed my cert exam that I'd been studying for all year in July and I was so crushed that I took the month off. I set August 1st as the day I'd get back studying but I wasn't fully committed, certain, or confident until I watched this video. Thank you Dr. K and the rest of HG for all y'all do 🙏🏿
This video is one of Dr K's best yet. The idea of challenging yourself to a boredom contest is incredible. Definitely a new tactic I'm going to experiment with
Ah, this makes so much sense. Before the pandemic, when I had a physical work environment I was obligated to go to, I only had 2 options at work: work or be bored. The layout of our office was open air, so all desks and computers were out in the open and you were surrounded by your coworkers. If you were tempted to play games on your work computer or go on your phone, you'd probably get weird looks and feel socially out of place, so those 2 options - "productivity" or "dopaminergic" weren't actual options for you to partake. You were forced to do either work or nothing. And that's why I was actually productive at work and why my productivity is shot working from home. DAMN.
Oh yes, you've nailed it. And I have been self employed all my life, with a rare hired hand/"co-worker" to create the frame to stay focused. So I didn't work for the Man, but I also didn't work for myself, really, but for my 'mind', once the strong wish to please my paying clients started to wane and retirement lifestyle became more the norm (started working from home - final nail)
10:37 Frontal Lobe 11:36 Work v Boredom v Productive v Dopaminic 15:25 Power of Boredom 15:41 Tunnel Vision or Idle (Boredom) 18:39 Productivity not framed as Off-Track 20:32 Sitting with the Self (Our Thoughts & Emotions) 23:53 All Roads Lead to One Place (Not Work) 25:58 The Mind is on our side, It just needs to Trust 28:43 other: A Pure Self in Existence
almost every time I'm like: huh thats a problem I should probably look for some drK vids about that" tey pose the exact video I was going to look for. they have
This bloke is legit. Hard-hitting truth but needed to hear it. Feeling frustrated, lack of confidence and restless due to a resistance to getting stuff done. Glad to be a part of this network.
Literally, I'm starting another monthly class today and I'm already like "wow I'm having to do all these things and I can't focus on the actual important thing."
I cannot get this to work and I identified two reasons: 1. I need really long to get bored. I can easily sit and do nothing for a weekend (Not going for a walk no music no nothing. I learned this skill through intensive Vipassana retreats) 2. I can sleep and daydream for hours on end. If I do not do the above and just observe, I can slip into daydreams and fictional stories in my mind for basically ever. Does anyone have an idea ? I would be really glad for anything :)
This is brilliant. I never tried thinking of my "self" and my "mind" as separate entities. This approach sounds like it might actually work perfectly with an erratic brain like mine, so I'll definitely implement that.
Don't just think it that way, SEE it that way. Observe thoughts as often as possible until it's too damn obvious that they are impermanent, dissatisfactory, and ain't you ;) That is liberation!
^ Yeah funnily enough the fundamental goal of practically most Indian spiritual disciplines is to 100% know you are not your body and not your mind, (and further not an individual personality but are actually all of existence itself).
This explains so much. When i was in elementary and high school, the teachers would make you sit there in boredom OR do your work. With that motivating factor I was an amazingly focused student. Once I got to university and professors and friends were not concerned with what I did, because it was my responsibility, my focus drastically fell off. And I ended up easily distracted by games, and literally anything else. Fast forward to 34, and I still play this chicken game on the daily. Really insightful
I just started writing my last 2 essays for university and my deadline is on the 9th and then this notification hit, guess who is not doing their work right now 😫
Here's a tip: set a timer for a small amoujt of time. 15 minutes. Maybe even 10. For those 10 minutes, ONLY prioritize the important stuff. Get started on the essay and add a little more to it. Once it's over, take a break and do something else for a bit. Come back afterward and set the timer again, and do it from the top. It helps me pretty often.
@@ケルニコ I'll hold you to that! I made some progress today and I'm hoping to continue that through tonight but I'm working a lot this week so hopefully in my downtime I can get some more done :)
@@iSoryu Hi mate, I've got two hours left today, but I wrote a page. Although my mind brought me here :D So I gotta get back. Hope you're doing fine ;-)
Dr. K has been fundamental in getting me to stop wasting my time away. The best takeaway I've had is to turn down the valence of and my exposure to the things I would fall back to for dopamine dumps; to just shut them out. Then the joy of doing things that used to be boring slowly bubbles up. I come back to his videos for continued encouragement and confirmation, but otherwise I'm essentially doing what I always wanted to but never could bring myself to.
I'm a sculptor and artists deal with this a lot. Art block. Creative block. The solution that artists have come up with is just "do more art" (one of them). If you have a commission you don't want to do right now, just get yourself to do something else related to your work. Draw something, sculpt something. Doesn't matter what, doesn't matter how good, it's just a matter of working in order to power through your brain wanting to procrastinate. Do that for a bit and then you'll much more easily get back into the work you NEED to do. In a way that teaches your brain not to go to "play games woooo" but instead go to "art must be done". It's why a lot of artists do morning practices, too. If you have to start working at 9am, then do something else to warm up from 8:30 to 9. It puts you in the zone instead of looking for ways to run away from the zone hahah This can also sometimes tie in with "let yourself be bored". Sometimes you can just fuck around with art. Do some abstract, stupid stuff and at some point your brain switches into creative mode cuz it sees something it likes. And when you switch back into that creative mode you can start working. :D Don't know, just some thoughts. I think that artists have come up with a lot of ways to combat procrastination and creative blocks, and a lot of those techniques can be transferred to other professions, too. The frustration for a lot of artists is that we WANT to do the art but sometimes we can't get ourselves to do it. Which is a strong motivator to find a solution.
Thanks! It’s exhaustive for me to try and stay grounded. It’s like I have my own little world in my head, and I find myself almost exclusively day dreaming. I used to enjoy it, but I find it getting darker and darker. Now it’s like a “daymare.” Anyone else experienced this before?
I relate 100%. I'm a huge maldaptative daydreamer, it can quite literally ruin your life. Atleast I'm aware that I'm not normal and I'm trying to fix not living in my head all the time.
I think that last 5 minutes is really critical. Believing you can do something generates motivation. As soon as my brain fog lifted and i could think clearly and plan, i could see a path for myself, which created belief in myself to follow through, which created motivation.
This is super interesting, I have ADHD and instead of being bored . I meditate . When I am done meditating my mind is happy to to anything but meditate and I can work for a while. I am glad now I know how this works.
This is amazing! I love the way Dr K breaks down the “how do I work? question. It’s giving me the “rules” that no one taught me. “Understanding” leads to real change of patterns.
This topic goes hand in hand with people who struggle with feeling like your work or projects aren't going to be good enough or aren't perfect. I typically can start a project and focus on 80% of it until the final stretch where the doubt starts to creep in wondering if this is good enough. Then the allure of putting off the work to do other non boring things starts to become really hard to ignore.
the last years really made me realize how damaging smarphones and social media can be. To be honest. I think most people would be better off without it.
@@maximilianogranifo9650 as someone who loves tech I couldnt agree more. However as I grew older I saw a pattern that these things affected my personally as well as others and mostly not for the best. I love it for the things you can interact with many people and learn stuff but it is a double edged sword.
moderation is key. i'd much rather have smartphones than not due to how much simpler they've made our lives, but moderation should be taught. i wonder what a society that relies on tech would look like if moderation was a key principle everyone had to learn before engaging with technology. imagine if there was an age limit to the access of tech or some moderation test. sounds kinda messed up now that i think about it, but definitely an interesting thought 🤔
@@throwaway9347 yes, sadly most apps and services these days are build from the ground up to exploit human psyche. The more I grew conscious of this stuff the more modest my behaviour became. But many people do not care and it eats their life away.
Fantastic and hyper useful video. It explains very well the distraction mechanisms, the "willpower" issues and misleading hypothesis, in particular for ADHD affected brains. Accepting, facing boredom is the first solution key. Perseverance, failure tolerance, resilience, delayed gratification, all the well known keys to success require accepting boredom, and related pain or discomfort. Perseverance is boredom in essence.
It's so weird for me. I thought I would take some time off, make a vacation week and do nothing, just relaxing and freeing the mind, because I got nothing done and every day was like a "unwilling to work" day. But on day two of my vacation I was so bored and full of energy that I did not want to waste any more time and work again.
This may be the first UA-cam video I've ever watched that was a net gain in attention directed towards desired tasks. It was not entirely the jivey, fundamentally hollow motivational speaking I have come to expect from popular YT content at large.
PLEASE, as a continuation of this... when you are burnt out and recovering, how do you know how when you can start working again, how much- and which work you can do? Im struggling, and my psychologist just advices me to rest. But my brain gets stressed/restless by longer periods of resting and fatigued very quickly when focusing on work (working as a PhD student). Physical activity helps to a certain point... so I work out twice a week, often take small walks and play games casually during my sick leave. Only to get fatigued by that too + issues with sleep. Im a high functioning autistic with some ADD traits and I have no clue what to do.
One of the most slippery things that my mind ever did was decide that it didn't need any external stimuli to avoid boredom. Daydreaming, reminiscing, game theorycrafting, and reciting songs are all enough to keep it entertained to avoid getting work done. I suppose the solution to that has to just be shutting down any of those thought patterns if I find them popping up while I'm trying to get work done, though it's a bit harder than just cutting off access to video games, chores, and other distractions.
What’s funny is how we’ve all heard this advice before, but it’s always been in the form of “just sit down and do it.” It’s framed as we just another task we have, to will our mind to work and that’s all you need to do. Just sit there until you do the work. But that’s what we’re already thinking. That fact you framed this as “training” ourselves makes so much fucking sense! Before when it’s just “sit down and do it” we still feel we are wasting our time and every moment is another we can’t focus. But if we are training our mind, then every moment is productive towards that training. There’s also less urgency because saying “just do it” implies it should be immediate. But when you are training, it will take time. Thank you again Dr K
I instinctively started doing this with my toddler at dinner. She wanted to play instead of eat, and she would become hungry at bedtime. So I told her she could eat, stay at the table, or get ready for bed. I also know “distractions bad”. But I never put together the scope of what a distraction can be.
I can't even imagine having that level of control of myself. I simply stop functioning when I get significantly frustrated. No wonder I don't like being alive. I was taught to not waste the day, now I feel I already have wasted my life and all my potential.
27:32 "Holding yourself hostage? You're not holding yourself hostage. You are holding your mind hostage. [...] Right now, it's holding YOU hostage." That was just beautiful
Could be a combination of things I've been hearing/thinking about lately, but I feel like this may be the single most helpful video I've watched on the channel. Being able to accept frustration and not give your brain an alternative. I've always thought of my brain and conscious and 2 separate entities so this actually makes a lot of sense, even in therapy I say things like "My brain wants to tell you this"
I was thinking about back in school when I would sleep instead of going to class, and thinking I would put work beneath boredom on the totem pole- but I realized that I was only sleeping long enough for it to be too late to drive to class before getting up and playing games or watching youtube while feeling guilty instead.
he really does have the power to know when we need these videos the most. this is the exact thing i was researching within myself this past week, and it's comforting to know he hits on the same points that i have hit just observing myself. plus, it adds some extra context and better wording to what i've been trying to pinpoint. definitely will be trying the hardcore method of doing nothing or napping instead of being productive. i would also recommend to be very careful of your mental diet. don't start new tv shows that you can binge or long video games, as that adds competition to the tasks that you actually need to do. tasks that have a defined end and don't "continue" for long periods of time (chess, movies, informative books, etc.) would be better. it's like choosing not to buy particular snacks and have them in your pantry because you know you're going to eat them. amazing video, once again.
I like the idea of not allowing myself to do anything but sleep, be bored or work when I have something I need to work on. As someone with an active and vivid imagination, I will have to train myself not to go there when I'm bored. For me, the period of boredom will have a mindful meditative quality to it.
I had heard about your modules but figured they'd cost an arm and a leg like every other module or class people offer online. Absolutely SHOCKED that each module is only $20. Dr. K.... Thank you so much.
I had watched EVERY VOD from their stream when I purchased the meditation module. I didn't learn anything new, but it was nice and worth the price having it all summed up and nicely divided and titled. I've already pre-ordered the new module.
Edit: Well I should have watched "How the World Makes Us Depressed" first, lol. Dr K delivers, yet again. Has there ever been a more realistic, grounded, rational human being on this earth??? I'd like to know WHY to focus. I find it hard to buy in on the idea that the effort needed to make more money than a normal person can make working a standard white-collar job while being a consistent worker is worth the time for the money. I'm 32 and I make 50K a year in IT w/ no degree, just 10+yr exp, yet I can barely pay rent. I'm moving back to my parents with my wife next month b/c the rental economy is so crushing in California... and not even the popular places. A mostly rural place 5 hours away from anything else. But I ALREADY feel maxed out, constantly down or defeated, feeling like I'm drowning in debt and always JUST scraping by. We had to put our cat down instead of get surgery b/c of the funds just last week. So my other option is... what, become an entrepreneur and 'hustle' 60hours a week for a CHANCE to maybe make more money eventually, all the while going against my values, interests, personality, and previous life goals as an introverted nerd? Screw that. If there's another point to focus, I would love to know, but I just don't see it currently.I have a hard time understanding what is being suggested by 'life advice' besides this, at least under capitalism. Not everyone WANTS to be an entrepreneur. It's not fair or OK for that to just be the end-all be-all of life. And it wasn't always (and still isn't in other countries) this way. Maybe I want to learn programming and make games, but it's the same problem. I can't afford to quit for my family, and I'm so drained from just scraping by. I try to learn but it doesn't go TOO well (ADHD), and, at best and most realistically, I could see making a mobile game in a year or two that gets me like a few thousand in ad revenue over years. I can't see how I could equal 50K/yr by following my dreams with focus ever, really. To join a company, I'm back in the same boat. Having to move to a super expensive-to-live place just to make more money doesn't seem like a winning preposition to me. Everything is just WAY too risky anymore because of the psychotic apocalyptic wealth disparity we have and the increasing funds to simply live, as A/C is becoming required, water is becoming scarce, landlords are evicting people at the drop of a hat, etc. I love Dr K and this video is good, but (And this is prob beyond the scope of a psychiatrist) I think that most life and financial/career advice out there in 2022 discounts the fact that the environment and economy is so suppressing for a normal adult, at least in the US. Chaotic instability is not a very great time to be taking risks to improve your life, p. much the foundation of society.
I agree! Well formulated and an important point. It's very easy to get swept up in motivational speakers and think that you have to hustle, but a lot of us simply don't want to become entreprenaurs. As you said so succinctly I feel like it's important to zoom out a bit and realize that the system is working against us a lot of the time.
Leave cali first no matter what u do they tax tf out of u. Some states dont have state tax im sure that would help a lot and since ur it u can prob find a remote job
This is the best Dr K video hands down. It might not be the most entertaining one but the answer is here. The rest is on me. I don’t need to watch UA-cam anymore looking for answers. This is practical. I love the way he gets to the root of it and put it in words. Wow it’s more explanatory than “just get disciplined” and more practical.
As soon as K started explaining the mind's priority model, my actual mind became nervous and feeling threatened, even though I myself felt motivated, in comfort knowing it makes perfect sense. It is pretty insane.
Dr K i was so overwhelmed with so many emotions while listening to your explanations. I was crying and smiling at the same time Imao. I am really sad that i never looked at this way always cleaning it up 😂 thinking at least i am not wasting my day it's been years now! I am so happy and greatful for you for making this so useful info free of cost and i will work on it and gonna join your club with my first salary for sure! Love you so much!! 😭✨
Last night , I was watch John Oliver talking about mental health therapy in the US. How difficult to find the right person. Or how expensive is it. Thank dr. K for some helpful information about various types of issues. Something, when you go to the therapist you don't have a ideas on what topics to talk during the section. Most difficult part of" do something "is starting the thing. Once you start it. It get easier. You can replace "the thing " with exercise, learning Japanese or learning about computer.
I've found a fairly simple solution for focus and getting the hardest jobs done during the day and end the day with higher energy than the start. Its 30 min pomodoro which everyone knows but its the rest time which is important. I wfh so i close my eyes and rest(if outside or office try break room) whatever you do..DO NOT DOPAMINE DEPLETE with social media or scrolling. Only slow activity..making coffee etc. i did 3 sessions of these and instantly feel like i got lots done and recall memories better, killing it in meetings etc! At the end of the day...i had so much energy for socialising/working out etc and my mind stayed soooo calm. Trust me try a few sessions and stick to it daily for focusing!
I'm 40. My mind played that game every day since I discovered vidya at about 8. I've beaten opiates, but video games have been far more insidious and destructive. This is invaluable.
15:50 yeah i´ve heard about this like 2 years ago from someone else, it was explained very similarly and it was called "dopamine detox". The point is the bar of your dopamine income is passively set too high (from constant stimul through all the "fun" stuff you are doing through the day / week / month / year or lifetime), the dopamine detox then means ur basically forcing yourself to be bored, so your passively high thirst for dopamine will decrease over the boring phase and then even the seemingly "hard" work seems fine and you will enjoy doing it, because the bar for getting the good vibes and enjoyment will be set lower, the enjoyment should lead to that you will also concentrate better. Through the forced boredom process ur allowed to sleep, or meditate or just "to be", but ur not allowed to watch n scroll sh*t, listen to music, eat, beat the meat etc., if ur willing to be really hardcore, you shouldnt even talk to anybody, which for me personally wasn´t problem at all, because i live alone. It helped me alot, since then i dont use facebook and i gave up on most of the other social bullcrap apps that make you scroll for 3 hours straight and watch videos with puppies or some south american dudes building a pool from dirt in the middle of a jungle, since then i am alot more productive and i can get stuff done if i want to.
These videos are god sent. They give me a new perspective on everything! I end up forgetting most of it usually, but even the small things that stuck with me help me out :) Thank you Dr. K. and thank you HealthyGamerGG!
Thanks. Somehow, you were able nail the exact problems which has, for quite a number of years, prevented me from getting anything significant done. I can only hope, to put these teachings in practice, to improve myself.
First five-ten minutes, I didn’t know if he was going to say anything. I kept watching because the comments sold me. SO worth it!! I learned so much in the second half of this video. Thank you so much!
Ok I know this is about focusing and what not but the “All roads lead to one place section” is amazing insight for people with addiction. My example was a short 2 month run with meffamphet, and along the way I realized, every excuse or feeling or urge my brain would come up with to do more, was leading me back to avoiding the struggle of quitting. After that realization it became nearly trivial to see the patterns and avoid them. Still hard work but just thought I’d share
I also came up with this method myself - to just sit and do nothing until I feel like working. But I thought it was stupid and didn't endure long enough. Now that you explained that it is not completely stupid, I'll try it again for real now. Let's see who can wait it out, me or the "mind". Thank you Doc 🙂
"what will it do when it realizes you will sit there for 12 hours doing absoloutely nothing? it will start working". The realization I got from this just made me chuckle. It wasnt funny, but i think i just experienced happiness from realizing this is something i can control. Thank you so much. Your stuff is so amazing.
Man this video literally just changed my life. Without going into detail of my life story, through this video I had a realisation that answered a question that I've been struggling to answer for more than 6 years. The answer has literally been sitting right in front of me for all these years and I've just had that moment where all the pieces fall into place. Thank you so much
A while ago i was working on a project and it kept throwing me curve ball after curve ball and the frustration kept building up, i forced myself to keep working on it but i was able to do less and less every time to the point of losing almost all motivation for it. At some point i had enough and said to myself, well screw you brain, if you don't want to work you're not getting any fun and we'll just sit here doing nothing at all. So i just sat there for about 3 hours staring at a powered down tv and after a while of my brain trying to squirm it's way out of it, i started getting some clarity about my project, i gained a better overview, found some novel solutions to the problems and not long after my brain started to beg me to be allowed to work on it. I kinda did it as a punishment to my dysfunctional brain and it worked, though i'm not too sure self-punishment is the right way to look at it. In the end i got the clarity to realize that my project was over-constrained and ended up a bust, nevertheless i learned a lot from it.
what is worse is when you do negative work. That is when you do the work, but it just causes more work to be done. This is very common with programmers.
Thank you so much for this video, I didn't realize how much I could focus after crunching my options. Now, I can study for hours because it's either I study or do nothing. I'm bound to do something so this trick turned out successful. I'll ace my board exams!
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🧠 *Acknowledge the inner conflict when your mind resists focusing; different parts of your mind may be at odds.* 05:17 🤯 *Performance doesn't always correlate with knowledge; controlling the mind state is crucial for consistent success.* 08:53 🕹️ *Understand the variability in daily performance, whether in esports or other activities, and learn to cultivate the right mindset.* 15:41 🎯 *Boredom is the mind's secret weapon; by limiting alternatives to work or boredom, you gain control over your mind.* 16:42 🌙 *If the mind resists work, offer only two choices: work or boredom; this approach can lead to improved focus.* 18:06 ⚖️ *Distinguish between productivity driven by boredom and scheduled tasks; avoid making productivity an antidote to boredom.* 19:54 🧘 *Train your mind to focus by patiently sitting with boredom until it's ready to work; this practice builds control over your mind's distractions.* 21:49 🧠 *Identify and understand the excuses your mind generates to avoid tasks, such as "I don't feel like working."* 23:35 📝 *Overcome lack of confidence by starting a task even if you think the result might be subpar; you can always revise later.* 25:06 🚫 *Recognize and resist the mind's various stall tactics, such as the need for excessive research or delaying the task.* 26:57 🕰️ *Be willing to "waste" time on the task at hand, refusing to give in to the mind's procrastination strategies.* 27:32 🤝 *Hold your mind hostage instead of being hostage to your mind; assert control over your thoughts to maintain focus.* 33:05 🧘♂️ *Understand that the ability to focus involves a combination of neuroscience, psychology, and spirituality; address factors like attention control and motivation.* 35:31 🔄 *Manipulate motivation by working on self-worth; increasing confidence can positively impact the perception of success and, consequently, motivation.- **21:49** 🧘 Recognize and analyze your thoughts when you don't feel like working, understand the obstacles, and be cautious not to fall into endless cycles of preparation.* 23:35 🚫 *Don't let lack of confidence be an excuse. Sit down, start writing, even if it's not perfect. Correct and improve later. The key is to initiate the process.* 25:06 🧠 *Be aware of your mind's trickery. It will create excuses to avoid tasks. Recognize the stall tactics and commit to the task despite the mind's resistance.* 26:11 🕰️ *Avoid the trap of procrastination. Be willing to waste a day to get the task done, holding your mind accountable. Overcoming the waiting game is crucial.* 27:32 🔒 *Hold your mind hostage, not yourself. Distinguish between the self and the mind. The mind may resist, but your commitment will break the resistance.* 32:37 🧠 *Understand the components of doing tasks involve neuroscience, psychology, spirituality, and more. Focus on controlling attention, and motivation will follow.* 35:16 🌟 *Manipulate the action success calculation to create motivation. Enhance self-worth and confidence to alter the perception of success, leading to increased motivation.* Made with HARPA AI
I had to write a whole paper (I wrote a 4 pages long essay) on what makes you, you. It's one of the reasons why my philosophy class is my favorite because I can talk about all the things that my mind created around a subject or question. I'm going to study philosophy in two years :D
Sometimes, Dr. K says something so profound, I have to go back thirty seconds just so I know I understood what he said. That last 2 minutes seriously changed my perspective on relationships and who I “know” can get with, and who I “think” I can get with. Insane
this is insanely like mind breaking to me?? i feel more aware of the mind being “in control” so often. This was so helpful ty dr.k i am going to try ur methods out
Honestly on any given day it’s a 50/50 chance whether boredom will be more or less tolerable than work. Many days I’m perfectly content to just sit and not do anything. If the alternative option is work that I actively dislike, I’m more than happy to choose boredom.
listening to this.... Can't tell even in english. I expirienced sensory explosion right now. I am me, but my brain isn't fully me. Holy shit. English is not my native language, but i'll try to explain what i felt when realised that mind and myself are separate entities. I felt happy for some reason. This made so much sence to me, i can't even grasp it fully. Now i understand how to treat myself.
Thanks for taking the time to explain in your non native language! 🙂 and I agree, this was one of the first times I've separately identified my mind and self and it is eye opening
If only I heard of this lecture a couple years earlier… Talking about focusing and productivity with my counsellors, tutors, mental advisors, friends, etc. all don’t give as concrete explanations and advices as this 40 minutes talk. At least I can use the remainder of my Master’s degree and future careers with these techniques, because I have been very unconfident with my productivity. I absolutely needed this now. Thanks very much Dr. K!
"Oh no it's the afternoon. The day is lost. Might as well play video games." I cannot express how accurate this is to my mindset every single day. It immediately starts when I wake up because I play Doom Eternal until like 5:30 in the morning and sleep until 2 or 3 pm. So the cycle just repeats every day. It's so hard to break it because I've been living like this for a few years now. I got so much shit to do but I only wanna do it if I can wake up early enough to have time to enjoy the afternoon after the work is done. So everytime that I wake up in mid afternoon, I'm like "Screw it. I've still got tomorrow to wake up earlier and start the cleaning that I need to do."
The breakdown of how the person would operate during the day, then calling it a day after cleaning, then going straight to games is a perfect picture of me on some days.
A year ago I wouldn't be able to apply this to my life, but now after watching this channel for a while and learning all these awesome things I actually live by what's presented in the video and this information is kinda trivial to me. That's nice :)
I’m going to explain it like this. Been awake 40hrs and driving. Trying to focus. Immediate when I heard the end of the video section. I tried the steps. Immediately I got a chain link kind of connection right behind my eyes and gained full focus to drive 2hours more to sleep. Thank you 🎉
I've found just giving myself something I enjoy for awhile actually helps me get out of the rut of not doing what I need to. If I don't have a constant stimulus I sleep. I'll sleep for 20hrs. I'll daydream for just as long. Deprivating myself of rewards doesn't fix this. If I can start I can often get through quite a bit, before taking a break. Regulating work and reward helps. What you're pushing contributes to burn out.
I love giving your brain the choice between work, nothing, and sleep. So many days that I "didn't have motivation", I realized that I was just fn tired and needed a nap. Slept for two hours, did nothing, then work just happened. I was legit just too tired to focus. I'll also allow the chores for an hour or two because chores done is good either way, but in moderation.
My problem is that I will sleep 😭 I will sleep for 18 hours straight.. then I gotta eat… so I gotta cook.. then eating makes me want to sleep…. And I will sleep.
You are the king of “Let’s break it down” First person I have come across that really breaks it down to the smallest atom possible. I love it. You’re a godsend. Thank you. ❤
This sounds great. Problem is, whenever I try to do what I should be doing and remove all distactors, my mind begin to wander. And if I really force myself... I fall asleep. Almost automatically.
Every single word you said is true, I don’t want to believe that my brain trick me to do nothing all this time😢 thank you to show up in my first page 🙏🏽
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🧠 Dealing with Unproductive Days - Addressing unproductive days when you can't seem to focus on tasks. - Exploring strategies to overcome a lack of focus. - Balancing self-compassion and self-discipline when facing unproductive days. 04:57 🤔 Understanding Human Performance - Discussing the variability of human performance, even with expertise. - Examining the role of the frontal lobes in directing attention and impulse control. - Highlighting the importance of controlling one's mind to achieve productivity. 09:36 🧭 How to Train Your Mind to Focus - Explaining the significance of boredom as a control factor in productivity. - Emphasizing the importance of having limited options when your mind resists working. - Encouraging the practice of sitting with boredom until your mind is ready to work. 16:13 🧘♀️ Cultivating a Focused Mind - Discussing the practice of sitting with your mind and tolerating boredom. - Recognizing the difference between productivity as an antidote to boredom and planned productive tasks. - Encouraging self-awareness and intentionality in addressing procrastination and mental resistance. 24:08 🧠 Understanding Procrastination and Mental Tricks - Your mind plays tricks to avoid tasks, stalling and procrastinating. - It often tells you that you're not ready, you could fail, or you need more preparation. - The mind uses various excuses to delay important tasks. 27:32 🧘 Holding Your Mind Hostage - To overcome procrastination, hold your mind hostage and be willing to waste a day if necessary. - Your mind often tries to avoid work, and when it realizes you're serious, it cooperates. - This mental battle is about regaining control over your attention and focus. 32:37 📚 Dr. K's Guide to ADHD and Doing Stuff - Combining ADHD and doing stuff is about understanding how to control your attention. - Motivation and success likelihood are key components in the action success calculation. - Manipulating your self-worth and confidence can alter your perception of success and increase motivation. Made with HARPA AI
I have a very similar rule to dr. K's father's "I either do X or do nothing" rule. In summary: • I have a schedule • I don't fixate on "start" and "ending" times, only duration; • My weekday has 3 different major parts and to each one of them I assign a "category"; • Each category can have only one task at a time and have it's own duration; • I don't start anything else in the same category until I finish what I was doing first; • I can only start the next category if I've completed the assigned duration for the previous one • I have a "junk day" to keep myself sane. For more details: First, I know that, bc of my mental condition (I'm neurodivergent) and probably bc of childhood habits (my parents would often say "you can't have a new book/game unless you finish the last one"), if I start anything new, it's hard for me to put it down, sometimes even disrupting my sleep routine in order to finish it. For instance, whenever I start a new game, even if I don't really like it, I'll want to play it throughly, unless it's a really, really bad game or if I didn't pay anything for it (so it doesn't give me a sense of "wasted money"). If I start a new game at the same time, even if it's worse than the first one, I know I will only focus on this new one (bc it's a new thing; that's also one of the reasons why online games don't seem appealing to me, bc, essentially, they have no "end"). So, with time, I will forget the controls, mechanics, AI patterns and what I was doing on the first game, and all that will build up to a feeling of "nah, I don't feel like doing it bc it'll be troublesome to start it over". The same goes for everything else. Books, studies, projects, etc. So, whenever I start a new thing, I won't start anything else until I've finished it. This way, if I don't feel like doing it, then I will do absolutely nothing. I will purposefully waste my day in order to not compromise the ongoing thing. Second, I try to have a daily routine when it comes to eating, cleaning, playing with pets, exercising, sleeping, and other daily, physiological/healthy stuff. About cleaning, specially, I try my best to keep the house clean all week, like, for example, doing small cleaning tasks every day (taking out the dust, cleaning the pets' stuff...) and making my best to dirty things as little as possible [reusing the same glass for the day, taking shoes out when getting in the house (yes, like the Japanese tradition), etc] Third, to compensate for the first point, aside the daily routine, I separate my day in 3 major parts: work, personal (hobby projects, studying) and leisure time. I think of it as "equipment slots" and I can only have one thing going on in each slot. So, if I'm reading a book (leisure), I won't play games or read other books, or watch tv series/anime. But I will study (personal) a certain topic related to a hobby or career, and only one topic. Once I've finished this topic, then, and only then, I'm allowed to start a new one. The same goes for work (and I kinda lucky here bc my boss and coworkers know and comprehend about my condition, so they won't bother me with a new task until I delivered the other one first, unless it's urgent and there's no other option). Fourth, I have a schedule that doesn't have fixed hours ("time-centric"), like "oh I work from X to Y hours everyday, then do something else from Y to Z", only fixed durations ("duration-centric"). The reason why I chose this way is bc I realized that a "time-centric" schedule would make me really, really stressed out (and thanks to my mental condition, it would be really bad), like "oh, I'm late to do A" or "I can only do B from X hours to Y hours, so if something happens that interrupts me during that time, like an emergency or blackout, I'll get mad bc it will disrupt my schedule". Fifth, the way my schedule works is that, aside the daily routine, the 3 major "equipment slots" are allocated one beside the other in weekdays. The rule being that they each have their own duration and I can only do the next thing if I do the previous one first for the said duration. For example, if I have to work for 8h and study for 3h, and have fun for 1h, I'll dedicate 8h into working, not counting breaks, and only when I've finished the 8h, I'll start my personal projects for, say, 3h. Only then I'm "allowed" to go to leisure time. To "balance" things out, sometimes, say once in two weeks, I give myself a "junk day", in which I do nothing of productive all day. I play all day, I sleep all day, I hang out with friends all day, I stare at the ceiling of my bedroom all day, it doesn't matter, as long as I can relax and not worry about a single thing the whole day.
What if your mind favours boredom over work? Or rather, what if I can't be bored? I often find myself just sitting in front of the book and thinking about interesting stuff instead of working.
There's another video for your situation. But from what I can tell, the basic idea is that you dont allow your mind to get away. It's either do the specific task or do nothing. You dont daydream, you dont think about interesting things, you just sit there and exist till your mind chooses to continue the work and not be distracted. It's a similar concept to dopamine detox. Except this time, you wont even give it the benefit of daydreaming.
"We use to do this thing called 'playing Outside'." But all of that changed when the Y2K balance patch attacked, and the meta for humans got even weirder.
This is literally the most helpful video i’ve ever seen in my life. You are so knowledgeable; Thank you so much for extending your knowledge with me. I’ve wasted two years of my life and couldn’t understand how to break myself out of that cycle. You opened my eyes to another way of viewing myself and my minds patterns. I especially connected with the concept of different roads leading to the same outcome; no work. My mind constantly brings up random excuses to not work, which leads me to not wanting to waste the day; which leads me to going out and “having fun”. I can also see this same pattern in my addictions as well. Understanding the mind separate from the self is a concept ive never actually took into consideration until now.
"I was not willing to waste a day, and in that I almost wasted my entire life." This line made me tear up realizing I've been through that.
This is so true, I was in a constant state of panic that I couldn't focus on anything when I thought that my life would be over by 30
I hate how defeatist this kind of statement is. Sometimes it really does take going through all that suffering to end out on the other side.
@@rcditti Underrated comment. Big agree that sometimes, for whatever reason, folks need to go through the suffering to then see that they'd survive.
For me its the opposite i am more than whilling to wast a day and so i wasted the last 3 years. I am just 16 but still i feel like im wortheless and cabt do anything right.
Giving up on my goals even before the work has started.
@@joaoreis185 Dude if you're 16 and you already realize that you have problem and you try to improve by watching dr. K or searching for some self help then you're already way, way ahead of me. Be proud of yourself!
reminds me of when I was in HS. i had a big art project I kept putting off because I didn’t think it would turn out good. my art teacher said “I’m giving you the weekend but it has to be turned in Monday, finished or not”. she was actually being nice and giving me more time bc it was already late. so my mom makes me sit down at the table and I wasn’t allowed to do anything except paint. it was barely worked on. i didn’t wanna do it at all. but guess what? eventually I just started painting because of boredom. i ended up finishing my whole painting (it was pretty big) and turned it in that monday. the look on my art teachers face that morning lol she didn’t think I’d finish it, hell I didn’t even think I would. it ended up being put into a college art contest and I won 1st place. someone even offered to buy it from me. definitely gonna start practicing this method more! ☺️
Thanks for the real world example!
what a nice real example. i also need to apply this to my life
This was very heart-warming to read, and applicable to my situation as I'm in an art related degree :') thank you
That's a great mom!
I am glad for you. Thanks for sharing that.
As an artist, your experience is the best example and that's nice ~
I always interpreted "you've got time" as "you've got time before you need to start" instead of "if you start today, you've got time to work on it"
Holy crap
Is that not normal? 🗿
Exactly
@@levylost8550 It's more of the wrong interpretation
Wonderful thought
Man… “I was not willing to waste a day, and in that, I almost wasted my entire life” is beautifully profound.
26:40
I just stopped the video to cry, It has completely changed my view, I didn't know about Dr. K before today and I'm glad I found him
@@dariovdo3237me too. I knew about him but always procrastinated cuz the video's were too long. Meanwhile I would watch hour long videos of my fav entertainment youtubers. But I am so glad I built up the motivation to give it a try and just kept on going because I kept on finding solutions to my sufferings and what was not letting me do it, helping me along the journey
The statement "being not able to tolerate frustration" hit me more than I thought
Dealing with that one is definitely something I’ve got a still learn....But hey if you figure it out before I do please remember this thread somewhere in the back of your mind 😊😊😊
Hey, If the circumstances are awful, of course you wont be resistant to frustration. You're doing your best even though things suck and it gets worse due to a mistake or due to someone else's incompetence... It feels really unfair.
it's frustrating, being so frustrated all the time
@@lunar686If it's in the context of study or work. Just remember the feeling of frustration basically means your making progress. You'll start to take joy in the frustration knowing you're doing your best and not diverting your attention.
Can be similar to delayed onset muscle soreness in the gym when you feel super sore the days after. If you reframe it to understand how much you've accomplished or are accomplishing with that feeling, you grow to absolutely love feeling sore like that.
Alternatively hunger could be another one although still comes from a gym focus on cutting. Slight hunger within healthy calorie deficit can be a persistent reminder that you're succeeding in your diet.
@@Zane-zz5ht no idea why you used a ‘training’ analogy...but...thank you for your psychic powers 🙂!!! Didn’t actually realise that there were already aspects of my life I was already successfully applying this to. Not saying I have the tolerance of a gym-junkie, lol I’m a former national athlete actually and slowly learning about all the things I didn’t know that I kinda wish I had known when I was competing, so don’t seem to know as much as the people at the gym doing bodybuilding, lol used to think I was putting my body to the best tests, now I’m learning that there is so much more that can be learned and unlocked (even if I’m not as young and injury free as I used to be, I weirdly like the challenge of what the current version of me can do, plus I get to show off a little by asking coach ‘which’ bicep head he wanted me to build up back in the day lmfao)...
So yeah, honestly thank you for that one. Makes it easier to remember and look out for
Takeaways:
→Acknowledge the different parts of you (the self and the mind).
→ Hard reset : delete the options of productive & dopamine and reduce it to work & boredom.
→ Analyze whether the productive action is scheduled or an antidote to boredom.
→ Check what is driving your action through self introspection.
→ The self has to overcome the trickery of the mind.
→ Sometimes you should be willing to waste a day so that you don’t waste years.
Thank you for this. Very helpful.
Thx man
I finally realize why dr. K timing is so perfect... it's because 99% of his videos are relatable to something we are doing wrong and we try to be better so of course the timing will be always perfect.
Confirmation bias is probably at play here as well. I'm sure there are a ton of times the video's timing isn't perfect, it might be about a problem you're not struggling with particularly at the time, but you don't think much about it. When they do relate to something you're going through at the moment, you think the timing is perfect. Most of these issues happen over long periods of time, too, so there's a higher chance that a video is about something you're going through.
there is no timing
the video just happens to remind people of their struggles
at this point i feel like you guys are just ignoring people's post at the beggining of each video :/
Agreed! This video hit me in the right time.
what
I just realized that the "mind" in this case, is basically your inner child. It wants to do anything but be serious, and like a child you might raise irl, you have to consciously create circumstances where they have to do the one thing they never want to do. The child will cry, lash out, say mean things, and get clever to get what they want, but ultimately it's up to you to stand your ground.
Thank you Doctor K for explaining the "mind" and "self" in a way that I could understand, and hopefully, get shit I want done, done lol.
People usually say "monkey mind", emphasizing the restlessness of it. Both aspects are important, but I like your child analogy for emphasis on the devious / manipulative aspects.
i taech kids the piano and they can't stand the boring slow repetition... Even if that's really the only thing you have to do to learn pinao, get your mind muscle memory on point xD
They get so restless and manipulative, indeed just like the "monkey mind"
I had never thought about it...
Usually what i do is I try to change the piano instrument (to violin for example) and add a dummer so that they don't get bored
Anyway now i find it creepy how children are basically raw "minds" going around and about...
@@Herosoyyo2 Personally, What I like te most about the child analogy is how, in relation to the child, the self would be the parent. And in a way, that gives me more clarity about how I should treat my mind.
Beautiful analogy.
@@sidonelmet6501 Parent can be another aspect of the mind, potentially just as harmful as the child. Most common situation is the normative parent, which is your mind telling you what you should do with little regard for what you want to do. Of course very helpful, but can lead to shame and anxiety when the shoulds are impossible to fulfill. The self is usually referred to as the rational adult, which makes sense for both of the relationships it should have with the parent and the child.
"But we're gonna waste the whole day!"
"Let's do it."
hahaha love this. Treat your mind like a kid throwing a tantrum.
maybe its a kid , not literally
@@togfanatic3781 It most definitely is a kid. It wants what it can't have, it's highly egotistical, it always wants what it wants right now but if you ask it what it wants it'll never know. I could go on & on but we get the gist. 😂😂😂
"We're gonna waste the whole day? Let's do that."
That one sentence felt so weirdly empowering to hear, like the whole time I've been feeling like I'm wasting day after day and feeling guilty about it, it's as if this time, by getting out and confronting my mind about it and showing it that THAT WAS A CHOICE WE MADE, suddenly my mind starts to take accountability for that and squirms and tries to do something else. Seeing yourself really is the first and most important step in getting control of yourself.
He's talking about the studies with schizophrenia, I am living proof of how it can work. I got schizo about 10 years ago, and spent about 8 of those years doing nothing much, not having motivation to do anything productive or positive or in any way live life(it's called avolition). But now I'm in therapy and I'm working on these variables and my life is totally different. I'm exercising, doing hobbies, meditating, cleaning, *actually showering on a regular basis*, and tons more. I felt hopeless for so long and now it's insane how much better I feel and how much better my life is.
This is wonderful! Great job!
Wow that's amazing. Keep going
I'm so happy for you and for you the progress you've made! For real this is amazing
@themarmadukian this is really inspiring! Thank you for sharing. I'm curious what some of these variables are?
Ever since the pandemic started, this became a habit of mine. I'm just constantly finding excuses or distracting myself over the chores I need to do. Even at work I just make things take longer that they need to and that leads me to "stay working late" when in reality I did my task in 30 minutes with an hour of distraction every five minutes.
Heck, even writing this comment is distracting me from my tasks!
I'm going to start applying this method asap!
It’s been 3 years get your stuff together the pandemic isn’t an excuse anymore
@@levelup2014 wow, you're a real piece of work. Maybe that's why your life is like that
@@levelup2014 well yes that is what he’s trying to do
Quick update, I was just fired from my job because I was so efficient that finished the project faster than anticipated and they no longer needed my services. 🫠
@@mandragonna time to level up and find a better job
15:40 ‘So when my dad was in medical school he had a rule for himself. That if he didn't feel like studying, and he taught me this rule by the way if he didn't feel like studying he wouldn't study. He was allowed to sleep as much as he wanted to, he was allowed to sit there and do nothing as much as he wanted to but those were his only two options besides studying. That's it nothing else.’
To try to understand and "hack" my ADHD, I have watched countless videos, listened to dozens of podcasts, conducted hours upon hours of reaearch, seen therapists and psychiatrists, and paid for special courses/workbooks. This video, above all else, has been the greatest revelation for me. All of it. I could go on and on, but I have work to do and it's time to follow the advice in this video and give myself two options: do the work or be bored. Let's go!!!
Thank you for all of your content, Dr. K!!!
Hey do you have any updates with using this method? So curious if it ended up working for you
Doubt it. I've been looking for any comments that had a follow-up and found none.
I was doing that "I will stare at a wall until Im really bored" and it really works...I should start doing it again, since obviously more people think thats a quite good strategy
I can’t believe these videos are up for free, I wish I found this channel earlier because it’s provided me so much value already! Dr. K’s lessons have really changed the way I see myself and they’ve taught me so much about how my mind works. Really appreciate the time the team puts into these ♥️
Bot
Who says something free is a great value? Ai?
“The self is held hostage, or the mind is held hostage.
Right now the mind is holding you hostage!”
Thank you for this reminder.
Heard plenty of times that boredom can be the problem AND the solution. The real solution here was to mold the environment so the "productive thing" was the only thing you were allowed to do when you were bored. If that means not having an internet connection and only having a single program on your device that lets you do the work you need to do that you must be, so be it.
If the work is something you're absolutely passionate about, the challenge is reasonable enough to push you to your limits, the reward is immediate+obvious and points you towards doing even better work, and the time constraint is just enough to force yourself to do absolutely nothing but that task, that should be a recipe for flow perfection. Flowmadoro (modified tomadoro where you count up time instead of count down and the break is equal to the time working divided by 3) should do wonders with this kind of environment.
so say i did 21 minutes of work, would i then have 7 mins of break? and then 60 mins of work, I would have 20 after that? does it have to be the same each time
Literally god-tier timing! I failed my cert exam that I'd been studying for all year in July and I was so crushed that I took the month off. I set August 1st as the day I'd get back studying but I wasn't fully committed, certain, or confident until I watched this video. Thank you Dr. K and the rest of HG for all y'all do 🙏🏿
You'll pass the next round!
@@danialgoh1985 thank you so much danial!!!
You got this, don’t give up!
@@mrs.quills7061 Aw thank you so much!! 🥺
@@lowtech42 yw! Let us know how it goes and even if you fail again, there will be other opportunities to try again. Nothing is absolute!
This video is one of Dr K's best yet. The idea of challenging yourself to a boredom contest is incredible. Definitely a new tactic I'm going to experiment with
This works with falling asleep too: I tell myself this is so interesting, let’s stay awake but keep our eyes closed! It’s boring, I fall asleep.
@@TVVENCHthat is the opposite of me, I sometimes dont sleep beca its boring and i would rather watch youtube while laying in bed not sleeping
Ah, this makes so much sense. Before the pandemic, when I had a physical work environment I was obligated to go to, I only had 2 options at work: work or be bored. The layout of our office was open air, so all desks and computers were out in the open and you were surrounded by your coworkers. If you were tempted to play games on your work computer or go on your phone, you'd probably get weird looks and feel socially out of place, so those 2 options - "productivity" or "dopaminergic" weren't actual options for you to partake. You were forced to do either work or nothing. And that's why I was actually productive at work and why my productivity is shot working from home. DAMN.
Oh yes, you've nailed it. And I have been self employed all my life, with a rare hired hand/"co-worker" to create the frame to stay focused. So I didn't work for
the Man, but I also didn't work for myself, really, but for my 'mind', once the strong wish to please my paying clients started to wane and retirement lifestyle became more the norm (started working from home - final nail)
10:37 Frontal Lobe
11:36 Work v Boredom v Productive v Dopaminic
15:25 Power of Boredom
15:41 Tunnel Vision or Idle (Boredom)
18:39 Productivity not framed as Off-Track
20:32 Sitting with the Self (Our Thoughts & Emotions)
23:53 All Roads Lead to One Place (Not Work)
25:58 The Mind is on our side, It just needs to Trust
28:43 other: A Pure Self in Existence
These stories from the community have been so helpful I am starting to feel like they are reading my mind ...
almost every time I'm like: huh thats a problem I should probably look for some drK vids about that"
tey pose the exact video I was going to look for. they have
This bloke is legit. Hard-hitting truth but needed to hear it. Feeling frustrated, lack of confidence and restless due to a resistance to getting stuff done. Glad to be a part of this network.
How is Dr K's timing always perfect. I was just thinking about my problems with focusing
Same, I am literally editing a website and making minor changes while this video is playing.
SAAAMEE
Never not exactly what I need to hear
Literally, I'm starting another monthly class today and I'm already like "wow I'm having to do all these things and I can't focus on the actual important thing."
I've been asking these questions for like 10 years😢😂
I cannot get this to work and I identified two reasons:
1. I need really long to get bored. I can easily sit and do nothing for a weekend (Not going for a walk no music no nothing. I learned this skill through intensive Vipassana retreats)
2. I can sleep and daydream for hours on end. If I do not do the above and just observe, I can slip into daydreams and fictional stories in my mind for basically ever.
Does anyone have an idea ? I would be really glad for anything :)
@@mon0t0n same, I daydream so much as well now
Nope guess you’re out of luck
This is brilliant. I never tried thinking of my "self" and my "mind" as separate entities.
This approach sounds like it might actually work perfectly with an erratic brain like mine, so I'll definitely implement that.
Don't just think it that way, SEE it that way. Observe thoughts as often as possible until it's too damn obvious that they are impermanent, dissatisfactory, and ain't you ;) That is liberation!
^
Yeah funnily enough the fundamental goal of practically most Indian spiritual disciplines is to 100% know you are not your body and not your mind, (and further not an individual personality but are actually all of existence itself).
yea
This explains so much. When i was in elementary and high school, the teachers would make you sit there in boredom OR do your work. With that motivating factor I was an amazingly focused student. Once I got to university and professors and friends were not concerned with what I did, because it was my responsibility, my focus drastically fell off. And I ended up easily distracted by games, and literally anything else. Fast forward to 34, and I still play this chicken game on the daily. Really insightful
I just started writing my last 2 essays for university and my deadline is on the 9th and then this notification hit, guess who is not doing their work right now 😫
Here's a tip: set a timer for a small amoujt of time. 15 minutes. Maybe even 10. For those 10 minutes, ONLY prioritize the important stuff. Get started on the essay and add a little more to it. Once it's over, take a break and do something else for a bit. Come back afterward and set the timer again, and do it from the top. It helps me pretty often.
Mine is 15th. I'm gonna continue tomorrow for sure.
@@ケルニコ I'll hold you to that! I made some progress today and I'm hoping to continue that through tonight but I'm working a lot this week so hopefully in my downtime I can get some more done :)
@@iSoryu Hi mate, I've got two hours left today, but I wrote a page. Although my mind brought me here :D So I gotta get back. Hope you're doing fine ;-)
@@ケルニコ i forgot to hold you to it! But did you continue the following day? My essays are due in 2 hours and I'm very nearly finished 😊
Dr. K has been fundamental in getting me to stop wasting my time away. The best takeaway I've had is to turn down the valence of and my exposure to the things I would fall back to for dopamine dumps; to just shut them out. Then the joy of doing things that used to be boring slowly bubbles up. I come back to his videos for continued encouragement and confirmation, but otherwise I'm essentially doing what I always wanted to but never could bring myself to.
This may be the single most important video I've ever watched. I'm going to take these lessons to heart and change my life.
I want to say thank you. I’m a scientist in my 40s still struggling with these issues. I really appreciate the groundedness of your guidance.
I'm a sculptor and artists deal with this a lot. Art block. Creative block. The solution that artists have come up with is just "do more art" (one of them). If you have a commission you don't want to do right now, just get yourself to do something else related to your work. Draw something, sculpt something. Doesn't matter what, doesn't matter how good, it's just a matter of working in order to power through your brain wanting to procrastinate. Do that for a bit and then you'll much more easily get back into the work you NEED to do.
In a way that teaches your brain not to go to "play games woooo" but instead go to "art must be done". It's why a lot of artists do morning practices, too. If you have to start working at 9am, then do something else to warm up from 8:30 to 9. It puts you in the zone instead of looking for ways to run away from the zone hahah
This can also sometimes tie in with "let yourself be bored". Sometimes you can just fuck around with art. Do some abstract, stupid stuff and at some point your brain switches into creative mode cuz it sees something it likes. And when you switch back into that creative mode you can start working. :D
Don't know, just some thoughts. I think that artists have come up with a lot of ways to combat procrastination and creative blocks, and a lot of those techniques can be transferred to other professions, too. The frustration for a lot of artists is that we WANT to do the art but sometimes we can't get ourselves to do it. Which is a strong motivator to find a solution.
Thanks! It’s exhaustive for me to try and stay grounded. It’s like I have my own little world in my head, and I find myself almost exclusively day dreaming. I used to enjoy it, but I find it getting darker and darker. Now it’s like a “daymare.” Anyone else experienced this before?
Yup I do. All the fucking time. Escaping into grand mental fantasies any time i sit down to do something important
I relate 100%. I'm a huge maldaptative daydreamer, it can quite literally ruin your life. Atleast I'm aware that I'm not normal and I'm trying to fix not living in my head all the time.
"they dont know how to cultivate the right kind of day"
this one sentence explains so much
I think that last 5 minutes is really critical. Believing you can do something generates motivation. As soon as my brain fog lifted and i could think clearly and plan, i could see a path for myself, which created belief in myself to follow through, which created motivation.
That resonated with me.
This is super interesting, I have ADHD and instead of being bored . I meditate . When I am done meditating my mind is happy to to anything but meditate and I can work for a while. I am glad now I know how this works.
I have adhd too, and I made it 4 minutes into the vid
@@blaireofhylia1572 My IQ is room temp and I still made it through although extremely distracted already forgot half the message while writing this.
This is amazing! I love the way Dr K breaks down the “how do I work? question. It’s giving me the “rules” that no one taught me. “Understanding” leads to real change of patterns.
This topic goes hand in hand with people who struggle with feeling like your work or projects aren't going to be good enough or aren't perfect. I typically can start a project and focus on 80% of it until the final stretch where the doubt starts to creep in wondering if this is good enough. Then the allure of putting off the work to do other non boring things starts to become really hard to ignore.
the last years really made me realize how damaging smarphones and social media can be. To be honest. I think most people would be better off without it.
It's incredible how much our phones change our life and also how people don't seem to notice it, myself included
@@maximilianogranifo9650 as someone who loves tech I couldnt agree more. However as I grew older I saw a pattern that these things affected my personally as well as others and mostly not for the best.
I love it for the things you can interact with many people and learn stuff but it is a double edged sword.
moderation is key. i'd much rather have smartphones than not due to how much simpler they've made our lives, but moderation should be taught. i wonder what a society that relies on tech would look like if moderation was a key principle everyone had to learn before engaging with technology. imagine if there was an age limit to the access of tech or some moderation test. sounds kinda messed up now that i think about it, but definitely an interesting thought 🤔
@@throwaway9347 Your comment reminds me of the "society if ______" meme
@@throwaway9347 yes, sadly most apps and services these days are build from the ground up to exploit human psyche. The more I grew conscious of this stuff the more modest my behaviour became. But many people do not care and it eats their life away.
Fantastic and hyper useful video. It explains very well the distraction mechanisms, the "willpower" issues and misleading hypothesis, in particular for ADHD affected brains. Accepting, facing boredom is the first solution key. Perseverance, failure tolerance, resilience, delayed gratification, all the well known keys to success require accepting boredom, and related pain or discomfort. Perseverance is boredom in essence.
It's so weird for me. I thought I would take some time off, make a vacation week and do nothing, just relaxing and freeing the mind, because I got nothing done and every day was like a "unwilling to work" day. But on day two of my vacation I was so bored and full of energy that I did not want to waste any more time and work again.
This may be the first UA-cam video I've ever watched that was a net gain in attention directed towards desired tasks. It was not entirely the jivey, fundamentally hollow motivational speaking I have come to expect from popular YT content at large.
PLEASE, as a continuation of this... when you are burnt out and recovering, how do you know how when you can start working again, how much- and which work you can do? Im struggling, and my psychologist just advices me to rest.
But my brain gets stressed/restless by longer periods of resting and fatigued very quickly when focusing on work (working as a PhD student). Physical activity helps to a certain point... so I work out twice a week, often take small walks and play games casually during my sick leave. Only to get fatigued by that too + issues with sleep. Im a high functioning autistic with some ADD traits and I have no clue what to do.
One of the most slippery things that my mind ever did was decide that it didn't need any external stimuli to avoid boredom. Daydreaming, reminiscing, game theorycrafting, and reciting songs are all enough to keep it entertained to avoid getting work done. I suppose the solution to that has to just be shutting down any of those thought patterns if I find them popping up while I'm trying to get work done, though it's a bit harder than just cutting off access to video games, chores, and other distractions.
"Tolerating frustration" and learning to train yourself are things that really resonate with me recently
What’s funny is how we’ve all heard this advice before, but it’s always been in the form of “just sit down and do it.” It’s framed as we just another task we have, to will our mind to work and that’s all you need to do. Just sit there until you do the work. But that’s what we’re already thinking.
That fact you framed this as “training” ourselves makes so much fucking sense! Before when it’s just “sit down and do it” we still feel we are wasting our time and every moment is another we can’t focus. But if we are training our mind, then every moment is productive towards that training. There’s also less urgency because saying “just do it” implies it should be immediate. But when you are training, it will take time.
Thank you again Dr K
I instinctively started doing this with my toddler at dinner. She wanted to play instead of eat, and she would become hungry at bedtime. So I told her she could eat, stay at the table, or get ready for bed. I also know “distractions bad”. But I never put together the scope of what a distraction can be.
I love how he starts every session, “sometimes, you need to focus. Sometimes, you need to get shit done.” There’s almost something calming about it
I can't even imagine having that level of control of myself. I simply stop functioning when I get significantly frustrated. No wonder I don't like being alive. I was taught to not waste the day, now I feel I already have wasted my life and all my potential.
27:32 "Holding yourself hostage? You're not holding yourself hostage. You are holding your mind hostage. [...] Right now, it's holding YOU hostage."
That was just beautiful
Could be a combination of things I've been hearing/thinking about lately, but I feel like this may be the single most helpful video I've watched on the channel. Being able to accept frustration and not give your brain an alternative. I've always thought of my brain and conscious and 2 separate entities so this actually makes a lot of sense, even in therapy I say things like "My brain wants to tell you this"
I was thinking about back in school when I would sleep instead of going to class, and thinking I would put work beneath boredom on the totem pole- but I realized that I was only sleeping long enough for it to be too late to drive to class before getting up and playing games or watching youtube while feeling guilty instead.
he really does have the power to know when we need these videos the most. this is the exact thing i was researching within myself this past week, and it's comforting to know he hits on the same points that i have hit just observing myself. plus, it adds some extra context and better wording to what i've been trying to pinpoint. definitely will be trying the hardcore method of doing nothing or napping instead of being productive. i would also recommend to be very careful of your mental diet. don't start new tv shows that you can binge or long video games, as that adds competition to the tasks that you actually need to do. tasks that have a defined end and don't "continue" for long periods of time (chess, movies, informative books, etc.) would be better. it's like choosing not to buy particular snacks and have them in your pantry because you know you're going to eat them. amazing video, once again.
This is legitimately the one of his best videos and it came at the perfect time in my life. Im gonna start implementing this immediately
same
And - how's it going?
I like the idea of not allowing myself to do anything but sleep, be bored or work when I have something I need to work on. As someone with an active and vivid imagination, I will have to train myself not to go there when I'm bored. For me, the period of boredom will have a mindful meditative quality to it.
Yeah I also don’t know how to stop the imagination and daydreaming
I had heard about your modules but figured they'd cost an arm and a leg like every other module or class people offer online.
Absolutely SHOCKED that each module is only $20. Dr. K.... Thank you so much.
I had watched EVERY VOD from their stream when I purchased the meditation module. I didn't learn anything new, but it was nice and worth the price having it all summed up and nicely divided and titled.
I've already pre-ordered the new module.
@@guillermorelobalopez7553 hi no hmm h by HH j inning u on can be in vacation no hi
Edit: Well I should have watched "How the World Makes Us Depressed" first, lol. Dr K delivers, yet again. Has there ever been a more realistic, grounded, rational human being on this earth???
I'd like to know WHY to focus. I find it hard to buy in on the idea that the effort needed to make more money than a normal person can make working a standard white-collar job while being a consistent worker is worth the time for the money. I'm 32 and I make 50K a year in IT w/ no degree, just 10+yr exp, yet I can barely pay rent. I'm moving back to my parents with my wife next month b/c the rental economy is so crushing in California... and not even the popular places. A mostly rural place 5 hours away from anything else. But I ALREADY feel maxed out, constantly down or defeated, feeling like I'm drowning in debt and always JUST scraping by. We had to put our cat down instead of get surgery b/c of the funds just last week.
So my other option is... what, become an entrepreneur and 'hustle' 60hours a week for a CHANCE to maybe make more money eventually, all the while going against my values, interests, personality, and previous life goals as an introverted nerd? Screw that. If there's another point to focus, I would love to know, but I just don't see it currently.I have a hard time understanding what is being suggested by 'life advice' besides this, at least under capitalism. Not everyone WANTS to be an entrepreneur. It's not fair or OK for that to just be the end-all be-all of life. And it wasn't always (and still isn't in other countries) this way.
Maybe I want to learn programming and make games, but it's the same problem. I can't afford to quit for my family, and I'm so drained from just scraping by. I try to learn but it doesn't go TOO well (ADHD), and, at best and most realistically, I could see making a mobile game in a year or two that gets me like a few thousand in ad revenue over years. I can't see how I could equal 50K/yr by following my dreams with focus ever, really. To join a company, I'm back in the same boat. Having to move to a super expensive-to-live place just to make more money doesn't seem like a winning preposition to me. Everything is just WAY too risky anymore because of the psychotic apocalyptic wealth disparity we have and the increasing funds to simply live, as A/C is becoming required, water is becoming scarce, landlords are evicting people at the drop of a hat, etc.
I love Dr K and this video is good, but (And this is prob beyond the scope of a psychiatrist) I think that most life and financial/career advice out there in 2022 discounts the fact that the environment and economy is so suppressing for a normal adult, at least in the US. Chaotic instability is not a very great time to be taking risks to improve your life, p. much the foundation of society.
I agree! Well formulated and an important point. It's very easy to get swept up in motivational speakers and think that you have to hustle, but a lot of us simply don't want to become entreprenaurs. As you said so succinctly I feel like it's important to zoom out a bit and realize that the system is working against us a lot of the time.
Leave cali first no matter what u do they tax tf out of u. Some states dont have state tax im sure that would help a lot and since ur it u can prob find a remote job
Why am I just finding this now? I needed this 25 years ago! But glad I’m learning this now. We can win, everyone!
This is the best Dr K video hands down. It might not be the most entertaining one but the answer is here. The rest is on me.
I don’t need to watch UA-cam anymore looking for answers.
This is practical. I love the way he gets to the root of it and put it in words. Wow it’s more explanatory than “just get disciplined” and more practical.
As soon as K started explaining the mind's priority model, my actual mind became nervous and feeling threatened, even though I myself felt motivated, in comfort knowing it makes perfect sense. It is pretty insane.
Dr K i was so overwhelmed with so many emotions while listening to your explanations. I was crying and smiling at the same time Imao.
I am really sad that i never looked at this way always cleaning it up 😂 thinking at least i am not wasting my day it's been years now!
I am so happy and greatful for you for making this so useful info free of cost and i will work on it and gonna join your club with my first salary for sure!
Love you so much!! 😭✨
Last night , I was watch John Oliver talking about mental health therapy in the US. How difficult to find the right person. Or how expensive is it.
Thank dr. K for some helpful information about various types of issues.
Something, when you go to the therapist
you don't have a ideas on what topics to talk during the section.
Most difficult part of" do something "is starting the thing. Once you start it. It get easier. You can replace "the thing "
with exercise, learning Japanese or learning about computer.
I've found a fairly simple solution for focus and getting the hardest jobs done during the day and end the day with higher energy than the start. Its 30 min pomodoro which everyone knows but its the rest time which is important. I wfh so i close my eyes and rest(if outside or office try break room) whatever you do..DO NOT DOPAMINE DEPLETE with social media or scrolling. Only slow activity..making coffee etc. i did 3 sessions of these and instantly feel like i got lots done and recall memories better, killing it in meetings etc! At the end of the day...i had so much energy for socialising/working out etc and my mind stayed soooo calm. Trust me try a few sessions and stick to it daily for focusing!
I'm 40. My mind played that game every day since I discovered vidya at about 8. I've beaten opiates, but video games have been far more insidious and destructive. This is invaluable.
15:50 yeah i´ve heard about this like 2 years ago from someone else, it was explained very similarly and it was called "dopamine detox". The point is the bar of your dopamine income is passively set too high (from constant stimul through all the "fun" stuff you are doing through the day / week / month / year or lifetime), the dopamine detox then means ur basically forcing yourself to be bored, so your passively high thirst for dopamine will decrease over the boring phase and then even the seemingly "hard" work seems fine and you will enjoy doing it, because the bar for getting the good vibes and enjoyment will be set lower, the enjoyment should lead to that you will also concentrate better. Through the forced boredom process ur allowed to sleep, or meditate or just "to be", but ur not allowed to watch n scroll sh*t, listen to music, eat, beat the meat etc., if ur willing to be really hardcore, you shouldnt even talk to anybody, which for me personally wasn´t problem at all, because i live alone. It helped me alot, since then i dont use facebook and i gave up on most of the other social bullcrap apps that make you scroll for 3 hours straight and watch videos with puppies or some south american dudes building a pool from dirt in the middle of a jungle, since then i am alot more productive and i can get stuff done if i want to.
These videos are god sent. They give me a new perspective on everything! I end up forgetting most of it usually, but even the small things that stuck with me help me out :) Thank you Dr. K. and thank you HealthyGamerGG!
Thanks. Somehow, you were able nail the exact problems which has, for quite a number of years, prevented me from getting anything significant done.
I can only hope, to put these teachings in practice, to improve myself.
"I was not willing to waste one day and because of that I almost wasted my entire life." That hits hard.
Self: I'm gonna do what's called a pro gamer move.
Mind: What's that?
Self: Absolutely nothing!
Mind: Surprised Pikachu face.
Sans was right all along
Fight Nothing with Nothing
First five-ten minutes, I didn’t know if he was going to say anything. I kept watching because the comments sold me. SO worth it!! I learned so much in the second half of this video. Thank you so much!
Ok I know this is about focusing and what not but the “All roads lead to one place section” is amazing insight for people with addiction. My example was a short 2 month run with meffamphet, and along the way I realized, every excuse or feeling or urge my brain would come up with to do more, was leading me back to avoiding the struggle of quitting. After that realization it became nearly trivial to see the patterns and avoid them. Still hard work but just thought I’d share
I also came up with this method myself - to just sit and do nothing until I feel like working. But I thought it was stupid and didn't endure long enough. Now that you explained that it is not completely stupid, I'll try it again for real now. Let's see who can wait it out, me or the "mind". Thank you Doc 🙂
"what will it do when it realizes you will sit there for 12 hours doing absoloutely nothing? it will start working".
The realization I got from this just made me chuckle. It wasnt funny, but i think i just experienced happiness from realizing this is something i can control.
Thank you so much. Your stuff is so amazing.
Man this video literally just changed my life. Without going into detail of my life story, through this video I had a realisation that answered a question that I've been struggling to answer for more than 6 years. The answer has literally been sitting right in front of me for all these years and I've just had that moment where all the pieces fall into place.
Thank you so much
I've never had a video speak to me as much as this one. I literally feel enlightened.
A while ago i was working on a project and it kept throwing me curve ball after curve ball and the frustration kept building up, i forced myself to keep working on it but i was able to do less and less every time to the point of losing almost all motivation for it. At some point i had enough and said to myself, well screw you brain, if you don't want to work you're not getting any fun and we'll just sit here doing nothing at all. So i just sat there for about 3 hours staring at a powered down tv and after a while of my brain trying to squirm it's way out of it, i started getting some clarity about my project, i gained a better overview, found some novel solutions to the problems and not long after my brain started to beg me to be allowed to work on it. I kinda did it as a punishment to my dysfunctional brain and it worked, though i'm not too sure self-punishment is the right way to look at it. In the end i got the clarity to realize that my project was over-constrained and ended up a bust, nevertheless i learned a lot from it.
what is worse is when you do negative work. That is when you do the work, but it just causes more work to be done. This is very common with programmers.
Thank you so much for this video, I didn't realize how much I could focus after crunching my options. Now, I can study for hours because it's either I study or do nothing. I'm bound to do something so this trick turned out successful. I'll ace my board exams!
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:00 🧠 *Acknowledge the inner conflict when your mind resists focusing; different parts of your mind may be at odds.*
05:17 🤯 *Performance doesn't always correlate with knowledge; controlling the mind state is crucial for consistent success.*
08:53 🕹️ *Understand the variability in daily performance, whether in esports or other activities, and learn to cultivate the right mindset.*
15:41 🎯 *Boredom is the mind's secret weapon; by limiting alternatives to work or boredom, you gain control over your mind.*
16:42 🌙 *If the mind resists work, offer only two choices: work or boredom; this approach can lead to improved focus.*
18:06 ⚖️ *Distinguish between productivity driven by boredom and scheduled tasks; avoid making productivity an antidote to boredom.*
19:54 🧘 *Train your mind to focus by patiently sitting with boredom until it's ready to work; this practice builds control over your mind's distractions.*
21:49 🧠 *Identify and understand the excuses your mind generates to avoid tasks, such as "I don't feel like working."*
23:35 📝 *Overcome lack of confidence by starting a task even if you think the result might be subpar; you can always revise later.*
25:06 🚫 *Recognize and resist the mind's various stall tactics, such as the need for excessive research or delaying the task.*
26:57 🕰️ *Be willing to "waste" time on the task at hand, refusing to give in to the mind's procrastination strategies.*
27:32 🤝 *Hold your mind hostage instead of being hostage to your mind; assert control over your thoughts to maintain focus.*
33:05 🧘♂️ *Understand that the ability to focus involves a combination of neuroscience, psychology, and spirituality; address factors like attention control and motivation.*
35:31 🔄 *Manipulate motivation by working on self-worth; increasing confidence can positively impact the perception of success and, consequently, motivation.- **21:49** 🧘 Recognize and analyze your thoughts when you don't feel like working, understand the obstacles, and be cautious not to fall into endless cycles of preparation.*
23:35 🚫 *Don't let lack of confidence be an excuse. Sit down, start writing, even if it's not perfect. Correct and improve later. The key is to initiate the process.*
25:06 🧠 *Be aware of your mind's trickery. It will create excuses to avoid tasks. Recognize the stall tactics and commit to the task despite the mind's resistance.*
26:11 🕰️ *Avoid the trap of procrastination. Be willing to waste a day to get the task done, holding your mind accountable. Overcoming the waiting game is crucial.*
27:32 🔒 *Hold your mind hostage, not yourself. Distinguish between the self and the mind. The mind may resist, but your commitment will break the resistance.*
32:37 🧠 *Understand the components of doing tasks involve neuroscience, psychology, spirituality, and more. Focus on controlling attention, and motivation will follow.*
35:16 🌟 *Manipulate the action success calculation to create motivation. Enhance self-worth and confidence to alter the perception of success, leading to increased motivation.*
Made with HARPA AI
I had to write a whole paper (I wrote a 4 pages long essay) on what makes you, you. It's one of the reasons why my philosophy class is my favorite because I can talk about all the things that my mind created around a subject or question. I'm going to study philosophy in two years :D
I love how you don't talk down to anyone or judge anyone for not having motivation. It's honestly so helpful!
Sometimes, Dr. K says something so profound, I have to go back thirty seconds just so I know I understood what he said. That last 2 minutes seriously changed my perspective on relationships and who I “know” can get with, and who I “think” I can get with. Insane
this is insanely like mind breaking to me?? i feel more aware of the mind being “in control” so often. This was so helpful ty dr.k i am going to try ur methods out
@Daniel Morgan Jr bro….
@Daniel Morgan Jr lol, brutal
@Daniel Morgan Jr lmao why r u so invested
Honestly on any given day it’s a 50/50 chance whether boredom will be more or less tolerable than work. Many days I’m perfectly content to just sit and not do anything. If the alternative option is work that I actively dislike, I’m more than happy to choose boredom.
listening to this.... Can't tell even in english. I expirienced sensory explosion right now. I am me, but my brain isn't fully me. Holy shit.
English is not my native language, but i'll try to explain what i felt when realised that mind and myself are separate entities.
I felt happy for some reason. This made so much sence to me, i can't even grasp it fully. Now i understand how to treat myself.
Thanks for taking the time to explain in your non native language! 🙂 and I agree, this was one of the first times I've separately identified my mind and self and it is eye opening
If only I heard of this lecture a couple years earlier… Talking about focusing and productivity with my counsellors, tutors, mental advisors, friends, etc. all don’t give as concrete explanations and advices as this 40 minutes talk. At least I can use the remainder of my Master’s degree and future careers with these techniques, because I have been very unconfident with my productivity. I absolutely needed this now. Thanks very much Dr. K!
"Oh no it's the afternoon. The day is lost. Might as well play video games." I cannot express how accurate this is to my mindset every single day. It immediately starts when I wake up because I play Doom Eternal until like 5:30 in the morning and sleep until 2 or 3 pm. So the cycle just repeats every day. It's so hard to break it because I've been living like this for a few years now. I got so much shit to do but I only wanna do it if I can wake up early enough to have time to enjoy the afternoon after the work is done. So everytime that I wake up in mid afternoon, I'm like "Screw it. I've still got tomorrow to wake up earlier and start the cleaning that I need to do."
The breakdown of how the person would operate during the day, then calling it a day after cleaning, then going straight to games is a perfect picture of me on some days.
A year ago I wouldn't be able to apply this to my life, but now after watching this channel for a while and learning all these awesome things I actually live by what's presented in the video and this information is kinda trivial to me. That's nice :)
Means a lot to me to read that actually. Sometimes you start to doubt if it can actually work.
@@NikHem343 I'm glad it gives you hope. Remember that you brain needs time to change and adopt and if you keep at it you'll see results
I’m going to explain it like this. Been awake 40hrs and driving. Trying to focus. Immediate when I heard the end of the video section. I tried the steps. Immediately I got a chain link kind of connection right behind my eyes and gained full focus to drive 2hours more to sleep. Thank you 🎉
I've found just giving myself something I enjoy for awhile actually helps me get out of the rut of not doing what I need to. If I don't have a constant stimulus I sleep. I'll sleep for 20hrs. I'll daydream for just as long. Deprivating myself of rewards doesn't fix this. If I can start I can often get through quite a bit, before taking a break. Regulating work and reward helps. What you're pushing contributes to burn out.
I love giving your brain the choice between work, nothing, and sleep. So many days that I "didn't have motivation", I realized that I was just fn tired and needed a nap. Slept for two hours, did nothing, then work just happened. I was legit just too tired to focus.
I'll also allow the chores for an hour or two because chores done is good either way, but in moderation.
My problem is that I will sleep 😭 I will sleep for 18 hours straight.. then I gotta eat… so I gotta cook.. then eating makes me want to sleep…. And I will sleep.
Yes Dr K fails to realize is that if I have "nothing" to do, I WILL sleep. Endless slumber is what I do best!
@@thekingoffailure9967 Thats where forcing yout to stare at your book, paper or whatever else you have to do comes in.
You are the king of “Let’s break it down” First person I have come across that really breaks it down to the smallest atom possible. I love it. You’re a godsend. Thank you. ❤
This sounds great. Problem is, whenever I try to do what I should be doing and remove all distactors, my mind begin to wander. And if I really force myself... I fall asleep. Almost automatically.
Every single word you said is true, I don’t want to believe that my brain trick me to do nothing all this time😢 thank you to show up in my first page 🙏🏽
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:
00:00 🧠 Dealing with Unproductive Days
- Addressing unproductive days when you can't seem to focus on tasks.
- Exploring strategies to overcome a lack of focus.
- Balancing self-compassion and self-discipline when facing unproductive days.
04:57 🤔 Understanding Human Performance
- Discussing the variability of human performance, even with expertise.
- Examining the role of the frontal lobes in directing attention and impulse control.
- Highlighting the importance of controlling one's mind to achieve productivity.
09:36 🧭 How to Train Your Mind to Focus
- Explaining the significance of boredom as a control factor in productivity.
- Emphasizing the importance of having limited options when your mind resists working.
- Encouraging the practice of sitting with boredom until your mind is ready to work.
16:13 🧘♀️ Cultivating a Focused Mind
- Discussing the practice of sitting with your mind and tolerating boredom.
- Recognizing the difference between productivity as an antidote to boredom and planned productive tasks.
- Encouraging self-awareness and intentionality in addressing procrastination and mental resistance.
24:08 🧠 Understanding Procrastination and Mental Tricks
- Your mind plays tricks to avoid tasks, stalling and procrastinating.
- It often tells you that you're not ready, you could fail, or you need more preparation.
- The mind uses various excuses to delay important tasks.
27:32 🧘 Holding Your Mind Hostage
- To overcome procrastination, hold your mind hostage and be willing to waste a day if necessary.
- Your mind often tries to avoid work, and when it realizes you're serious, it cooperates.
- This mental battle is about regaining control over your attention and focus.
32:37 📚 Dr. K's Guide to ADHD and Doing Stuff
- Combining ADHD and doing stuff is about understanding how to control your attention.
- Motivation and success likelihood are key components in the action success calculation.
- Manipulating your self-worth and confidence can alter your perception of success and increase motivation.
Made with HARPA AI
I have a very similar rule to dr. K's father's "I either do X or do nothing" rule.
In summary:
• I have a schedule
• I don't fixate on "start" and "ending" times, only duration;
• My weekday has 3 different major parts and to each one of them I assign a "category";
• Each category can have only one task at a time and have it's own duration;
• I don't start anything else in the same category until I finish what I was doing first;
• I can only start the next category if I've completed the assigned duration for the previous one
• I have a "junk day" to keep myself sane.
For more details:
First, I know that, bc of my mental condition (I'm neurodivergent) and probably bc of childhood habits (my parents would often say "you can't have a new book/game unless you finish the last one"), if I start anything new, it's hard for me to put it down, sometimes even disrupting my sleep routine in order to finish it. For instance, whenever I start a new game, even if I don't really like it, I'll want to play it throughly, unless it's a really, really bad game or if I didn't pay anything for it (so it doesn't give me a sense of "wasted money"). If I start a new game at the same time, even if it's worse than the first one, I know I will only focus on this new one (bc it's a new thing; that's also one of the reasons why online games don't seem appealing to me, bc, essentially, they have no "end"). So, with time, I will forget the controls, mechanics, AI patterns and what I was doing on the first game, and all that will build up to a feeling of "nah, I don't feel like doing it bc it'll be troublesome to start it over". The same goes for everything else. Books, studies, projects, etc. So, whenever I start a new thing, I won't start anything else until I've finished it. This way, if I don't feel like doing it, then I will do absolutely nothing. I will purposefully waste my day in order to not compromise the ongoing thing.
Second, I try to have a daily routine when it comes to eating, cleaning, playing with pets, exercising, sleeping, and other daily, physiological/healthy stuff. About cleaning, specially, I try my best to keep the house clean all week, like, for example, doing small cleaning tasks every day (taking out the dust, cleaning the pets' stuff...) and making my best to dirty things as little as possible [reusing the same glass for the day, taking shoes out when getting in the house (yes, like the Japanese tradition), etc]
Third, to compensate for the first point, aside the daily routine, I separate my day in 3 major parts: work, personal (hobby projects, studying) and leisure time. I think of it as "equipment slots" and I can only have one thing going on in each slot. So, if I'm reading a book (leisure), I won't play games or read other books, or watch tv series/anime. But I will study (personal) a certain topic related to a hobby or career, and only one topic. Once I've finished this topic, then, and only then, I'm allowed to start a new one. The same goes for work (and I kinda lucky here bc my boss and coworkers know and comprehend about my condition, so they won't bother me with a new task until I delivered the other one first, unless it's urgent and there's no other option).
Fourth, I have a schedule that doesn't have fixed hours ("time-centric"), like "oh I work from X to Y hours everyday, then do something else from Y to Z", only fixed durations ("duration-centric"). The reason why I chose this way is bc I realized that a "time-centric" schedule would make me really, really stressed out (and thanks to my mental condition, it would be really bad), like "oh, I'm late to do A" or "I can only do B from X hours to Y hours, so if something happens that interrupts me during that time, like an emergency or blackout, I'll get mad bc it will disrupt my schedule".
Fifth, the way my schedule works is that, aside the daily routine, the 3 major "equipment slots" are allocated one beside the other in weekdays. The rule being that they each have their own duration and I can only do the next thing if I do the previous one first for the said duration. For example, if I have to work for 8h and study for 3h, and have fun for 1h, I'll dedicate 8h into working, not counting breaks, and only when I've finished the 8h, I'll start my personal projects for, say, 3h. Only then I'm "allowed" to go to leisure time. To "balance" things out, sometimes, say once in two weeks, I give myself a "junk day", in which I do nothing of productive all day. I play all day, I sleep all day, I hang out with friends all day, I stare at the ceiling of my bedroom all day, it doesn't matter, as long as I can relax and not worry about a single thing the whole day.
What if your mind favours boredom over work? Or rather, what if I can't be bored? I often find myself just sitting in front of the book and thinking about interesting stuff instead of working.
There's another video for your situation. But from what I can tell, the basic idea is that you dont allow your mind to get away. It's either do the specific task or do nothing.
You dont daydream, you dont think about interesting things, you just sit there and exist till your mind chooses to continue the work and not be distracted.
It's a similar concept to dopamine detox. Except this time, you wont even give it the benefit of daydreaming.
@FlyingMonkies325 I know that it's late but try to play a white noise in background while you're doing nothing and/or doing the work.
@@matthewvillanueva4420it’s kind of hard to stop yourself girl daydreaming tho 😭
"We use to do this thing called 'playing Outside'." But all of that changed when the Y2K balance patch attacked, and the meta for humans got even weirder.
This is literally the most helpful video i’ve ever seen in my life. You are so knowledgeable; Thank you so much for extending your knowledge with me. I’ve wasted two years of my life and couldn’t understand how to break myself out of that cycle. You opened my eyes to another way of viewing myself and my minds patterns.
I especially connected with the concept of different roads leading to the same outcome; no work.
My mind constantly brings up random excuses to not work, which leads me to not wanting to waste the day; which leads me to going out and “having fun”.
I can also see this same pattern in my addictions as well.
Understanding the mind separate from the self is a concept ive never actually took into consideration until now.