Do you struggle with procrastination?
What about self-doubt?
Perfectionism?
For so many of us, we think that there must be something wrong with us when we can’t stick to our plan, our diets or a new habit.
But there’s nothing wrong with you. It’s just your brain!
CLICK HERE TO WATCH MY VIDEO ON THE BRAIN + PRODUCTIVITY
You see, your brain has two main parts:
- The emotional mammalian brain, and
- The rational human brain.
The mammalian brain is responsible for bringing up quick emotional reactions to things – and it always wants to keep us safe and away from danger.
The rational human brain (prefrontal cortex and other areas) is where our true creativity lies, this is where we make our most logical decisions and where we are able to take risks for our dreams about our future.
But what happens for so many of us is we go about our day without keeping the mammalian brain in check.
So whenever we start our day with good intentions (e.g. start a new habit; do the hard task; stop a negative habit) the mammalian brain intervenes and says:
“That’s not a good idea. It’s going to make you uncomfortable and that’s not safe!”
Your mammalian brain
So then we procrastinate, doubt our decisions and abilities, or we try hard to make sure that we will not fail (perfectionism).
Or we just end up scrolling social media to try and feel the good emotions that will entertain our mammalian brains.
This means we don’t do what we say we will do.
We don’t take the actions we need to achieve our BIG goals.
The only way to overcome this in the moment is to override your mammalian brain.
And the only way to do that is to make decisions in advance with your rational human brain!
This means PLANNING!
Plan what you will do every day.
If you want to get everything done on time and without stress and feeling overwhelmed, then plan what you will do, when you will do it and for how long.
If you want to lose weight then plan what you will eat every day. If you want to run a marathon then plan your training programme for every day.
That is the only way.
TAKE ACTION:
- The first step is to realise that our mammalian brain will intervene whenever we want to go after a big goal, new habit or make a change in our lives. This is normal.
- Your mammalian brain is the one responsible for procrastination, perfectionism and self-doubt.
- AND, you also have a rational intelligent human part of your brain that can override your mammalian brain.
- So notice when you are procrastinating, perfecting or doubting yourself. Take a few deep breaths and then ask yourself: “Is there a 1% possibility that I can achieve what I want?”
- If your answer is “yes” then ask: “What is my next best step?”
- The way to proactively overcome your mammalian brain in advance is to plan! Plan your day and your goals in advance.
- COACHING: If you would like more 1-to-1 guidance on how to override your mammalian brain and plan your day or your goals in advance, then sign up for a free 30-min consultation with me right here.
