If you don’t feel like working.

In this world full of overstimulation, we usually forget to do nothing. Quite literally, when was the last time you did nothing? As a typical student, I'd find it absolutely unrealistic to do nothing. I mean, there's always homework to finish, tests to study for, or clubs to attend, right?

But isn't it almost natural for us to crave... hold on now. 90% of readers are more likely to stick to the end. Do you know why? Because of a psychological concept called the sunk cost fallacy. Simply put, the amount of time you invest in doing something significantly increases the friction to stop doing it.

Why do you think you've stuck with this post for this long? There are two reasons: 1) You either found value in the content, or 2) Because I overstimulated you, which put you into a state our brain goes into when we're scrolling through Instagram or TikTok, giving us that tiny consistent dopamine spike.

Now think of it this way - out of every possible thing you could be doing right now (scrolling through socials, watching Netflix, or maybe even that assignment you've been procrastinating on), you decided to read this post. The reason? Our natural tendency to choose what stimulates us the most and gives us more consistent dopamine.

But there might just be a way to manipulate this tendency of our brain into choosing what we're supposed to do instead of anything else. Okay, so put it this way: There are two tasks. Task A gives you 1% dopamine, and Task B gives you 2% dopamine. You'd obviously choose Task B, right?

Now, what if Task A gave you 0% dopamine and Task B gave you 0.1% dopamine? What would you choose? B, right? Task B is the work you were avoiding (like that history essay or calculus problem set), and you know what Task A is? Nothing. That's the whole point of this post.

This works on the principle of "disconnect to reconnect," where you force yourself to stare at a wall with complete disconnection from whatever you want and whatever you're supposed to do. No phone, no snacks, no dopamine - just pure nothingness. As absurd as it may sound, it genuinely works.

I tried this, and let me tell you, it was pushing my willpower to the extremes. You don't understand how difficult it is to do nothing for a hyperactive student like me. You know what this challenge actually made me understand? How much time we actually have on our hands. If that time is utilized productively and properly, we can do wonders. And this thought was driving me crazy!

It felt like an eternity. My body and mind started craving work. I just wanted to get done with this as soon as possible. All I could think of was, "Once this gets over, I'm going to tackle that pile of homework." And that's when I discovered the whole point of this experiment.

So before I end this post, I have to ask you something: What's that one assignment or project you've been struggling to start, even though you know it's crucial and the deadline is looming? Maybe it's that research paper, or studying for that big exam, or even just organizing your messy notes?

You see, we're all in this together. We're a community of students trying to navigate the chaos of academic life. Drop a comment below about what you're struggling with. I'd be really, really pleased to help you, and I'm sure other students would chip in too. I'm waiting to hear from you, so take action, and let's get this conversation started!

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