如何克服我的拖延症？
Oliver Emberton
回答这个问题之前我想先花两分钟时间用画卡通蛇的方法（见图）来解释一下人类文明进程史。
人类总是自作聪明。那些伟大而富有智慧的大脑可以帮助我们分离原子，登陆月球；同样，大脑有时也会变得怠惰，导致我们在交作业的前一天才开始动笔。
人类都是从原始动物进化来的，但是我们从未完全摆脱他们的影子。你知道你大脑里聪明、理性的那部分都是来源于你的意识吗？我们暂且叫他Albert，他和一个冲动的爬行宝宝Rex一起住在你的大脑里.
你知道你为什么会情不自禁地盯着一位花容月貌的曼妙女子吗？因为Rex, 而且无论你有多努力，你永远都无法摆脱他。他来自于你的本能，你的冲动，你的爱心和你的恐惧。我们会把Albert想成是“真实的自己”——也就是大脑中的意识层，他是我们平时和人说话，做反应的部分。当我们想去健身房或者写论文，Albert就是做决定的那个。但是Albert像个老人，体力不支，抗拒工作。
你的大脑里住着一个昏昏沉沉的老教授，和一个精力充沛的婴儿，他们在不停地较量。有时你会交由Rex控制来自己。
Rex像是个孩子，Albert说的大部分话他都会倾听并付诸行动，只要他觉得可行。但是如果Rex真的不顾一切地想躺在沙发上看《生还者》（电影），吃薯片，那么接下来你就会听从Rex的指挥去做这些事。
正因为我们可以逐渐控制、安抚和改变Rex，我们才有可能创造一个又一个的人类进步。
这个系统我们称作“文明”。充足的食物供给和避难所，法律系统和司法保护，义务教育，娱乐设施, 一夫一妻制，这些都会让Rex平静下来，全神贯注地为Albert做一些有用的事——比如发现青霉素或者发明薯片。
现在我们来说说你的拖延症。你用清醒的意识做出某个决定，之后却懊恼为什么没有完成目标。其实真相是你的日常计划决定者——Rex——还不太成熟。
想象你不停的让一个孩子去做你想让他做的事情。对于很简单的事，表明你的权威就足够了。如“该吃饭了。”但是如果孩子不愿意去做这件事情，他就不会听你的。这时你就需要去哄他：
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忘掉逻辑。一旦你决定去做一件事情，逻辑和理性对你是没有用的。你的内心的爬行宝宝可能平静，害怕或兴奋。但是他不会说话，你也不能跟他讲道理。
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舒适很关键。如果你饿了，累了或者心情沮丧，那个爬行宝宝就会反抗。如果你没有照顾好自己，他会哀嚎并拒绝做你说的一切事情。那他会干什么呢， 吃，睡，玩，就是他的天职。
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培养纪律。制定一个奖惩制度。如果你想让孩子吃蔬菜，那就别先给他们吃甜点。当你成功完成某件事，就奖励自己。失败了，就惩罚自己。经典的作法还有为共同目标工作或是加入一个团队——社会压力可以影响Rex。
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刺激情绪。你大脑里爬行宝宝会对情绪做出反应。那就是他的语言。所以你可以刺激自己或者惊吓自己。励志讲座，电影和文章会有用，不过只能持续一会儿。我则通过激昂的音乐（我最喜欢的一个播放列表叫做“征服世界的音乐”）刺激情绪。想象成功后的欣喜或是失败后的恐惧，最好使它生动形象得足以激励你。我们用相似的把戏对付小孩子：“你不刷牙，牙齿就会掉下来噢。”
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强迫自己开始。你能做的最重要的事情就是开始。Rex的大部分本能是拒绝改变的， 但一旦你开始做这些事，这些本能就会被你牵着鼻子走。如果时间足够，你甚至可以说服Rex开始喜欢去做那些他曾经不愿意做的事。这就是为什么我们强迫孩子去上学或者去学钢琴。
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改变你的环境。Rex目光短浅而且呆头呆脑。如果他看到facebook的图标，他就会一直想着。这就像是在孩子睡觉前突然让他看到一个很棒的电视节目一样。学会给自己设计不会被打扰的环境，比如：退出即时通讯软件，关闭通知，关闭电子邮件。划分工作区和娱乐区，最好用不同的电脑（或者至少用不同的账户）。
只要你知道你想要的是什么，你就会明确目标，掌控全局。
有一个冲动的爬行宝宝住在你的大脑里，而且很不幸他有时居然可以主宰大脑。如果你能成为好的父母，那么多数情况下他都会按你说的来做，而且把你伺候的好好地。你要记住谁才是那个掌舵的人。
以下为英文原文：
Oliver Emberton
I’ll answer your question, but first I need to explain all of human civilisation in 2 minutes with the aid of a cartoon snake.
Humans like to think we’re a clever lot.Yet those magnificent, mighty brains that allow us to split the atom and touch the moon are the same stupid brains that can’t start an assignment until the day before it’s due.
We evolved from primitive creatures, but we never quite shed ourselves of their legacy. You know the clever, rational part of your brain you think of as your human consciousness? Let’s call him Albert. He lives in your brain alongside an impulsive baby reptile called Rex:
You know how you can’t help but notice if a stranger is tongue-wettingly gorgeous? That’s Rex, and no matter how hard you try, you can never turn him off. He’s your instinct, your impulse, your love and your fear.
We like to think of Albert as “our true self” - the conscious part of our brain. He’s the talking, reasoning part. When we decide to go to the gym or write that term paper, Albert made that decision. But Albert is old, easily exhausted, and switches off all the time.
Your brain is locked in a battle of wills between a sleepy professor and an impulsive reptile with unlimited energy. You may as well hand Rex the steering wheel.
Rex does listen to Albert. Like a child, he will do a lot of what he’s told, as long as he doesn’t disagree too much. But if Rex desperately yearns to crash on the sofa to watch Survivor and eat Cheetos, that’s what you’re going to do.
The incredible ascension of mankind that surrounds us is largely possible because we’ve developed systems to nurture the Rex’s in our brains, to subdue, soothe and subvert them.
Much of this system we call “civilisation”. Widely available food and shelter take care of a lot. So does a system of law, and justice. Mandatory education. Entertainment. Monogamy. All of it calms Rex down for long enough for Albert to do something useful - like discover penicillin, or invent Cheetos.
Now let’s look at your procrastination.
You’re making a decision with your conscious mind and wondering why you’re not carrying it out. The truth is your daily decision maker - Rex - is not nearly so mature.
Imagine you had to constantly convince a young child to do what you wanted. For simple actions, asserting your authority might be enough. “It’s time for dinner”. But if that child doesn’t want to do something, it won’t listen. You need to cajole it:
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Forget logic. Once you’ve decided to do something, logic and rationale won’t help you. Your inner reptile can be placated, scared and excited. But it doesn’t speak with language and cannot be reasoned with.
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Comfort matters. If you’re hungry, tired or depressed your baby reptile will rebel. Fail to take care of yourself, and he’ll wail and scream and refuse to do a damn thing you say. That’s what he’s for. Eat, sleep and make time for fun.
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Nurture discipline. Build a routine of positive and negative reinforcement. If you want a child to eat their vegetables, don’t give them dessert first. Reward yourself for successes, and set up assured punishments for your failure. Classic examples include committing to a public goal, or working in a team - social pressure can influence Rex.
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Incite emotion. Your reptile brain responds to emotion. That is its language. So get yourself pumped, or terrified. Motivational talks, movies and articles can work, for a while. I use dramatic music (one of my favourite playlists is called Music to conquer worlds by). Picture the bliss associated with getting something done, or the horrors of failing. Make your imagination vivid enough that it shakes you. We use similar tricks on children for a reason: “brush your teeth or they’ll fall out”.
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Force a start. The most important thing you can do is start. Much of Rex’s instincts are to avoid change, and once you begin something those instincts start to tip into your favour. With enough time, you can even convince Rex to love doing the things he hated. There’s a reason we force kids to go to school or to try piano lessons。
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Bias your environment. Rex is short sighted and not terribly bright. If he sees a Facebook icon, he’ll want it. It’s like showing a child the start of a cool TV program immediately before bedtime. Design your environment to be free from such distractions: sign out of instant messenger, turn off notifications, turn off email. Have separate places for work and fun, and ideally separate computers (or at least accounts).
Once you know what to look for, you’ll start to recognise the patterns and control them.
There’s an impulsive baby reptile in your brain, and unfortunately he has the steering wheel. If you can be a good parent to him he’ll mostly do what you say, and serve you well. Just remember who’s in charge.
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