How to Beat Procrastination: Link Studying With Specific Smells and Tastes
This is part of my How to Stop Procrastinating series.
Hey, friends!
Can I tell you a weird story? When I was 18, a piece of green bell pepper lodged in my throat. I was eating a Subway sandwich (with all the veggies & fixins, sans mayo, of course) when a pointy chunk of bell pepper took up residence just north of my esophagus.
(Mom always told me to chew my food. Probably should've listened to her.)
At first, I was confused. Something was clearly stuck in my throat, but I wasn't choking. I wasn't gasping for air. (No Heimlich maneuver needed!) I could still breathe, but something was partially obstructing my breathing.
I tried everything to get it out. I coughed (and smelled the bell pepper). I gulped water and swallowed fruit cocktail to push it down. I even vomited, all to no avail. After two miserable hours, I landed in the emergency room. They put me on oxygen and sedated me before pulling the bell pepper out of my throat.
For a decade afterward, I couldn't stand the smell of green bell peppers. My brain associated them with pain and distress.
I have positive associations with smells, too. The ink (in mass-market paperbacks) has a pungent smell which I associate with adventure, danger, and intrigue. (I still remember buying Jurassic Park at Target when I was 14. I still remember the crack of the spine and the smell of the ink. I still remember the excitement.)
Smell is a powerful emotional anchor.
So is taste. I have positive associations with Mom's cooking: her fried lumpia (Filipino spring rolls), her egg & chorizo breakfast burritos, and her hamburger onion soup over steamed rice.
Apply this to studying
We can create triggers that tell our brain, "It's time to study." We can use smells and tastes to overcome our internal resistance to getting started.
For example, one friend stocked his backpack with semi-sweet chocolate chips. He liked to study on the library's second floor, by the Accounting Lab, always with a handful of chocolate chips. He ate them slowly, one at a time, savoring the flavor. Eating chocolate chips (in the library) was a trigger to study.
As a student, I usually studied in the library (with its musty smell), but Saturdays were different. I studied in a far corner of the food court (it was relatively quiet), and my study session always started with a double cheeseburger and fries. The smell of the salty fries and the taste of the greasy burger told my little brain, "Get ready to study."
Years later, I remember one semester's routine: I'd eat the fries first (while they're hot, of course), then eat the burger, and then automatically pull out my textbook for Physics 220. I ran on autopilot: after eating, I'd let out a long breath and start my homework. Because it was a habit, no motivation was required.
(The day after final exams, I went for my usual Saturday lunch. I ate and then automatically reached for my physics textbook, but I had nothing to study. I had a 2-week break, but it felt weird eating without studying. It felt like something was missing. Some habits are hard to break!)
We all have associations with specific smells and tastes. Often, we don't choose these associations—they just happen. (Looking at you, green bell peppers!)
But these associations don't have to "just happen." We can deliberately associate studying with specific tastes and smells. We can use these senses as cues that it's time to study.
Take action: Link studying with specific smells & tastes
It could be the smell of peppermint tea, tomato soup, or grilled cheese sandwiches. It could be the taste of trail mix, minty gum, or diet Mountain Dew (my personal favorites).
Or it could be the smell of a specific location. (I spent untold hours programming in a windowless computer lab that smelled of carpet cleaner and microwave popcorn.)
Or it could be the smell of a favorite cologne or perfume. Or incense.
But beware: This works best when you associate a specific smell & taste only with studying. If you try to link coffee with schoolwork, the link will be broken when you drink it at other times.
So pick a smell and taste just for studying. Create triggers that tell your brain, "It's time to study." Doing this will help you overcome the resistance to getting started. Doing this will help you beat procrastination.
Read more on How to Stop Procrastinating.
Thanks to Brynn Stewart, Thomas Weigel, and Diane Callahan for reading a draft of this!