Brian Gubernick uses activation energy from chemistry to explain why starting anything hard requires an initial push. Catalysts like mentors, good environments, or removing distractions lower that barrier. Set up your own catalysts to stop procrastinating and actually begin.
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Thank you for joining me today. It's Brian Gubernick and welcome to the No Days Off podcast where we believe that every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. Today I want to talk about activation energy, the concept of activation energy. Here's the scoop. Chemical reactions need what's called activation energy to begin. You can't set, for example, a piece of wood on fire without applying some sort of heat. No matter how hard you stare at that piece of wood, it is not going to light on fire unless you apply some heat. Similar, similarly, many things we attempt to do won't move without some sort of initial activation energy. This is why some, some things are so hard to get started. It's also why so many of us procrastinate. So using this concept of activation energy, we should use this concept really to consider what energy you should apply to get something in motion, to get something moving. Then you can consider alternative pathways, which might, which might speed things up. In chemical reactions, in chemistry, this is actually called a catalyst. So by using catalysts, we can lower the activation energy that is required to start something, to get more done in less time. Now let's talk about how activation energy might apply in your world. Okay. Let's say for example, you're looking to set a personal goal and this goal is to learn a new skill. For, for example, let's say you want to, you want to start playing, playing a musical instrument. So in this scenario, The activation energy represents the initial effort and the initial challenges required to overcome obstacles in order for you to start the learning process, learning how to play that musical instrument. So let's go through some, some things here that really apply to chemistry, but you can see how it's applicable in this example. Now, the current state, the reactants, the reactants here are really you, you without the skill of playing the musical instrument. You represent the reactants in this, in this analogy. Now the desired state, the products, this is your ability to play the musical instrument proficiently. So this is the products. This is the end goal. So the reactants are you and your inability to play a musical instrument. The products, the end goal is in fact being able to play the the instrument, uh, proficiently. The activation energy is the initial commitment of time and effort needed to start the— start learning the instrument. This can include researching, maybe it's acquiring the actual instrument, maybe it's finding learning resources, maybe it's just setting aside dedicated practice time. This is the activation energy required. Now the kicker here, the key here, of course, are the catalysts. The catalysts, again, going back to what I was describing earlier, catalysts, um, are those things that speed up this activation energy occurring. So the catalyst in this scenario is the motivation, the supportive environment, the access to quality learning materials. Maybe it's guidance from a mentor or a teacher or an accountability partner. All of these things can function as catalysts, which helps lower the activation energy. These specific elements make it easier for you, easier for you to initiate the learning process and to stay committed. So in this personal context, the activation energy is the hurdle you must overcome to transition from not playing the instrument to actively engaging in the learning process. Catalysts like a supportive environment, for example, can reduce this activation energy, which makes it more likely for you to overcome the initial challenges and persist in your efforts to acquire this, this new skill, this new talent. Okay. Why am I talking about activation energy? Odds are that every week, if not every day, you are, you're having to take action on something. You are having to get into motion on a project, something that maybe you're procrastinating around. Recognize that in order to get into motion, activation energy must be taken into consideration. And the catalysts that prompt this activation energy or lower the activation energy that's required are mandatory if you want to overcome the state of procrastination. So what I'm asking you to do with this knowledge is to understand that in order to get things in motion, you need a bang. You need a, you need a match to light that fire. You're human. We don't all just wake up and just get into action. This is chemistry here in this particular scenario. Activation energy is proven that a bang, a starter is necessary. And I think in terms of cheating the system, if I know I'm going to behave that way, how do I set myself up such that the catalysts are already present and the activation energy is lower? If I'm going to go into my office in a more— in the morning, and my objective is to have focused time calling sales prospects. Then in order to lower the activation energy required, the catalyst I will out— I will lay out in my office is an empty office with just a phone and no distractions except my call list, and which is not a distraction, just have my call list, a phone, and whatever resources I need in there to make those calls. That is going to lower the activation energy. Those catalysts are going to allow for this action I need to take place. That's the motivation, the supportive environment. So for all of us looking to get into motion, recognize it needs a bang. It needs a match. What can we bring into our world that creates that match? How can we proactively address this so that we don't find ourselves walking in blindly or finding ourselves in a state of procrastination because the energy just, just doesn't exist? That's all I have for you today, the No Days Off Podcast. Thank you so much for listening, and remember, every single day brings a new opportunity to get better. So let's get after it.
