Master Self Control & Overcome Procrastination | Dr. Kentaro Fujita

11 May 2026 · 2 h 28 min · Episode 280

Episode Master Self Control & Overcome Procrastination | Dr. Kentaro Fujita

0:00 2:28:04

Dr. Kentaro Fujita, PhD, is a professor of psychology at The Ohio State University and an expert in the science of self-control and motivation. We discuss the best tools for developing strong self-control: to do more of what you aspire to and cease doing things you would like to avoid. We discuss why you need more than one form of willpower to achieve sustained motivation and overcome procrastination. Dr. Fujita also clarifies the data on the 2-marshmallow test, delayed gratification and intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation.

Read the show notes at hubermanlab.com.

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Timestamps

(00:00:00) Kentaro Fujita

(00:03:08) Marshmallow Tests, Self-Control; Adult Modeling

(00:08:24) Criticism of Marshmallow Tests, Learning Self-Control

(00:15:08) Sponsors: David & Lingo

(00:17:34) Movement & Motivation

(00:21:42) Doing Hard Things; Exhaustion & Depletion Effect

(00:29:02) Willpower vs Self-Control, Improving Self-Control

(00:34:27) Aspiration or Fear for Motivation, Long- vs Short-Term Outcomes

(00:40:55) Self-Control Toolkit, Tool: Failure & Exploration

(00:46:44) Sponsor: AG1

(00:48:28) Motivation Warm-Up?, Tools: Mindset; Motivation Orientation

(00:57:30) Imperfect Conditions, Self-Control Conflicts, Tool: Why vs How

(01:05:25) Tool: "Whys" & Motivation Goals

(01:11:26) Competition, Tool: Motivation Types

(01:17:13) Sponsor: LMNT

(01:18:33) Abstinence vs Moderation, Consistency vs Rigidity

(01:27:48) Burnout; "Invisible" Goals, Single Goal & Trade-Offs

(01:35:17) Intrinsic Motivation for Sustained Goals

(01:40:16) Sponsor: Function

(01:41:53) Meaning in Simple Tasks, Ikigai

(01:49:03) Self-Control Failure, Tools: Distancing, 3rd Person & Heros

(01:55:04) Words as Motivation, Visualization, Social Validation

(02:03:51) Music, Anchors, Nostalgia

(02:06:46) Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Motivation, Job & Salary

(02:14:11) Mindfulness & Taking Breaks, Wabi-Sabi & Imperfection, Ikigai

(02:20:56) Future Directions

(02:25:19) Zero-Cost Support, YouTube, Spotify & Apple Follow, Reviews & Feedback, Sponsors, Protocols Book, Social Media, Neural Network Newsletter

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