I'm not an expert, but I think "autonomic arousal" can be interepreted, crudely, as stress and anxiety: "A disorder characterized by persistent or recurrent si

I'm not an expert, but I think "autonomic arousal" can be interepreted, crudely, as stress and anxiety: "A disorder characterized by persistent or recurrent signs and symptoms mediated by the autonomic nervous system, excluding pain but including palpitation, hyperventilation, or nausea. It is not diagnosed if it is caused by a general medical condition."[1] In which case, he's suggesting people who procrastinate can reduce this tendency by acclimating themselves to stressful situations, such as cold showers or ice baths. It doesn't seem to have anything to do with motivation, just getting rid of the anxiety that is presumably stopping you from working. One of his podcast episodes goes more into these points. It's been a long time since I listened to it, so I don't remember most of it, but this article seems to be a good overview, and explains why the "30 deep breaths" are one of the techniques he's suggesting in that tweet: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vision-and-breathing-may-be-the-secrets-to-surviving-2020/ https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/vision-and-breath... 1. Autonomic arousal disorder in A Dictionary of Psychology