Tag: self-improvement

Procrastination Interruption

Are you tied up in knots by “I would have, I could have, I should have _______” self-talk? How often do you interrupt your progress in meeting a goal with procrastination? If you have ever relied on procrastination’s crutches, you have lots of company. The procrastination part of me lingers too long on some projects. Let’s interrupt our procrastination!

Retired professor and researcher of procrastination at Carleton College in Canada, Timothy Pychyl maintains that poor time management is not the cause of procrastination; rather, the culprit is our emotional regulation. The key reason we avoid doing something is not due to lackadaisical time management, but the task at hand generates some uncomfortable emotion – fear, anxiety, and/or self-doubt.

Research by Pychyl found another procrastination myth — that we work best under pressure. While stress might force you to complete something, it may not result in your best work. You may gain an adrenaline rush and believe that without pressure, it’s difficult to “find” motivation.

Pychyl prefers to call procrastination a choice. For example, we may choose to read some self-help book instead of addressing a distracting emotion. We may learn some information and tell ourselves, “I learned what I need to do!” When we take in some new information in this way, there may be a temporary relief that we are closing in on a solution. Brains love learning. In learning there is a sense of “solving” some concern. Yet, research suggests that this fleeting satisfaction might get in the way of actual motivation to follow up with actions. After all, most of us are elaborate excuse-makers.  

It is good to learn about change! Actual change is the real pearl.

So, what is the procrastination story? Pychyl writes a “Don’t Delay” blog with Psychology Today. He advocates taking small, achievable steps to address both your stress level and deliver a jumpstart to your motivation. In an interview with Eric Zimmer, the creator of “The One You Feed” podcast, Pychyl offered tips from his book, Solving the Procrastination Puzzle: A Concise Guide to Strategies for Change:

  • Present-self explains there is benefit from procrastination. Future-self reaps the results.
  • Ask yourself, “How are you actually going to implement this goal?” Your implementation intention can start the engine of motivation.
  • Leverage a positive habit you already have: “After I brush my teeth, my next morning action is _______________.”
  • We do not do projects; we do actions.
  • Follow this quote by a monk: “You’ve got to give the monkey something to do.” 
  • Most of us seem to believe that one must be in the mood to do something, that motivation proceeds action. However, it’s often the other way around.

Research offers ways to interrupt our procrastination: take action! I would add, be curious; greet your exiled emotions like old friends: “Ah, you always have my back. Let’s take baby steps together!”

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

524. When do you catch yourself procrastinating?

525. What project calls out to you to interrupt procrastination?   

Resolutions Check-in

Q: Why did the crane cross the road? A: The grass looked greener on the other side. How often do you think there must be a better there than the details of your current life? What would you do with Elon Musk’s money?

It has been 21 days since New Year’s Day and it is time to check-in on your resolution(s). While some mistakenly say you can set a new habit in 21 days, do not believe them. Most studies have found that it takes at least three times longer. If you struggle to make any headway on your desired resolution(s), perhaps you ditch your to-do list and try time blocking or timeboxing.

Successful CEO’s like Bill gates and Elon Musk use time blocking. Musk might win the prize for the most time-managed individual, as he pre-plans his day with no unscheduled time slots!  And as unbelievable as it may seem, Musk’s time blocks are 5-minute segments. Supposedly, he knows how much time any task takes. To not experience a “planning fallacy,” one must keep a timed record of certain tasks, perhaps using a time-tracking app.   

While time blocking may work for Musk and others, it seems robotic. Where is there room for an unexpected phone call from a family member or friend? Where is there a sense of flow or creativity where time-watching is detrimental?  

An argument supporting this regimented goal-setting is Parkinson’s Law: any work tends to expand to fill up the time allotted for it (C. Northcote Parkinson). When time is restricted, a task takes less of your time. Also, the Pareto Principle applies: the 80/20 Rule suggests that around 20% of your efforts will produce 80% of the results (Vilfredo Pareto).

Another time management technique is timeboxing. Time blocking is about planning when you will work on something, while timeboxing has an emphasis on limiting how long you spend on a given task. You set an upper limit on how much time you will do a certain task (exercise for 30 minutes, for example) without having a set time. Timeboxing encourages one’s progress by setting timely and manageable limits. Anyone can do something for 30 minutes a day…with intention.

Where is any focus for looking at the reasons why a person does not follow through on their intentions? Trust me. This will be a productive use of your time, and the first step may take no longer than 5 minutes. Here is a starter version. There is a part of your personality that sets your resolution. Name that part of your personality. There is another part (or two) that does not follow through. Name the part(s). Are you engaged in a parts war? Notice your breathing. Center into calmness. You can embrace opposite parts when you are CONSCIOUS of these parts in the present moment. Find insider peace.

Pearls of Peace (PoP) Quiz

257. What is your name for the part of you that sets resolutions?

258. How often do other parts interrupt your good intentions?