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psy_101_9-30-14_slides_procrastination_final.pptx9/30/14 Potential PD Barrier: Procrastination SRJ exercise: Procrastination problems Understanding why we procrastinate- the Procrastination Equation Strategies for overcoming procrastination In-class activity: zeroing in on strategies
PSY 101: The Psychology of Personal Development
Check in
Reminders for Personal Development Project:
Be sure to do both parts of the project (at least one page each)
Be sure to include your references (website links are fine)
Proofread before submitting!
Ideally, double space (not points taken off if not double spaced, but it makes it easier on us to grade)
Remember to upload your file as either a word document or a rich text format
SRJ Exercise: What’s the problem with procrastination?
We know some of the general issues with procrastination:
Short-term benefits, long-term costs
Poor quality work or missed deadlines
Missed opportunities for spontaneity
Take a few minutes to answer two questions in your SRJ:
When are you most likely to procrastinate?
What problems does procrastination create for you?
Why do we procrastinate?
Ask class: Is anything missing?
According to Wiseman, the reasons why we procrastinate are complex and varied.
If you procrastinate, what are some of your reasons for doing so?
(click for Wiseman’s reasons)
UNC – Chapel Hill has published a handout about procrastination related to writing (I’ll include the URL at the end of the slideshow) – also has some good ideas about why we procrastinate including:
Fear – not only of failure, but also of success (idea of then having to work too hard in the future to sustain success, repeating successes)
Also fear of losing autonomy – if I complete this assignment, it means that you’ve told me what to do, you’ve made me do it
Perfectionism – feeling that by giving only a half-hearted effort and maintaining the belief that you could have written a great paper is better than risking the feeling associated with giving your all and having a mediocre paper as the result. Also, perfectionists can ignore progress toward a goal e.g. as long as something is incomplete, it’s as if absolutely nothing has been done, rather than realizing that each bit moves them toward a finished product
Because it works – procrastination helps reinforce itself – we avoid doing something we dread, by doing something we like. And when we procrastinate w/ school work, and still get a good grade, we feel compelled to procrastinate all over again!
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Fear of failure
Perfectionism
Low levels of self-control
Thinking of projects as a whole rather than breaking them down into parts
Inability to accurately estimate how long it takes to do things
Feeling like life is too short to worry about seemingly unimportant tasks
Procrastination Equation
Theory by Piers Steel, Ph.D.
Expectancy: Perceived odds of getting a reward and whether we expect success or failure
Value: Pleasantness of doing a task and size of reward
Impulsiveness: Tendency to get distracted or lose focus
Delay: Time between present task and its future reward or completion
Equation in Action
Scenario 1:
You are trying to work on a history paper but you find it mind-numbingly dull. You feel so unmotivated. You alternate between staring at a blank screen with taking breaks to check Facebook.
Problem is low value. We don’t like doing things we don’t enjoy!
VALUE to beat procrastination
Equation in Action
Scenario 2:
You were super excited about the assigned project. The topic is interesting to you and you know you can produce a high quality paper. You have done all the background research and outlined the paper; all you have left to do is fill in some text. However, you just keep putting it off. You keep getting distracted by other things that interest you.
Problem is HIGH IMPULSIVENESS. You have the tools and motivation, but you just can’t avoid distractions.
IMPULSIVENESS to beat procrastination
Equation in Action
Scenario 3:
You have been studying to take the GRE for several months. You took a class, you studied hard, and you are as prepared as you’ll ever be. However, you’re just so afraid of what your score will be. You keep putting off scheduling a test date.
Problem is LOW EXPECTANCY. You doubt your own abilities. You have learned to be helpless.
EXPECTANCY to beat procrastination
Summary for getting motivated
Increase EXPECTANCY of success and possibility of being rewarded.
Increase VALUE and pleasantness of the task.
Decrease our IMPULSIVENSS and potential for getting sidetracked by removing distractions and maintaining focus.
Decrease the DELAY of the reward by incorporating immediate, meaningful deadlines and rewards along the way.
Preview of this week’s assignment
For this week’s assignment, you will be choosing one of the following strategies and applying it to your week.
Strategies for Reducing Impulsiveness
Race the Clock
Set a timer for 10 minutes. Work in a focused, perhaps even frantic manner for those 10 minutes, and see what you can do. Then decide whether or not to continue. Often, you will get absorbed in the task and keep going.
Strategies for Reducing Impulsiveness
Have meaningful goals and make them visible
Remove temptations (especially technology distractions)
Use competition; Make a game out of your task
Incorporate into a routine or habit
Strategies for Reducing Impulsiveness
Create your own unsavory consequences for NOT meeting your goals
Use websites like stickK.com to hold you accountable
Use software like Freedom or Anti-Social that allow you to block Internet or social websites for period of time
Use apps like Readability to block adds and links to other websites
Reducing Impulsiveness - Schedule distractions
Switching among tasks is very taxing on the brain
Do not respond to texts or emails as they arrive
Schedule a period in which you will do all the little, distracting tasks (respond to emails and texts, clean out your DVR queue, pay bills, etc.)
Write down tasks as you think of them… to do later
Increasing Expectancy - Chunking
Break a big project down into a set of smaller, more manageable tasks to make it less overwhelming.
Do something to highlight or celebrate completion of each smaller task (e.g., checking it off a list with a bright pen, tell someone you did it).
Why?
Increases expectancy – makes the task less daunting, increases your confidence that you can do it!
Decreases delay – provides little deadlines along the way
Increasing Expectancy – Just start!
Allot just a few minutes to simply just begin whatever it is you need to do. Ratey (2008) recommends doing the setup separate from the task in order to make it less daunting to start.
Why?
Increases expectancy – makes the task less daunting, increases your confidence that you can do it!
Increasing Value?
What are your ideas for increasing the value of a project?
Remember, you can increase value by…
Adding rewards
Making it more enjoyable or intrinsically rewarding
Adding meaning or relevance
More Strategies That Use Time
Match peak performance with priority projects. In other words, work on your most important projects during the time of day you are most energetic and alert.
Take advantage of your mental state by doing creative tasks when you first wake up
More Strategies That Use Time
Start your day over at 2 p.m. Assess where you are and re-prioritize if necessary. Don’t give up if you didn’t finish everything you wanted to in the first part of the day!
More Strategies That Use Time
Create false deadlines: Set mini deadlines for completing and turning in parts of the work.
When possible, have others set and impose deadlines for you
What Research Tells Us
Mental contrasting – Wish vs the present reality (potential obstacles)
If-then planning – anticipating what kind of temptation might disrupt your goal.
Keeping goal objects and objects related to temptations spatially apart from each other.
Strategies that utilize other people
Create accountability partners: Tell someone about your goals for the day, what you plan to get done. Ask them to check in and crack the whip at an appointed time.
Co-coaching: Find someone who has similar goals and work out a co-coaching relationship.
Use a witness: Have a friend come over for company and “moral support” while you do a dreaded project (e.g., closet reorganization).
Create “good stress.” Make a plan with a friend but tell them you can’t go out unless you finish X hours of work on your project first.
“Reverse Order” Strategy
Choose a day or afternoon that you can devote to being productive.
Make a list of all major tasks to complete in that week and start working on tasks in reverse chronological order (farthest due date to nearest)
By the time you get to the tasks due the next morning, the looming deadline will provide enough motivation to complete them that night
More Strategies (See also this week’s assignment)
Maybe you’ve simply never experienced the good feeling of being early?
Create a routine of success. Pick ONE task you frequently procrastinate and break the habit once.
Observe how this makes you feel. Did you feel less stressed? Do you prefer this feeling to that of being stressed and late? Does this provide more motivation for future responsibility?
In-Class Activity: In small groups, discuss Ratey’s strategies and identify at least three that you’ve used or think might work for you Ratey(2008) The Disorganized Mind. Coaching Your ADHD Brain to Take Control of Your Time, Tasks, & Talents.
| Keep the goal in mind |
| Co-coach your way forward |
| Separate the setup from the task |
| Establish and meet the minimal goal |
| Limit time spent on making plans |
| Use rewards as good stress |
| Create false deadlines |
| Use a witness |
| Use a model |
| Beware productive procrastination |
| Match peak performance with priority projects |
| Do the most important thing first thing in the morning |
| Remember the pain of the past; Consider risks of procrastinating |
| Make actions concrete |
| Always have a backup plan |
| Share your goals |
| Create “safe” high stakes for yourself |
| Each day write down your primary goal, & at the end of the day list what you did and mark off what was connected to your goal |
