Executive Function

Eat the Frog

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Gross metaphor aside, Mark Twain had a point. If you have to do something difficult or unpleasant, it’s best to get it over with as soon as possible. Otherwise, we spend too much time procrastinating and avoiding it, which inevitably makes the thing you have to do even worse. If we “eat the frog” right away, we don’t have time to ruminate on how bad the thing we have to do is. Plus, the thing we have to do is rarely as bad as we think it will be. 

Let’s say you have to call your doctor to schedule an annual checkup, but you hate making phone calls. You could procrastinate, carrying this simple task over from one day to the next, forcing you to think about this unpleasant task for days, or possibly weeks, on end. Then, when you’ve procrastinated as long as possible and you finally feel enough motivation to make the call, it ends up being a relatively quick and painless process. However, the stress and frustration you’ve been feeling since you added this task to your to-do list is no less real. You’ve increased your mental distress exponentially without actually doing anything. Had you “eaten the frog” right away, the only distress you would have felt would have been from the phone call itself. 

So, do yourself a favor. Make that phone call, send that email, schedule that appointment. EAT THE FROG!

Goal-Setting

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Learning how to think about, and set, appropriate goals is a cornerstone of academic, personal, and professional achievement. Goals serve as a roadmap for success; it’s much more difficult to get where you want to go if you don’t identify exactly where that is. Goals that are vague or overly ambitious can crush motivation and drastically increase our propensity for procrastination, especially if these goals lack a deadline.

Effective goals require us to be specific about what we want to achieve and when we want to achieve it. Effective goals should also be broken down into small, manageable chunks so that we don’t become overwhelmed by the amount of work it will take to achieve. For example, if someone wants to lose 100 pounds, which is a significant undertaking requiring a long-term commitment, it can be extremely disheartening when the number on the scale decreases slowly. Whereas, if that same person establishes the goal of wanting to lose 10 pounds, a much more achievable undertaking, then the success of achieving this smaller goal will build confidence, motivation, and momentum to continue with another 10 pound goal, then another, and another, until the long-term goal is reached.

The SMART goal acronym simplifies effective goal-setting. I’ve seen many different versions over the years, so I’ve simplified my own version below that, I think, makes the most sense. Think about one thing you want to accomplish and write down precisely how you plan to achieve it. Make it specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound – but don’t get stuck on a single part of the acronym – just skip it, get started on the rest, and come back to it later after you’ve gained some clarity and momentum.

Time Blocking

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On the heels of last week’s post about procrastination, let’s start talking about strategies for overcoming it. One of these strategies, which certainly falls under the topic of time management, as well, is “time blocking.” This strategy involves writing down 30-minute or 1-hour “blocks” during your day in which you commit to completing a certain task. Time blocking helps to eliminate the choice we give ourselves regarding when, or even if, a task gets done. For example, if I don’t workout within the first 2-3 hours of the morning, the chances of it actually happening become significantly less with each passing hour. I give myself too much time to lose energy and motivation and come up with excuses why I don’t feel up for it. The same thing happens when we procrastinate on any other task we find challenging.

So how do I “time block?”

Use your planner or calendar, which is made much easier and more visually organized if time slots are provided; or, you can just use lined paper. (See my example below.) If you finish a task early, feel free to use the rest of the block to relax, get a snack, or play with your pets. BUT … set an alarm for the start of your next block in case you get distracted.

Mark Twain said: “If it’s your job to eat a frog, it’s best to do it first thing in the morning. And if it’s your job to eat two frogs, it’s best to eat the biggest one first.” So, what’s the most challenging thing you have to do tomorrow? Schedule it first thing in the morning, before you have time to come up with excuses why it can wait. Eat your frog first, and the rest of your tasks will seem easier in comparison.

Procrastination

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When asked about the reasons for the difficulties they’ve experienced in college, the vast majority of students identify procrastination as one of the most significant factors. But what is procrastination? What causes it?  And, most importantly, how can I overcome this deeply ingrained habit and take control of my own success?

Procrastination, according to Professor Timothy Pychyl, author of Solving the Procrastination Puzzle, is the “voluntary delay of an intended action despite the knowledge that this delay may harm the individual.” It is a form of self-sabotage, and it can be extremely difficult to overcome. This is because procrastination doesn’t only stem from challenges with organization, time management, or motivation; it is also closely related to emotion regulation. How often have you intended to do something important, perhaps you even went so far as to set goals or create a plan, but just couldn’t quite get started. For many, the challenging emotions related to procrastination include fear of failure, feeling overwhelmed, lack of resilience, or avoidance of the temporary negative emotions that may stem from the action itself. Overcoming procrastination requires that we EMBRACE THE SUCK and push through these temporary negative emotions in order to earn the positive emotions that come from productivity and hard work. 

There are different types of procrastination: short-term and long-term. Short-term procrastination is usually limited by some sort of deadline, meaning that its effects are contained. If you wait until the night before your physics final to start studying, the emotional effects of your procrastination will end after that final; the effect of a potentially low grade on your long-term academic goals may last quite a bit longer, but the acute feelings of stress and anxiety will be more-or-less alleviated. Long-term procrastination, on the other hand, often stems from goals without a defined deadline. Although the acute stress and anxiety tends to be significantly less, this form of procrastination can lead to chronic dissatisfaction, low confidence and self-esteem, poor health and wellness behaviors, and much more.

So, what can we do to overcome our procrastinatory tendencies? The answer is, like many things in life, not nearly as simple as we would like, but it is possible. Overcoming procrastination requires learning and practicing the skills necessary for effective goal-setting, minimizing barriers to success, building resilience to discomfort, and identifying “accountabilibuddies” who can help us stay on track. Habit pairing can also be a useful strategy for smaller habits that have been difficult to do consistently. Time management and organizational strategies – of which there are far too many to include in this post – can also ease the feeling of being overwhelmed. Wherever you are in the process of overcoming procrastination, remember to start small and write things down; getting your intentions out of your head and onto paper help make them more concrete and less likely to be avoided.

What have been procrastinating on recently? What is one small step you can make every day, or every week, to make even a small amount of progress? Share in the comments below, write it down in your planner, tell someone who will help hold you accountable, and do it!