BBC The four keys that could unlock procrastination

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20201222-the-four-keys-that-could-unlock-
procrastination

The four keys that could unlock procrastination

Procrastination gets the best of all of us, to the detriment of our

work, happiness and health. But a new theory could provide us with
the easiest way to kick the habit.

Imagine that you could become healthier, wealthier and less stressed
through a few daily steps. It would require no great sacrifice on your part,
but over the years, your personal and professional life would improve
immeasurably in numerous ways.

For many people, procrastination is the major barrier that prevents positive
change. Chronic procrastinators are less likely to be in permanent
employment, and those with jobs have a vastly reduced income, earning at
least $14,000 less than their more proactive colleagues. Procrastinators also
struggle to find time to exercise, since they will always put off physical
activity for another day. And, thanks to the general chaos that arises from
the constant dodging of important tasks, they tend to feel high levels of
anxiety. The result is an elevated risk of chronic illnesses, including
cardiovascular disease.

But it needn’t be this way, according to cutting-edge research by Jason

Wessel. As part of his PhD at Griffith University in Queensland, Australia,
Wessel developed a system comprising four simple “reflection points”
that target the psychological roots of the problem. Ask yourself these
questions on a regular basis, and you’ll find it far easier to resist tempting
distractions, allowing you to focus on the things that really matter in your
life.

For many, procrastination is the biggest barrier to positive personal changes

in health, work and even happiness (Credit: Alamy)

Temporal Motivation Theory

Wessel’s technique is inspired by Temporal Motivation Theory, which

proposes four interlinked causes of procrastination.
 1. The first is 'expectancy': we underestimate our chances of doing well
at the task, which reduces our overall motivation.

2. The second is our 'sensitivity to delay': many of us fail to properly

recognise how badly our current delaying tactics will affect the chances
of completing on time.

3. Thirdly, we fail to appreciate the 'value' of the task and the

benefits of getting it done on time, which means that we favor our
immediate pleasure over long-term consequences.

4. Finally, Wessel argues that we lack the basic 'metacognition' – the

self-awareness and capacity to think analytically about our own
thinking – which would allow us to identify the ways we might resist
these behaviours and put ourselves back on track.
https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/metacognition/

Studies of chronic procrastinators have provided some good evidence for

Temporal Motivation Theory but potential antidotes to these problems
have so far been woefully under-researched. “There just aren’t many studies
yet,” says Wendelien van Eerde at the University of Amsterdam, who
conducted a meta-analysis of the available interventions in 2018.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1747938
X18300472

Wessel developed a system comprising four simple “reflection

points” that target the psychological roots of the procrastination

In her study, van Eerde found that Cognitive Behavioural Therapy was
the only existing method with reliable benefits. During CBT sessions, a
professional therapist will help the client to talk through the thoughts,
emotions and actions that are limiting their productivity. “You try to
recognise what you are doing wrong, and adapt your behaviours to more
functional ways of dealing with things,” says van Eerde.

As effective as it may be, though, in-person CBT is relatively time consuming

and expensive to deliver, making it hard to roll out en masse. This led
Wessel to wonder whether it would be possible to offer a quicker and
cheaper alternative.

After careful consideration, he decided to distil the principles of Temporal

Motivation Theory to four simple prompts that ask people to consider:

1. How would someone successfully complete the goal?

 2. How would you feel if you don’t do the required task?
3. What is the next immediate step you need to do?
4. If you could do one thing to achieve the goal on time, what
would it be?

The university environment provided the perfect environment to test the

method.
https://iaap-journals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/apps.12293

Wessel first recruited more than 100 undergraduates who were due to
deliver a written assignment, worth a third of their final grade. To measure
their progress, the students were all sent regular text messages, asking
them to estimate their overall progress in completing the assignment (from
0% to 100%). Those taking part in the intervention were also asked to
reflect on the points listed above at various points over the course of the two
weeks. Wessel hoped that contemplating these prompts could bring about
the same changes in thinking usually achieved during in-person therapy, but
in much shorter bursts. “It’s replicating some of the elements that you would
get in a coaching or counselling or therapeutic session,” he says, “but it’s
like a ‘micro-dose’.”

To make sure you're regularly considering the four reflection points, you can
set up reminders to ensure you actually take the time to reflect (Credit:
Alamy)

When he compared the progress updates of the participants over the course
of the two weeks, Wessel found that those contemplating the four reflection
points were significantly more likely to get on top of the work early, rather
than putting off the assignment until the end of the fortnight. It had, in
other words, significantly reduced their procrastinations.

The benefits were not immediate; Wessel says the students needed to
consider the different reflection points a few times before they started taking
action – a phenomenon he describes as a “sleeper effect”. “There are only so
many times that you can tell the app that you know exactly what you need
to do, but then not do it,” he says. You might expect the students to have
been irritated by the reminders, but most reported that they had learnt a lot
from the experience. “They said that we should do this for every course they
have.”
A ‘promising approach’

Van Eerde is impressed by the results, and optimistic about the practicality
of the intervention. “I think it’s one of the more promising approaches,” she
says.

Wessel has already designed an app to help encourage people to improve

their diet that follows similar principles, and he speculates that, no matter
our goals, we might all benefit from regularly considering these reflection
points. If you want to apply this yourself, you might consider putting a
couple of daily reminders in your online calendar to ensure that you actually
take the time to look at the prompts. “If you notice that you are always
putting stuff off, they could be a good way of checking your behaviour.”
https://contemplateweightloss.com/

The important thing is to regularly question what goals you actually

value, and to check whether you’re prioritising them enough

The important thing, he says, is to regularly question what goals you

actually value, and to check whether you’re prioritising them enough. You
should then work out ways to chunk your task into smaller parts, before
taking action on the first possible step. This can create a kind of momentum,
he says, which will make procrastination less likely as you go along.

Wessel’s work joins a growing body of research showing how short moments
of self-reflection can pay great dividends. A little focused thinking, it seems,
can go a long way to increasing your perseverance, organisation and
efficiency, so that you have more time to spend on the things that really
matter. Those few prompts may just be the secret to a happier and healthier
new year.
https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200722-the-mindset-you-need-to-
succeed-at-every-goal

David Robson is the is author of The Intelligence Trap: Revolutionise Your

Thinking and Make Wiser Decisions (Hodder & Stoughton/WW Norton). He is
@d_a_robson on Twitter.