Running head: SELF-TARGETED BEHAVIOUR 1

Self-Targeted Behaviour: An Intervention and Analyzes

for My Own Behaviour

Rachel Evans

Behavioural Intervention – CYWK3027 – 02

Professor Theresa Fraser

Tuesday, November 16, 2021

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SELF-TARGETED BEHAVIOUR

Target Behaviour

The targeted behavior is leaving projects, assignments and important academic tasks to

the last minute, as motivation occurs with an upcoming deadline. As a result, projects even of a

large magnitude are often started only a few days before the due date and submitted only a few

hours before the drop box closes. This has been a continuous pattern for all assignments over the

last few semesters for Rachel and causes extra stress as she worries it will not be completed on

time. Also, due to this pattern, the assignment doesn't resemble her best work.

To target this behavior, it's important to keep in mind this is a reoccurring pattern, and the

upcoming deadline motivates Rachel to complete the assignment. An intervention to help this

behavior needs to be realistic and easy to incorporate within her daily academic life. It needs to

resemble a fake deadline or provide some form of motivation.

Rachel will work on projects 8 days in advance minimum. She will set a schedule to

work on these projects in 30-minute sessions per day per assignment, every day until it's

completed, started by the advanced minimum timeline. She will set a timer of 30 minutes during

these times to create a smaller deadline to spark motivation. When the timer is complete, she will

stop working on the assignment until the next day. Rachel will create a calendar with all

assignments within the next 4 weeks that need to be completed. She will then create a weekly

schedule of all assignments that she needs to start working on, due 8 days or more in the future.

The 30-minute sessions per day must be completed for each project that is due. She will write all

the projects down on the whiteboard, including sessions for each day, and every time a session is

complete, she will put a checkmark next to that day, and once the whole project is complete, she

will take a picture of her whiteboard then erase it and start fresh for the next week.

Possible Variations
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This strategy will be used for a 4-week period, then another 4-week period for a total of 8

weeks to see it’s effectiveness. That’s a 30-minute session per day for each assignment due until

they are completed starting 8 days before the deadline for the next 4 weeks. However,

considering this may not fit into her schedule perfectly every time, she can do 1-hour sessions

every 2 days instead of ½ hour counting as 2 sessions. If she missed a couple of days, she could

add the sessions she missed to the time she has to do that day and ensure she gets all her planned

sessions completed. She can limit the time she spends completing the assignment depending on

how big of an assignment it is or how long it will take to complete. For example, limited to 10

minutes a day if the project itself is small and may only take 30 minutes total. However, for best

effect, the times and schedule should stay the same to avoid further procrastination. Also, she can

use another form to keep track of the sessions she completes it doesn’t necessarily have to be on

her whiteboard. However, she needs to document her session and weekly schedule in some form.

She can set a timer for her sessions using a phone, oven, laptop, or another device.

Outcome from Not Targeting Behaviour

If she does not complete her sessions everyday her projects or assignments are unlikely to

get started on and completed well before the deadline. This may cause Rachel to fall back into a

pattern of starting assignment a day before they are due. If Rachel does not set a timer, it is

unlikely she will work during that session as it will not provide her with external motivation for

completion. Also, if she does not track when a session was completed for each assignment, it is

likely she will forget or not keep track of what has or hasn’t been completed. If she does not keep

track of what assignments need to be completed that week on her whiteboard, she will likely

forget or put it off until closer to the due date.

Weekly Intervention
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For four weeks, Rachel will complete scheduled and timed 30-minute sessions to work on

assignments and projects. Projects will be organized ahead of time in a weekly and 4-week

schedule, and each project will start with sessions 8 days in advance and documented on her

whiteboard.

Prep: Rachel completed her 4 week schedules on a piece of paper and wrote down all

projects needing to be started to prep for a weekly schedule to be completed each week.

Weekly Analyzes

Week 1: Rachel completed the sessions each day until each project was completed and

followed the weekly schedule. She also was very good at marking down each session that was

completed on her whiteboard. She was productive during her sessions in getting work completed.

As a result, she was able to hand in 3 assignments that week, all 3 days or more before the

deadline.

Antecedent: The calendar was set up for the four weeks, and Rachel marked down each

assignment that needed to be completed, organized her whiteboard, and put it out in her study

spot.

Behavior: She worked on assignments in each session and followed her schedule. She

was productive during these sessions.

Consequence: She was able to hand in all assignments that week multiple days before the

deadline improving her quality of work and lowering stress levels.

Week 2: Rachel completed her weekly assignment schedule on her whiteboard and set it

up near her desk station. She was productive during her sessions in getting work completed.

Rachel did a good job marking down and completing her sessions this week. She was able to

submit both assignments 4 days before their deadline.

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Antecedent: She had set up and completed her schedule for the week to prepare for her

sessions. She had 2 assignments with upcoming due dates to plan sessions for.

Behavior: She sat down to begin her sessions according to her schedule and was able to

work on her assignments consistently.

Consequence: She was able to submit both assignments multiple days before the due date

and lower her stress level and increase the quality of work she submitted.

Week 3: Rachel completed the weekly assignment board. She had 3 assignments that

week. However, she did not place it on her workstation. Instead, it stayed tucked away for the

week. She tried to complete her sessions however struggled to keep track of what sessions were

completed and ultimately missed over 5 sessions total and did not mark any of them down. She

ended up completing all assignments, but most were submitted only a day or two before the

deadline and outside of session times.

Antecedent: She marked down her assignments on schedule but did not have access to the

schedule.

Behavior: Rachel did not complete all sessions and missed a lot of work periods.

Consequence: Due to missing sessions, she was behind on work, and most assignments

got left till the last minute, creating more stress for Rachel, and the assignment got submitted

only 1 or 2 days before the dateline.

Week 4: Rachel did not complete her weekly whiteboard schedule but still tried to

complete her sessions. She missed every session other than 3 and ended up leaving most

assignments to the last minute, submitting all 3 assignments for that week the day it was due. She

completed most assignments outside of her sessions and ended up procrastinating while
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SELF-TARGETED BEHAVIOUR

completing them. This increased Rachel's stress levels, and she was not happy with the quality of

work she submitted.

Antecedent: She did not set up her schedule for the week.

Behavior: Didn't complete most sessions and spent time working on assignments outside

of session time while procrastinating mainly.

Consequence: Assignments got submitted the day of the deadline. Rachel was more

stressed about assignments and wasn't happy with the work she submitted.

Observations

A few observations can be made from the implementation of these strategies over the

four-week span. First, it can be observed that having a schedule for weekly assignments made up

and set at the workstation encourages Rachel to check off and complete each session and ensures

assignments are completed multiple days before deadlines. Less than 60% of sessions are

completed without the made-up calendar located at the workstation. Less than 40% of sessions

are completed if schedules aren’t made at all. It appears that the timer for sessions is proven to be

helpful with productivity sessions and helps assignments be completed within less time. Without

timed sessions, productivity decreases, and procrastination sets in. With the program

appropriately executed, all sessions being completed and checked off that assignments are

completed multiple days ahead of time 100% of the time.

Baseline

Creating a schedule for starting projects ahead of time and completing sessions every day

for each project has helped immensely with productivity and prevented tasks from being

completed last minute. Before this strategy was implemented, projects were being started and

completed the day of or the day before a due date, the quality of work was low, and Rachel's
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SELF-TARGETED BEHAVIOUR

stress levels due to assignments were high. When this strategy is followed perfectly, Rachel's

stress levels are reduced, assignments are submitted multiple days before the due date and

resemble high quality work. Although the motivation to stick to these strategies decreases

throughout the weeks, it is still effective even when not followed perfectly as more assignments

are submitted in advance than before.

Goal Statement

The goal for this program is to drastically lower the number of assignments started a day

or two before the deadline and submitted last minute. This will be done by implementing the

program, which includes 30 minute timed sessions every day for each assignment, weekly

schedules, 4-week planner, and every assignment is started 8 days or more in advance. The goal

is that assignments submitted last-minute go from 100% to 40% or less consistently with these

strategies in place every week for 8 weeks.

Minor Reinforcers

Week 1: Rachel was able to check off the sessions she completed on her white board

schedule and submit her assignments ahead of time to have more time to do other things and

reduce her stress. Rachel was also able to start and finish her work for that day in the 30 minute

session so it didn’t drag into the rest of her day.

Week 2: Rachel was able to check off the sessions she completed on her white board

schedule and submit her assignments ahead of time, to have more time to do other things and

reduce her stress. Rachel was also able to start and finish her work for that day in the 30-minute

session so it didn’t drag into the rest of her day.

Week 3: Rachel realized how helpful the schedule is since she experienced extra stress

and procrastination from not completing and checking off her sessions. A rewarding aspect in
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this week was simply submitting her assignments and having it checked off her mental to the day

list.

Week 4: Rachel realized how helpful the schedule is since she experienced extra stress

and procrastination from not completing and checking off her sessions. This motivated her to

follow the program even more since she better understood the benefits. A rewarding aspect in

this week was simply submitting her assignments and having it checked off her mental to the day

list.

Major Reinforces

After each week of completed assignments, Rachel rewarded herself with an activity she

enjoys taking up a minimum of 2 hours as a form of self-care.

Week 1: This week, Rachel went out for dinner with her friends to reward herself for

completing all her assignments.

Week 2: This week, Rachel set up a self-care night after submitting her last assignment

for that week. She painted, watched a movie, and did a hair mask.

Week 3: This week, Rachel went shopping at the mall right after submitting her last

assignment and bought a new outfit.

Week 4: On this week, Rachel did another self-care night right after her last assignment

was submitted. She watched her favorite show, did her nails, and made her favorite snacks.

Program Overview

Data will be collected at the end of the week by the checkmarks documented on Rachel's

weekly whiteboard schedule. To determine how many sessions were completed and needed to be

set for that week depending on the workload. If she does not check them off consistently, then at

the end of the week, Rachel will write down what sessions were completed, missed, and not
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documented on her 4-week schedule. When an assignment is completed, she will write down the

day of submission on her whiteboard. She will take a picture of her whiteboard for each week to

collect data. She will also document at the end of the week on her 4-week schedule what days

assignments were submitted and started. This will indicate whether assignments were started and

completed according to the program.

Week 1: Rachel has 3 assignments to work on this week. She will fill out her 4-week

schedule and weekly schedule on her whiteboard. Rachel will begin her sessions for each

assignment due 8 days from then at a minimum. Rachel will complete 30-minute sessions for

each assignment every day until it is completed and submitted. Each session will be documented

on a whiteboard with a checkmark under that assignment for that day. She will then reward

herself with 2 hours at least of an activity she enjoys after submitting that week's assignments.

Rachel will do documentation of sessions and assignment hand-in dates.

Week 2: Rachel has 2 assignments to work on this week. She will fill out her weekly

schedule on her whiteboard. Rachel will begin her sessions for each assignment due 8 days from

then at a minimum. Rachel will complete 30-minute sessions for each assignment every day until

it is completed and submitted. Each session will be documented on a whiteboard with a

checkmark under that assignment for that day. She will then reward herself with 2 hours at least

of an activity she enjoys after submitting that week's assignments. Rachel will do documentation

of sessions and assignment hand-in dates.

Week 3: Rachel has 3 assignments to work on this week. She will fill out her weekly

schedule on her whiteboard. Rachel will begin her sessions for each assignment due 8 days from

then at a minimum. Rachel will complete 30-minute sessions for each assignment every day until

it is completed and submitted. Each session will be documented on a whiteboard with a

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checkmark under that assignment for that day. She will then reward herself with 2 hours at least

of an activity she enjoys after submitting that week's assignments. Rachel will do documentation

of sessions and assignment hand-in dates.

Week 4: Rachel has 3 assignments to work on this week. She will fill out her weekly

schedule on her whiteboard. Rachel will begin her sessions for each assignment due 8 days from

then at a minimum. Rachel will complete 30-minute sessions for each assignment every day until

it is completed and submitted. Each session will be documented on a whiteboard with a

checkmark under that assignment for that day. She will then reward herself with 2 hours at least

of an activity she enjoys after submitting that week's assignments. Rachel will do documentation

of sessions and assignment hand-in dates.

Week 5: Rachel has 4 assignments to work on this week. She will fill out her 4-week

schedule and weekly schedule on her whiteboard. Rachel will begin her sessions for each

assignment due 8 days from then at a minimum. Rachel will complete 30-minute sessions for

each assignment every day until it is completed and submitted. Each session will be documented

on a whiteboard with a checkmark under that assignment for that day. She will then reward

herself with 2 hours at least of an activity she enjoys after submitting that week's assignments.

Rachel will do documentation of sessions and assignment hand-in dates.

Week 6: Rachel has 2 assignments to work on this week. She will fill out her weekly

schedule on her whiteboard. Rachel will begin her sessions for each assignment due 8 days from

then at a minimum. Rachel will complete 30-minute sessions for each assignment every day until

it is completed and submitted. Each session will be documented on a whiteboard with a

checkmark under that assignment for that day. She will then reward herself with 2 hours at least
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of an activity she enjoys after submitting that week's assignments. Rachel will do documentation

of sessions and assignment hand-in dates.

Week 7: Rachel has 3 assignments to work on this week. She will fill out her weekly

schedule on her whiteboard. Rachel will begin her sessions for each assignment due 8 days from

then at a minimum. Rachel will complete 30-minute sessions for each assignment every day until

it is completed and submitted. Each session will be documented on a whiteboard with a

checkmark under that assignment for that day. She will then reward herself with 2 hours at least

of an activity she enjoys after submitting that week's assignments. Rachel will do documentation

of sessions and assignment hand-in dates.

Week 8: Rachel has 4 assignments to work on this week. She will fill out her weekly

schedule on her whiteboard. Rachel will begin her sessions for each assignment due 8 days from

then at a minimum. Rachel will complete 30-minute sessions for each assignment every day until

it is completed and submitted. Each session will be documented on a whiteboard with a

checkmark under that assignment for that day. She will then reward herself with 2 hours at least

of an activity she enjoys after submitting that week's assignments. Rachel will do documentation

of sessions and assignment hand-in dates.

Chart

Duration of Number of times Number of Number of  Schedule outline

Program sessions were sessions complete assignments on white board
checked off submitted 2 or was completed for
more days ahead that week
of time

Week 1 15/15 15/15  3/3  Yes

Week 2 13/13 13/13  2/2  Yes

Week 3 0/13 8/13  1/3  Yes

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Week 4 0/13 3/13  0/3  No

Week 5  11/12  12/12  4/4  Yes

Week 6  14/14  14/14  2/2  Yes

Week 7  0/12  7/12  1/3  No

Week 8  10/10  10/10  4/4  Yes

Totals 63/115 82/115  17/24  6 yes

2 no

Conclusion

The target behavior is leaving academic assignments to the last minute. The program

needed to prevent procrastination, be organized so assignments can be submitted and started long

before the deadline. It also needed to create a false sense of a deadline to spark motivation. The

program created had Rachel make a 4-week schedule and weekly schedule of assignments that

needed to be started, due in 8 days or more on her whiteboard. She would then work on each

assignment for 30 minutes every day in timed sessions until the assignment was completed. Each

session will be documented by a checkmark on her whiteboard schedule. Although this program

wasn’t followed perfectly, it was proven to be effective in targeting the behaviors prevalence and

all the aspects it needed to include to make it effective. Overall, I would say this program is

helpful to begin the steps towards working on assignments in advance as opposed to leaving

them to the last minute.