Productivity solutions

Personally, I do not think that procrastination is entirely bad. While we delay the work, we may find out a shortcut or a better way to finish the work in short time. As Aaron Burr wisely said, “Never do today what you can do tomorrow. Something may occur to make you regret your premature action.” Do I really waste something while I decided to put off the work? Could I be productive as well when I am waiting for an idea to come up? – Guang Yang, EEE undergraduate.

Procrastination is not bad in itself. In fact our brains procrastinate for a reason: this may be to gather information, generate ideas or simply because of other priorities. Some people appear to be procrastinating because they are not doing any explicit or visible work, and yet, their brain is actually gathering relevant information and working things out. If during the ‘procrastination’ phase ideas are created, links are made, information is gathered however unconsciously, resulting in a sense of readiness and preparedness and ample time to execute the work, then that’s good. The issue here seems to be about using procrastination as a strategy to delay action/decision to avoid doing something that may turn out to be less than ideal. Procrastination where nothing is done out of fear of doing something wrong, is equal to avoidance. Such procrastination will leave the person having to face last minute pressures, work under unnecessary stress and often delivers less than perfect result. This is not productive. Many procrastinators mistakenly believe that they do their best work under pressure of the last minute. More often than not, they lack any benchmark around work which they did not have to rush. In my experience, when they try to tackle a project in a more planned way, they are amazed at the quality of the results and realise the power of effective procrastination. Only by increasing self awareness and learning about oneself can one make best choices when to procrastinate and how to do so productively.

How difficult is it to discern between a person who is just having trouble staying on point, from a person who may be suffering a lack of productivity because they have chosen the wrong career for themselves and are unhappy? In the latter case, does your coaching strategy shift from productivity development to career advice? – Clinton Cahall, Physics postgraduate.

To discern whether one has trouble staying on point because one is not motivated or whether there’s some other reason for lack of results one has to be really honest with oneself. This is probably the hardest thing to do in my experience and yet also a sign of true strength. Sometimes talking to a learning professional or a coach can help, as confidence features strongly in this equation. For example, a person lacking confidence may self-sabotage without being aware of this. This is done to ensure that their original thinking that they can’t do it turns out to be right. How unfortunate you may think. According to Daniel Pink, author of Drive, there are three characteristics that ensure motivation, or as Daniel calls it, drive. Drive makes people work hard for a result. To have drive one needs to have autonomy to make independent decisions (Example: If I am studying economics it’s because I really want to and not because my parents thought it was a good idea), being able to see/notice one’s skills and mastery grow (Exp: As I have a passion for the subject, studies become a pleasure because I am really interested in what I discover and learn and I become more knowledgeable) and having some certainty that the effort contributes to something larger; a greater purpose (Exp: My studies in material design will help create recyclable fabrics that adjust to people’s mood and are inexpensive). If you can say yes to all three conditions and yet still feel not ‘on point’, then it is possible you may lack specific skills or knowledge to help you realise results. I often find that we all lack specific skills and that’s what’s difficult to face as it requires extra work. Coaching as a developmental intervention does not give advice. A coach helps you find your own answers by working things out for yourself in a similar style to the exercises in my book Get Productive. Sometimes, our thinking can get very muddled, and decisions can be made for the wrong reasons. We all make mistakes but to persist in one is silly. Working with a coach or a mentor can help unravel the underlying causes for how come something is the way it is and help you take action to improve it. So be honest with yourself and then talk to other people whose opinion you value and respect and get to clarifying your thinking. It may also be worth to explore the other attractors that are making you not appear or be ‘on point’. They may well hold the answer to your question.

CONGRATS!

Clinton Cahall has won a signed copy of Dr. Bak-Maier’s Get Productive!