To make their jobs bearable, people tend to talk themselves into believing they have more control over their time than they actually do. That sets them up for procrastination. They put off their biggest, most stressful tasks for later in the day, then get burned by fires that inevitably flare up.
That's me. I see the illusory quest for control as one of the most significant cognitive biases for understanding the workplace environment.
Can I just say I’m reading this at work while putting off my important jobs to later in the day? Thank you.
There is growing evidence from psychologists that individuals are happiest when
they give up part of their control to a group.
http://www.mindhacks.com/blog/2009/07/the_wisdom_of_crowds.html
People with happy family life might think, “What’s the gee whiz here?” But the effect does not seem limited to kinship relations.
Barbara Ehrenreich’s last book covers this topic too.
Your readers might want to compare your tips to
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/now-is-everything/200907/10-techniques-successfully-overcome-procrastination
This is an excellent blog on procrastination:
http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/dont-delay
One way to be more productive: stop writing for Money Magazine (zing!).
Regarding procrastination, one thing I found intriguing recently is that people procrastinate essentially to do less work. It’s sort of the corollary of work expanding to fill the time you give it. If you don’t give it any time, you end up getting it done quickly, although at the cost of doing it in a relatively half-assed manner. I like this explanation because it’s so straightforward, rather than relying on odd mental constructs like anxiety, etc. Cause -> effect. Many people don’t like their work much and realize they can get by with minimal effort. Since you can’t leave work if you get things done early, might as well procrastinate and get them done as late as possible.
Does Tyler have any idea how much it hurts for a procrastinator like me to read that he–who accomplishes so very much more than I ever will–accomplishes that while procrastinating?
I mean, that makes me feel like I suck even when compared to other procrastinators. Thanks, TC.
I do find it awfully depressing if I make a special effort to get something done early and then the client or admin decide they don’t want it.
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