On Strike Against Procrastination
By Lena Yudina
Procrastination can hit anybody, and once you feel it ‘knocking at your door,’ it can be challenging to ignore it. We often procrastinate because we are intimidated by the size of our new projects or by some overwhelming agenda for meetings with our colleagues. We might slow down due to a loss of interest in what we do, or because we feel like we’re “not in the right mood” for doing things that we’ve planned to complete. Whatever is the reason, procrastination is not a useful strategy for improving our productivity or for speeding up our success. In the following Interview with Mr. Jeff Kreisler we explored the ways to go ‘on strike against procrastination’, and turn unfavorable circumstances into the opposite.
According to Kaihan Krippendorff, about 70% of employees of established organizations are disengaged at work. That costs the US economy up to 450 billion dollars and lost productivity. On the other hand, effectively handling multiple projects becomes a stumbling block for many independent business owners, entrepreneurs and digital professionals.
How can people improve their productivity and combat the procrastination that often kills businesses and blocks innovative ideas from coming to life? Click To Tweet
With some insights from behavioral science, leaders and forward-thinking companies understand that overcoming procrastination begins with breaking old habits and nurturing new ones. During my interview with Jeff Kreisler, a Princeton educated lawyer turned best-selling author and champion for behavioral economics, we examined traits of human nature and some of the leading research in behavioral science. Jeff Kreisler, the Editor in Chief of PeopleScience.com, shared many strategies within the study of human habit and productivity that prompt people to timely complete their projects and feel good without changing who they are.
Lena Yudina: Question #1
As a female entrepreneur, I often feel overwhelmed with multi-faceted responsibilities of running my media and marketing business, digital magazine, some heavy job tasks, new projects, and various creative agenda items. It contributes to slowing down and putting things off. I’m sure that many of my colleagues and other professionals feel the same way. What behavioral tactics could you recommend to the aspiring entrepreneurs to balance their workday and transform procrastination into productivity? How can busy entrepreneurs benefit from learning new habits?
Jeff Kreisler: Confronting Procrastination
One of the ways to get back on track is to visualize your future and focus on the picture of your final products or completed projects. For example, you can imagine your product sitting on your desk and sense the feeling of accomplishment, happiness, and pride from the completion of your long-awaited project. Another strategy is explained by a popular psychological concept called ‘Implementation Intention.’ This concept teaches how to differentiate between people’s intentions or goals and some actuals steps that they need to make for achieving these goals.
Question #2
Yes, I agree, some experiments have shown that a person’s intentions only slightly boost performance. Some tangible steps and commitment to our planning, as well as visualization, might be a good start in reversing procrastination. In one of your articles you have said: “The more we can make the future defined, vivid and detailed, the more relatable it becomes, and the more we will care, connect and act in our future selves’ interests, too.”
Visualization of one’s future sounds like a meditative ritual or a meditation technique that we can perform at home or work. It looks like an analogy to meditation techniques that are so influential within yoga communities. Did you practice or study yoga in the past? How can people make visualization of their future a habit?
Jeff Kreisler: Visualization
“The idea of visualization did partly came to me from combining what I have learned from my yoga and taichi teachers. I can’t say that I am a guru or an advanced yoga or taichi practitioner, but the science tells that visualizing the future is extremely powerful.
To make visualization a habit, one must remove all the barriers and aim to make visualization automatic. People can try a new practice of announcing their projects or commitments publicly, either to their family, friends, or on social media. Announcing our projects to others gives our plans a push. Once the project is announced, it becomes easier to visualize and celebrate its progress and outcome.
People can also try preparing some material things, and keeping them near, in front of their eyes as a reminder. For example, if someone planned on going to the gym but postponed going there on many occasions, he can put his gym clothes near the bed. In this scenario, when this person wakes up, the gym clothes will gently ‘remind’ him of his commitment. Visualizing going to the gym and wearing these clothes can initially make this person hit the gym more regularly. “
Question #3
Being an entrepreneur often means sharing our businesses with new audiences, whether online, in conference rooms, via podcast, or on stage. Those who are new to public speaking might feel stressed, and they can avoid speaking in front of large audiences. What advice can you give to newbies and business owners who aim to introduce their businesses to different audiences ?
Jeff Kreisler: Speaking on Stage
“Entrepreneurs who are approaching a stage should focus on their products and ideas to sound like experts in their niches. Identifying their strengths and focusing on them will relieve them from unwanted stress and some feelings of stage fright. They should simplify the message, make eye contact, and emotional connection with their audiences through the engaging storytelling and powerful ending.”
In one of his articles, Jeff said that ending a presentation on a positive note is crucial to the success of everyone’s performance. I would say that both the opening and closing lines in his performances are indeed memorable. I asked Mr. Kreisler to elaborate and perhaps share a couple of examples of effective beginning or closing statements. So, continue reading to hear the essence of our dialogue.
Jeff Kreisler answered that “it is hard to give a specific example of a closing or opening line as these statements go hand-in-hand with the context of each particular presentation.” But he specified that the beginning and the closing lines have different roles, and he insisted that everyone who aims to present their ideas in front of the public should know about these differences.
Peak-End-Rule
During our interview, Mr. Kreisler mentioned a psychological concept called the ‘Peak-End rule.’ According to this concept, people judge an experience primarily focusing on how they felt at its peak and its end. Such an effect happens regardless of whether the experience is good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant.
According to Mr. Kreisler, the role of the beginning part of your presentation is to establish trust between you and your audience.Within the first fifteen minutes of presentation, people usually realize if there is a value in it and if it is worth it listening to the presenter’s speech. On the other hand, the ending or closing of your presentation is never less significant. It is the takeaway point for the audience, where your audience can acquire new knowledge and apply this knowledge appropriately.
While structuring your first public speech can be chaotic, knowing these strategies could make your public appearance a blast.
After our dialogue I realized that the best way to beat procrastination is to understand our nature, our intentions, goals, and emotions and act on them. I hope that the insights from my interview with Jeff Kreisler and strategies above will help you feel elated, get you through a heavy workload and achieve higher productivity. Mr. Kreisler described many other behavioral tactics in his blog PeopleScience.com, the home for all things behavioral science, real-life experiences, and organizational business.
Bio: Jeff Kreisler
Jeff Kreisler is just a typical Princeton educated lawyer turned award-winning comedian, best-selling author and a guru in behavioral economics. His second book, Dollars And Sense: How We Misthink Money and How To Spend Smarter – co-authored with Behavioral Economist Dan Ariely – was dubbed one of the Best Business/Personal Finance Books of the Year by The Washington Post, Business Insider, The Huffington Post and more. It has been published in 22 countries so far. Jeff is also Editor-in-Chief of PeopleScience.com, a new thought-leadership platform for applying behavioral science to the modern marketplace.
The New York Times calls him “Delectable,” CNBC says, “Laugh out loud – roaring,” The Washington Post warns that he’s “Hilarious,” and his kids still think he’s “cool.” His first book was the satire: “Get Rich Cheating.” Click on the following links to find out more : http://jeffkreisler.com • http://PeopleScience.com
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