I
hear it all the time from clients, "help me with my procrastination."
This article by the "Indian Jones of Positive Psychology" Dr. Robert
Biswas-Diener, puts a whole new spin on the philosophy behind procrastination.
Are you a true procrastinator - OR - are you just an incubator? Read more to
learn more......
Are
you a procrastinator or an incubator?
By Robert Biswas-Diener, Oprah.com
February 16,
2010
As a
university instructor, the close of each academic term is always the same for
me: I get a flurry of apologetic e-mails from panicked students who have put
off their homework and term papers until the last possible moment. They beg for
an extension.
Procrastination
is a phenomenon that is familiar to everyone, even outside of
academia. Who really likes to wash laundry, balance checkbooks or fill out
complicated tax forms? Most folks put these activities off in favor of more
pleasant pastimes like socializing, going out to eat or reading a good book.
Procrastination
is the result of having very little motivation for a boring or unpleasant
activity and it is something everyone experiences. The real problem is that
procrastination can sometimes overshadow a hidden strength.
Incubation
is not procrastination
I once
coached an extraordinary young man, whom I'll call Mark. Mark was at the tail
end of his training at a prestigious medical school. When we met on a Monday of
his last week, Mark told me he felt the stress of a number of weighty
assignments, all of which had pressing deadlines.
He had
only a handful of days to write applications for internships, turn in final
papers and secure letters of recommendation. It was a tremendous amount of
difficult work to be completed in a short period of time. Mark asked me to
check back with him midweek to crack the whip and make sure he was still making
progress on his work.
When we
spoke again on Wednesday, Mark had fallen into a deep funk. Not only was there
no progress, but he had frittered away hours in meaningless pastimes like
downloading music and walking in the park.
Mark
uttered the all-too-familiar phrase, "I am such a
procrastinator!" He vilified himself for checking e-mail, having
lunch with his wife and other activities that appeared to be in the service of
avoiding his more pressing tasks.
Something
about the word "procrastinator" just didn't fit with what I was
seeing. Here was a young man about to graduate from an elite medical school
with a flawless academic record extending back into his middle school years.
My
instincts told me that it was not a lifetime of chronic procrastination that
led Mark to his current situation. On a hunch, I asked him a crucial question,
"When you get around to completing your work -- and we both know that you
eventually will -- how will the quality be?"
My
client seemed taken aback by the question. He answered with confidence, a
single word: "Superior!" I realized, in that moment, that there
may be a subtle but important difference between the "back burner"
mentality I saw in my client and the traditional way a procrastinator works.
Procrastinators
may have a habit of putting off important work. They may not ever get to
projects or leave projects half finished. Importantly, when they do complete
projects, the quality might be mediocre as a result of their lack of engagement
or inability to work well under pressure.
What
Mark presented was something qualitatively different: a clear sense of
deadlines, confidence that the work would be complete on time, certainty that
the work would be of superior quality and the ability to subconsciously process
important ideas while doing other -- often recreational -- activities.
I
realized I was looking at a strength, one I called "incubator." When
I shared this term with Mark, he felt as if the weight of the world had been
lifted off his shoulders.
What
does incubation mean?
One of
the greatest difficulties with identifying an incubator is that they often look
like procrastinators. People with both work styles tend to put off work until
the last moment, and both seem to be best motivated by external pressures such
as deadlines.
Importantly,
people with both work styles are likely to be hard on themselves and consider
themselves lazy.
In a
pilot study with 184 undergraduate university students, we were able to isolate
specific items that distinguished incubators from the rest of the pack.
Incubators were the only students who had superior-quality work but who also
worked at the last moment, under pressure, motivated by a looming deadline.
This
set them apart from the classic "good students," the planners who
strategically start working long before assignments are due, and from the
procrastinators, who wait until the last minute but then hand in shoddy work or
hand it in late.
For
most incubators, having a label that is less pejorative than
"procrastinator" can be a breath of fresh air. Incubators tend
to be bright, creative people with an amazing gift to work hard under pressure.
As such, they can be very dependable in work situations that require
last-minute changes or tight deadlines.
The
other side of this coin is that they can be frustrating to work with because
they appear to sit idle for so long. For incubators, it can be as helpful to
appraise friends, family members and co-workers of your natural work style so
the people around you can adjust their expectations accordingly.
Setting
realistic expectations for yourself can let you off the emotional hook as you
appear to waste time, solid in the knowledge that your projects will be
completed when they need to be.
My
former coaching client, Mark, actually built in "incubation time"
during which he could watch movies, listen to music or other goof-off
activities, knowing that -- below the surface -- his mind was preparing for
work and that he would snap into action when the time was right. As for my
students requesting extensions for their term papers, they should have planned
ahead!
Are You
an Incubator? Use the scale below to answer the following questions:
4 - Perfectly describes me
3 - Describes me somewhat
2 - Does not really describe me
1 - Does not describe me at all
A. _____ I always get my work completed on time.
B. _____ The quality of my work is superior.
C. _____ It takes a looming deadline to motivate me.
D. _____ When I finally get to work, I feel highly engaged.
E. _____ I surprise myself by moving into action at the last
minute.
F. _____ I do my best work under pressure.
If you scored a 20 or higher, you may be an incubator.
Dr. Robert Biswas-Diener is on the editorial boards for the
Journal of Happiness Studies and Journal of Positive Psychology and is the
author of "Practicing Positive Psychology Coaching, Happiness: Unlocking
the mysteries of psychological wealth" and "Positive Psychology
Coaching."
