Assistant Directorat the Sanger Center

Slipping into the Future ...

in this issuelearning

curvethe

fall 2011

The Procrastination EquationWhat Thomas Malthus did for human subsistence, and Albert Einstein later did for cosmic existence, and even Theo Epstein much later did for baseball’s persistence, Pierce Steel has now tried to do for the rational mind’s resistance. In his new book The Procrastination Equation, Steel seeks to derive a universal formula to explain why people choose to procrastinate.

Perhaps, not surprisingly, he believes he has succeeded.

Before revealing the secret formula, however, Steel makes a good case for procrastination being recognized as, at the very least, a character flaw throughout human civilization, citing example after example—from antiquity to the start of the Industrial Revolution, from Sun Tzu to Moby Dick. He, himself, ultimately concludes that procrastination probably came with the advent of agriculture, or some 9,000 years ago (p. 57).

continued on page 2 ...

by Ed Fernandez

A publication for college & university professionals by the Sanger Learning & Career Center at

Procrastination probably came

with the advent of agriculture, or some

9,000 years ago.

lifelearning.utexas.edu

1 ... The Procrastination Equation 1 ... What Movies Say About Our Views of Time 3 ... (Classic) Book Reviews: The Now Habit and The Three Minute Meditator 4 ... Top 5 Tech Solutions for Procrastinators 5 ... Notes from a Career Counselor’s Desk 6 ... Inventory: Your Procrastination Style 8 ... Notes from a Learning Specialist’s Desk13... Time Toolbox: Online Resources for Students14... Sample Handout: Time Black Holes15... Podcasts on Time

Our struggles in coping with and managing the passage of time can be seen in various forms of art. One interesting representation is how our feelings about time manifest in cinema.

Many movies make use of the element of time to tell their story in a creative and powerful way. For instance, Pulp Fiction, Memento, and the recent Inception are a few examples of movies in which time is used as a story-telling device. The characters don’t necessarily manipulate time in the story as much as the writer/director manipulates the order of the story-telling in presenting the plot to the viewer.

What Movies Say About Our Views of Time

continued on page 12 ...

Coordinator of Drop-In Tutoringat the Sanger Center

by Jay Whitehead

He makes an equally compelling case for procrastination being a personality trait rooted in both genetic and neurological functions. Drawing on studies from many different fields and perspectives, he noted the conclusions from one in animal science: “By all appearances, from evidence of brain science to animal studies, the capacity to procrastinate is ingrained in us. It’s even in our genetic code; several studies indicate that about half of most people’s lack of self-discipline has a genetic origin” (p. 52). Steel later adds to that: “Procrastination results from a disconnect in our genetic inheritance, as we now pursue projects and plans that require weeks, months, and years to complete, timelines for which we are motivationally mismatched” (p. 55).

This then was the context in which his research developed.

Now as to the formula and its significance...

Arguing that there must be a way to integrate the many studies about procrastination conducted in a number of fields in the social sciences, Steel applied a model of his own design, TMT, or Temporal Motivation Theory (Steel and Konig, 2006). As Steel describes it, “TMT is a synthesis of traditional, well-established motivational formulations—primarily expectancy theory and hyberbolic discounting—that include time as a fundamental term” (p. 71). Using this as his overarching construct, Steel developed the equation:

With all that said, and it is a lot, what is the significance of the equation? Simply put, it is saying that people prefer their rewards to be immediate, likely, and large while they prefer the punishments to be distant, unlikely, and small.

His trusty formula in hand, Steel then set about collecting studies on procrastination from across a number of disciplines, including psychology and education, economics and finance, sociology and political science. Applying the formula to the findings and analyses of each study individually allowed him to effectively integrate them into a new coherent, collective dataset, a whole definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

The Procrastination Equation (continued from front page)

The Learning Curve

In the environment where we evolved, we drank when thirsty, ate when hungry, and worked when motivated. Our urges and what was urgent were the same. When we started to anticipate the future, to plan for it, we put ourselves out of step with our own temperament, and had to act not as nature intended. We are hard-wired with a time horizon that is appropriate for a more ancient and uncertain world, a world where food quickly rots, weather suddenly shifts, and property rights have yet to be invented. The result is that we deal with long-term concerns and opportunities with a mind that is more naturally responsive to the present. With paradise lost and civilization found, we must forever struggle with procrastination (p. 60).

2

‘‘ ‘‘Motivation = Expectancy x Value

Impulsiveness x Delay

The higher the expectancy, the more desirable the task/choice

The worth associated

with the task/choice

How desirable a

task/choice is

Sensitivity to delay, impulsiveness is the number

one correlate to procrastination

The shorter the delay, the more highly valued the task/choice

lifelearning.utexas.edu

3

Anything worth putting off is

worth abandoning altogether.

- Epictetus

The editorial board’s first planning meeting for each new issue of The Learning Curve is always fun. The theme for this issue – time in general and procrastination specifically – generated a lot of possibilities. As we narrow down both topics and specifics, we concentrate on developing articles that will directly benefit career and learning assistance professionals; we also hope that you’ll consider the information useful for the students you serve.

We decided that a review of a book on procrastination – something we felt everybody could relate to, and something that directly impacts any conception of time – would make a good addition. However, would that be completely, um, boring? What might we pair with such a book to provide

a related, but different, perspective? Thus, this review considers The Now Habit (Neil Fiore, Ph.D), written more than 20 years ago and still considered a classic, and The Three-Minute Meditator (David Harp, M.A., & Nina Smiley, Ph.D.), first published in 1990 and now in its 5th edition.

The overarching theme of The Now Habit is that we don’t always procrastinate and that there are in fact many activities in our daily lives (including our work lives) that we do without hesitation – even with pleasure. Fiore suggests that we procrastinate not out of laziness, disorganization, nor even character flaw, but out of fear: we fear being imperfect, we fear impossible expectations, and we fear not finishing. Taken in total, we fear failure. The failure we fear is not task-related, but the possible ultimate threat to our self-worth and self-identity. Fiore defines procrastination as “a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with

(Classic) Book Reviews:The Now Habit and The Three-Minute Meditator

Coordinator of AppointmentTutoring at the Sanger Center

by Pamela Way, Ph.D.

This is the methodology of meta-analysis.

Meta-analysis, while not exactly new, has recently gained new cultural popularity and even academic credibility through books such as Freakonomics by Steven Levitt and Stephen Dubner, wherein an economic calculus was applied to all kinds of authoritative research findings, only to blow the subsequent “conventional wisdom” right out of the water.

And Steel’s efforts to meta-analyze procrastination specifically has much the same result. For example, the “conventional wisdom” generated by prior research had been that perfectionism is at the heart of procrastination. Steel was able to empirically prove that, not only does perfectionism not correlate with procrastination, in fact, it is directly opposed. Instead, the most important—and statistically significant—correlation was with impulsiveness, with “boredom proneness” and “distractibility” also showing strong connections. “Scores of studies based on many thousands of people have established that impulsiveness and the related quality traits of low conscientiousness, low self-control, and high distractibility are at the core of procrastination” (25).

This is both the beauty and the utility of meta-analysis. It allows us to test what we know (or think we know) to determine whether it is true, correct, or factual.

It is also a research model whose time has come. For surely with the convergence of the exponentially increasing amount of knowledge and information on both individual and collective human behavior being generated, with the exponentially increasing capacity of computers to process and extrapolate from that knowledge and information, humans are now in the position to empirically verify—or disprove—our assumptions and the conventional wisdom about how and why we do what we do.

And the reiteration of that by this work is, perhaps, its most significant contribution. •

continued on page 10 ...

The Learning Curve

4

1. Anti-Procrastination AppsThere really is an app for that! Want to find out just how much of a procrastinator you really are? Download the “Procrastinus Procrastination Quotient Quiz” and see how you score. Need help staying on schedule? Try the “Procrastination Hack” timer which sets off ringers to keep you focused for 10 minutes of work, with 2 minute “procrastination” breaks in between. Or, take it one step further and purchase “Put off Procrastination,” an iPhone app that provides a 39 minute self-hypnosis audio program with binaural beat frequencies accompanied with an e-book examining procrastination from a neuro-linguistic programming perspective.

2. Freedom software (macfreedom.com)Can’t resist obsessively checking your favorite web sites when nearing a big deadline? For a mere $10, Freedom will lock you out of the Internet for an allotted amount of time. Cheaters are required to re-boot their computers in order to get back on the web, which is hopefully just enough of a nuisance to keep you focused on your work.

3. Noise reduction headphonesDoes eavesdropping keep you from getting things done? Do the noises from your favorite study spot keep you distracted? Put on a pair of noise reduction headphones and keep your attention focused where it should be.

4. RescueTime (rescuetime.com)Sometimes the cold, hard truth can be the ultimate motivator. RescueTime tracks your every online move and provides revealing graphs to show you where and how your time is being spent in cyberspace. Just how much time are you spending on Facebook, anyway? Here’s one way to find out. According to their web site, RescueTime recovers nearly four hours of productive time per week per person.

5. The egg timerEven your kitchen timer was considered a technological advance in its heyday. Set one for ten minutes and get to work! It will be break time before you know it.

Technology certainly makes procrastination easy these days. In fact, when a wasted afternoon is only a mouse click or finger swipe away, productivity can be an uphill battle. No matter what your culprit - Facebook, Twitter, or a quick game of Angry Birds – there’s probably a solution out there to help keep you in line. Here are our top five favorite technology solutions for procrastinators, ranging from the serious to the downright silly.

Top 5 Technology Solutions For Procrastinators

Outreach Coordinatorat the Sanger Center

by Laura Weingarten

lifelearning.utexas.edu

5

There comes a time in every student’s life when she arrives at graduation and asks, “Now what?” One career counselor shares her perspective on the many ways recent graduates spend their time after graduation, and how their post-graduate exploration may lead them down unexpected paths.

I am a big fan of the unconventional career path. Even the term “career path” can seem misleading, conjuring an image of a linear journey from one point to another. But there is more than one right way to get from point A to point B, and sometimes C and D. My own career journey has taken me through a variety of twists, turns, roadblocks, detours, and surprising discoveries. I understand how the presence of multiple correct answers can be both exciting and overwhelming. As a career counselor at The University of Texas at Austin, I have processed this frustrating and yet exhilarating journey with many students.

These conversations take the form of preparing for graduation, but can evolve into different questions. Juniors and seniors often seek guidance when approaching the end of their tenure as an undergraduate student. I have noticed several themes in my own conversations with students about this time of life. These are the most common: students researching jobs and graduate programs that might fit their interests and values; students discovering that they are not prepared (academically, financially, or emotionally) for graduate or professional school; students wanting to go to work immediately in their chosen field but feeling unsure of what to do next; and students who know what they want to do next, but are considering taking some time off (a gap year) between graduation and embarking on graduate/professional school or their work life. For students considering a gap year, the desire to travel often plays a significant role, and we discuss options like teaching overseas, the Peace Corps, or Americorps.

I also frequently find myself talking to students about their Plan B’s, and other alternate directions. It is important for upcoming graduates to consider what directions they might pursue in the event that they cannot attain their short term goals, change their minds about career direction, or otherwise disengage from their previous goals. This process can be rife with anxiety and fear of the unknown for many students, especially if the goal is a long held one. Researching the available options for work or continued study in a new area can seem a daunting task, but it is one that is made easier by increased knowledge of oneself.

Notes from a Career Counselor’s Desk: You’ve Made it to Graduation - Now What?

Good grades plus incredible

internship do not always equal the

dream job

“ “Clarify your ideas and

goals, but also satisfy your curiosities. If a career sounds even a little bit appealing, learn more about

it. And if you discover an interesting job or internship posting, apply (you are not

obligated to accept.)

Think in positive terms as you consider possibilities. Ask yourself “how you can”

rather than convincing yourself that “you can’t because...” Every experience is a

chance to grow, and contributes to your “toolbox” of transferable skills.

Be prepared for unexpected “lucky breaks” and chance encounters. Update

your resume on a regular basis.

Keep learning, developing skills, and following up on chance opportunities.

Keep an open mind, as often as possible. You never know what

interesting opportunities might come your way!

make the best use of

serendipity:

Career Counselorat the Sanger Center

by Laura Pelton-Sweet

continued on page 9 ...

In the process of self-exploration, students consider:* Interests – What subject areas fascinate you?* Personality – How does who you are help and challenge you?* Values – What is important to you (helping others, financial security, creativity, etc.)?* Skills – What can you do well?* Professional Identity – Who are you striving to be in the work world?

Students approaching graduation also need to consider the value of serendipity, sometimes referred to as planned happenstance. For many, this sounds impossible. How can you plan for the unexpected?

Aren’t we all conditioned to accept the belief that a successful, satisfying career is the result of careful planning and preparation? This may be true for some professions, but many others take a less predictable path (like my own, from theater costume designer to web developer to counselor.) Some of the best opportunities in life do not follow a pattern or a formula, especially in a challenging job market. Good grades plus incredible internship do not always equal the dream job. But serendipity is a reminder that the dream job might actually be a different job than you planned for.

Identify your procrastination type and learn to manage it

6

The Learning Curve

• Recognize & respect your personal limits.• Rank your priorities in life and post this list somewhere.

Make choices about your time in accordance with this list.• Incorporate time to relax into your schedule—and learn

to enjoy it. Don’t feel guilty about taking time for yourself.• Focus your thoughts on how to gain personal control,

rather than how tasks control you.• Learn to say “no” to tasks when appropriate. Try each day.• Envision life as an adventure in making choices, not a

struggle to do everything.• Make daily to-do lists based on true priorities.

• Focus on what’s realistic rather than what’s ideal; work toward excellence rather than perfection.

• Seek support from others before you’re under too much pressure.

• Deliberately make a mistake each day.• Make to-do lists with tasks that you can break

down into individual steps and can actually complete on a given day.

• Commit to rewarding yourself for setting and achieving realistic goals.

• Admit that you choose what to do with your time; work on self-acceptance skills.

� It’s difficult to begin a task because the thought of getting every detail perfect is overwhelming.

� Once I’ve started a task, finishing it is hard as I want every detail in place.

Perfectionist

} � Many tasks

seem risky or unnecessary.

� I prefer to stay in my comfort zone and avoid change.

Worrier

} � I feel that I work best

under pressure.

� I enjoy the rush of working under a deadline on a task that might otherwise seem boring.

• Strive for moderation: avoid speaking and thinking in dramatic, emotional language.

• Remind yourself: you may not be interested in a task until you start.

• Identify motivators for a task and use them rather than using stress.

• Keep a record of your “crises”: what triggered them, how you reacted.

• Create deadlines for yourself as a way to use your natural adrenaline rush to complete tasks earlier.

• Regularly engage in activities that will give you an adrenaline rush –play competitive sports, go out with friends, or take up a new hobby.

Crisis-Maker

}

Inventory: Your Procrastination Style

(Adapted from “It’s About Time: the 6 Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them” by Dr. Linda Sapadin with Jack Maguire, Penguin Books, 1996.)

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lifelearning.utexas.edu

Over-Doer � I find it difficult to

prioritize and say no to other demands on my time.

� Sometimes I take on too much and then procrastinate on one task for the sake of completing other tasks.

}

� Abstract thoughts are more pleasant to think about than the real-life actions that need to be taken.

� I find it difficult to plan details and/or to follow through with a task.

• Try to differentiate between dreams that are vague and goals that are specific and measurable.

• Make your dream into a goal: define what, when, where, who, why, and how you will complete it.

• Keep a to-do list and assign yourself a few tasks each day.• Use an alarm or timer to remind you when to get to work.• Schedule time for creative daydreaming.• Plan out projects and tasks in writing.• To counteract mind-wandering, get active—explain

things aloud, teach the material to someone, or tackle a small part of your project.

Dreamer

}

� Many tasks seem like an unfair or unnecessary use of my time & energy.

� I prefer to maintain control over situations and retain a sense of individuality.

• Rank your priorities in life, and devote your energies accordingly. Post this list somewhere.

• Reflect on the ways you could potentially respond to a task before acting.

• Be aware when you’re choosing defiance. Ask yourself whether long-term regrets are worth short-term pleasure.

• Strive to act, rather than react.• Learn self-calming strategies.• Own up to your actions—especially if you did not

complete a task you agreed to.• Choose one task every week that you will complete in your

own way in order to satisfy your need for individuality.

Defier

}

• Learn to make realistic judgments about the time and effort required to complete a task. Ask a friend for help, if needed.

• Remind yourself that choosing not to make a decision about a task or action is itself a decision.

• Don’t allow “what if” thinking to take you out of action.• Break down tasks into manageable parts to reduce

anxiety.• Every day, do at least part of one thing you’ve been

putting off because you’re uncomfortable about it.• Consider the aspects of a project that are exciting to you,

rather than just the challenges.

Inventory: Your Procrastination Style

(Adapted from “It’s About Time: the 6 Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them” by Dr. Linda Sapadin with Jack Maguire, Penguin Books, 1996.)

Inventory: Your Procrastination Style (continued)

I have a dark secret, but I suspect it’s shared by others: sometimes, when I’m talking to a student, I think, “I totally didn’t do this in college. But you should.” Sound familiar? Get more sleep, start assignments earlier, make time to exercise, find a study buddy – hah! My college days were filled with thrilling, intense conversations interspersed with isolated studying in an attic room. Last-minute writing sessions began at midnight, my marathons were all of the movie type rather than the running type, and the whole was experienced through a haze of sleep deprivation. Given that I had a reasonably successful outcome, including graduating on time, I have struggled with a basic question about time management as enacted in schedules and plans: why?

The truth is, if you put things off until the last minute, but are really, really good at estimating how long something will take, it is not called “procrastination.” It’s called “getting things done on time.” Add to the mix a good ability to evaluate risk, and maybe a bit of thrill-seeking behavior, and you have what I like to think of as an expert procrastinator. It’s a very difficult package to give up. The expert procrastinator is actually reasonably successful. He or she sees others apparently working harder for the same results, leading to a persistent sense of great potential. But tapping that potential requires hard work and close alignment of goals with actions, which in turn generates some uncomfortable questions. How great do I really want to be? What if I work hard but turn out to be only a bit better than I am now? Where am I even going?

Unfortunately for the young expert procrastinator, progressing through college means encountering tasks that are increasingly challenging or lengthy, requiring more developed executive functioning. Term papers, portfolios and group projects become flashpoints for recognizing deficiencies. A learning specialist like me can introduce more efficient, effective ways to plan and accomplish, but the underlying narrative about success still persists.

We each have many processes we use to accomplish tasks, and most of our productivity is achieved by a mix of formal systems and ad-hoc responses. Think of the difference between planning a big presentation and planning a birthday party. Our choices about time use are made with reference to underlying goals and values, but many times those choices are unconscious ones. It feels like the TV show just “drew you in,” but you are actually choosing to watch instead of choosing any of a myriad of other activities. Part of confronting “time management” is bringing one’s own values to the surface, and becoming aware of those choices as they are made.

Some of us expert procrastinators manage just fine. Others, like me, realize the need for alternative processes – at least for some tasks. After all the planning and scheduling, I still found myself procrastinating. Below is how I convinced myself that I didn’t have to be a procrastinator, expert or otherwise. Reader beware: these things take time and practice. Your results may vary ...

Notes From the Learning Specialist’s DeskHow I Convinced Myself to Stop Procrastinating

8

The Learning Curve

Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.

- Douglas Adams

Coordinator of Peer-Led Undergraduate Studying(PLUS) at the Sanger Center

by Kate Walker

A stitch in time saves nine ... or does it?

If I’m not a procrastinator, who am I? Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today… unless it’s ok to put it off. Procrastination is not always a problem, but sometimes you have to find other ways to do things anyway.

Clarify the choices you are making“I could make an A in this class, but I’d rather get a C than skip an hour of TV tonight.” That is the implicit choice being made by some students– repeatedly. Articulate that choice and you create the opportunity to make a different one. Whenever I get that guilty, “should” feeling, like I might be procrastinating, I state my choice out loud. Hokey, but clarifying.

Process or product – pick one of them to loveI was a slacker until I read my early elementary school report cards: “Kate struggles with counting/the letter R/naming colors, but she is such a hard worker.” Wow – I’m a hard worker. It says so right there. Back in kindergarten, I loved the process of working at school. In contrast, a colleague of mine recently repainted all of her kitchen cabinets. She did not love the process, but the overwhelming satisfaction of having a crisply painted kitchen vastly outweighs the misery of sanding in the heat with mosquitoes whining around. You have to love either process or product, and if you don’t… revisit your goals.

Stabilize your lifeI love spontaneity – but I rarely spontaneously think, “Gee, I really feel like writing an article.” Somehow, it works much better to think, “I’ll write from 10 to 12, then go to lunch.” That plan is itself only realistic because it is extremely likely that I will be awake, at a computer, and not hungry when 10 a.m. rolls around. As a college student, those factors aligned in my life about once per week – no wonder I had a hard time following a plan! Now, I eat the same breakfast every day. It may not be exciting, but I can guarantee that my intentions for the morning won’t be disrupted by the need for a snack. In the same way, maintaining consistent habits regarding sleep and recreation has a supportive effect on any plan you may make for work.

Get serious about your relaxationVery few of us derive profound happiness and satisfaction from channel-surfing. So why not take a few minutes to reflect on relaxing activities that do have a strong positive effect? For years, I kept a list of “really relaxing” options posted over my desk. These types of lists are highly personal. Recommendations I’ve seen from other people always seem to include such virtuous choices as “repaint the kitchen” or “clean the bathroom sink.” Mine tended toward “lie on sofa with eyes closed” and “read something really funny.” If you’re channel-surfing, you are already taking a break, so make that time work for you.

I continue to jump back and forth between these elements. But I hope that through a close look at my process, you have the opportunity to reflect on your own – and maybe help your students be more successful in aligning their plans, their goals and their actions.

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lifelearning.utexas.edu

In its essence, career exploration is identity exploration. Who am I? Who do I want to become? What sort of impact do I want to have on those around me, or the world? These are big questions, with sometimes complicated and confusing answers. There is rarely one “right” answer, but there are ways to make finding the answers easier. Understanding yourself (interests, skills, personality, and values), your environment and how you fit into it, your current academic and professional options, and your available resources (both financial and emotional) will help you to make a choice that best fits your goals.

•

Notes from a Career Counselor’s Desk (continued from page 5)

•

- Polish writer, Stanislaw J. LecPeople find life entirely too time-consuming.

Fiore calls this

PERSISTENTSTARTING ,the idea that all tasks, small and large, are accomplished by a series of starts.

starting or completing any task or decision.” Therefore, in a nutshell, procrastination serves to temporarily relieve stress.

We first need to review our positive and negative patterns of procrastination by keeping an inventory of how we spend every waking minute for at least three days. For tasks on which you do procrastinate, jot down your attitudes about the task, paying careful attention to automatic thoughts about the task. The idea is to identify which types of tasks foment procrastination and to begin to negate attitudes that lead to procrastination. One way to do this is to replace negative statements (I have to, I must, I don’t have time) with positive statements (I choose to, when can I start?, I must make time). Fiore uses a push-pull metaphor to describe the process: pushing propels us to action through negative

consequences (i.e., punishment) while pulling propels us to action through

cashing in on appropriate rewards, such as working (but really working!) for shorter periods of time.

Fiore also argues that much of the free time that we could have is wasted by procrastination gambits such as watching TV or

visiting the internet. This time could instead be used for quality, genuinely guilt-free

recreation time. This play time provides us not only with – well, play – but with

renewed physical and mental energy for work tasks.

Fiore provides three tools to assist in conquering procrastination-related fears. First, don’t think of the work as a single, huge task, but rather as a process that permits spreading the task’s components out over days, weeks, or even months. The use of a reverse calendar translates this idea into action: start with your end date (i.e., the project’s due date) and then work backwards. For example, I know my boss wants the annual report on her desk by August 30. Thus, I give myself a deadline of August 20 for a final draft; a deadline of August 1 for compiling the necessary statistics, etc. I schedule these small deadlines all the way back to today, the day I actually begin work on the report. Converting one task into a series of small tasks

Book Review (continued from page 3) helps with the fear of impossible expectations; additionally, it gives you a sense that you – not someone else – control the project. Second, embrace the idea that worry is appropriate and necessary. Worry alerts us to potential danger, which can provide the impetus for developing action plans or contingencies. Finally, start. No – start now. Fiore calls this persistent starting, the idea that all tasks, small and large, are accomplished by a series of starts. (Recall that Nike has employed their “just do it” ad campaign for more than 20 years!) Along with using a reverse-calendar technique, Fiore suggests keeping an unschedule. This begins as a weekly calendar of those leisure events to which you’re already committed; once these events are scheduled you are able to obtain a clearer picture of the time you actually have available for work (which may be less than you thought). After your leisure activities are noted, use your unschedule to begin tracking your productive work (work Fiore defines as focused for a period of at least 30 minutes). In contrast to other calendar-keeping methods, the “new” here is that you begin with play rather than work; appropriately fulfilling your work commitments gives you permission to participate joyfully in your play activities.

At this point, you might be asking 1) what’s really new here? and 2) what does conquering procrastination have to do with meditation? If your 30 minutes of focused work is sandwiched between 30 minutes of getting started and 30 minutes of stressing about how little you got done, finding a way to work more productively is essential. Flow, a concept first proposed by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi in the 1960s, describes the state of being so fully engaged with the activity at hand that it becomes virtually impossible to engage in thoughts, emotions, or activities unrelated to the activity. Fiore characterizes flow as the bridge between the linear and creative functions of your brain; rapidly entering the flow state allows you to almost instantly fully engage in a work activity. Fiore suggests that the flow state can be entered through a two minute focusing exercise. While he acknowledges that two minutes may seem like an unreasonably short time, he also says, “In my experience with thousands of clients, that’s as long as it takes for anyone with some training in meditation and relaxation techniques.” If, however, you were raised with primarily Western cultures and traditions, you may have little experience with such techniques. And, as David Harp and Nina Smiley suggest in The Three Minute Meditator, most books on meditation are not for the beginning, would-be meditator. In this book, however, Harp and 10

The Learning Curve

11

lifelearning.utexas.edu

Smiley (twins by birth) gently introduce the reader to manageable meditation techniques without minimizing the historical, philosophical, and religious origins of meditation traditions.

One thing that makes The Three Minute Meditator imminently practical is the way it’s organized: you have the choice of reading the book in its entirety, or of just skimming the main points set apart in dialogue boxes; the boxed text is all you need to get started on the road to meditation. Additionally, each chapter concludes with an “in a nutshell” segment, providing a quick overview of the chapter; each step (see below) ends with a “what you need to know” segment briefly recapping the most important elements. In short, you’re able to entirely tailor reading the book to your own schedule and interests.

The book is organized into seven steps, with several chapters devoted to each step. Step 1 provides a theoretical orientation; Step 2, “clearing the mind,” is described as the heart of the book. Other steps introduce more focused meditation techniques such as “watching the mind” and visualization. The book concludes with steps that provide exercises for managing physical or mental pain, cultivating “essential mental states,” such as compassion and non-judging, and “living in the now,” or creating a mindful lifestyle.

Described by Harp and Smiley as the “nuts and bolts” step, in Step 2 you first learn how to clear the mind – how to rid yourself of the thoughts that get in the way of mindfulness, or, more critically, that perpetuate imagined fears. Next, you’ll encounter a variety of simple meditations. As their focus is on practice and consistency, which means doing the exercises several times a day (remember, you’re only talking about three minutes at a time!), it’s important to find a meditation that’s right for you (for example, you may prefer to meditate to music, or even while walking!) and that’s simple enough to easily integrate into your own life circumstances. You’ll learn what to do when things go awry, such as self-critical thoughts or other mind-wandering during meditation. Of particular practical use are the concluding chapters of Step 2, which focus on how to use meditation in your everyday, real life. You’ll learn how to use meditation to mitigate troubled interpersonal relationships, how to avoid “dead end” thoughts (thoughts that serve no useful purpose, and that are generally negative in nature), and even how to reframe evil thoughts about that oh-so-slow cashier at the grocery store.

The Now Habit provides a perfectly acceptable introduction to the technique of meditation and relaxation; more importantly, perhaps, it provides visualizations congruent with work characteristics. However, it de-emphasizes the practice aspect of meditation, which is where The Three Minute Meditator proves to be a valuable resource. If you’ve ever tried a relaxation exercise to help your insomnia (I am feeling very heavy, I can’t keep my eyelids open, etc.) you might remember how difficult it was the first (dozen) times – in spite of your best efforts, your mind continued to vibrate as the clock crept forward. Where The Now Habit gives you one way to approach meditation, The Three Minute Meditator recognizes our individual habits and characteristics by providing the reader with several possible paths to the same destination. I would also argue that first embarking on a three minute plan would make many of the valuable suggestions in The Now Habit more easily accomplished. For example, Fiore acknowledges the importance of identifying the automatic thoughts that accompany procrastination, which, in turn, help identify the “why” of procrastination; he also suggests that the ability to recognize and set aside distracting thoughts is essential to optimal productivity. In working with students we frequently find that their genuine response to “why do you procrastinate?” is “I don’t know.” Entering into a meditative state may help provide the clarity necessary to identify procrastination-related automatic and distracting thoughts.

Both of these books are worth the read, and both offer fairly simple coping strategies for dealing with life’s many challenges. You’ll come away with new ideas, new thought processes, and even new ways to deal with the people in your life. The Now Habit even concludes with the chapter “The Procrastinator in Your Life”; and if the advice in that chapter doesn’t work for you, just meditate yourself back to a peaceful state. •

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There is also a whole genre of movies devoted to time travel, which make time a main character in the plot. Some recent examples are Twelve Monkeys, The Time Traveler’s Wife, and the recent Source Code. Some such as Primer and Timecrimes manipulate time so intensely that it can be quite mind-bending to follow them.

However, we can also look at the ways in which movies comment on time without time being a “tool” of the story-telling or a main element of the plot itself. Instead, in the sense that art imitates life, we can talk about what cinema tells us about the way we think of and deal with the relentless, ongoing clock that we all experience time to be in our everyday lives. In various films we can see examples of subtle lessons for the viewer on how time can be most appreciated. In many instances, these are the motivating lessons that might be summarized as: “Make use of your time, for it is short.”

One of the first that comes to mind is the classic 1984 film A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott, one of many movies based on Charles Dicken’s book of the same name. As many of you know, Ebenezer Scrooge, played by Scott, is a miserly banker, late in age, who is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Future, who show him the consequences of his curmudgeon life. This film utilizes time in several ways to show us what was, is, and could be. It’s most powerful message, I believe, is that we affect others in important ways and that we have the opportunity to change for the better when we begin to live compassionately.

In a similar vein, but with slightly more positive tones, many films will inspire us to go out and be better people right away, without overtly showing us the consequences of an unfulfilled life. An ode by Horace gave us the Latin phrase carpe diem – “seize the day.” This phrase was popularized in the 1990’s with the movie Dead Poet’s Society – which emphasized living your life to the fullest. Robin Williams plays the role of a motivating teacher at a boy’s private school, who constantly supports the students’ development of insight, creativity, and creation and cultivation of one’s passions. He encouraged the boys throughout the movie, bringing forth a main principle of the story—that we should take advantage of each and every moment, and live life to the fullest each day. In a cruel twist of irony, one boy’s pursuit of his passions conflicts with his parents’ conservative lifestyle, resulting in the boy losing his life. While this story is again, not specifically about time, it is easy to see how it comments on the fleeting nature of time—that we should enjoy all that life has to offer ... for tomorrow, we may die.

The Learning Curve

In a way, a mix of these two previous examples is a sub-genre of films that I call “The worst thing that I ever did was nothing.” In these films, we see that inaction, due to either intense bitterness, lethargy, or overt fear, has caused the main character to squander some portion of his or her life. As the movie progresses some impetus causes a fundamental change in the character’s perspective and the resolution develops when the character chooses to live in a new, passionate, loving way – as opposed to his or her previous self. In some ways these films reveal what we can all empathize with, and dislike – the consequences of prolonged procrastination. We are all fearful of missing something in our lives because most of us have experiences where we did.

There are numerous examples where in the opening the characters are stuck in the daily grind, forever trudging along until their restlessness forces them to break out of the current state. Fight Club, Office Space, and Groundhog Day are three great examples. In the last example, unless he chooses to “do the right thing,” Bill Murray’s character is stuck in a cycle, repeating the same day over and over as fate itself will not let him continue in time until he makes things right.

However, for variety, I’ll choose an even sillier example for the category of “the consequences of procrastination”: the 2005 comedy The 40 Year Old Virgin. This movie follows the life of Steve Carell’s character who is, as you might guess, a 40 year old virgin. His friends take on the task of freeing him of this burden. In a symbolic representation of his conflict between experience and prudence, Carell struggles with determining the fate of his collection of sealed and preserved action figures from his youth. In some sense, you might say that the audience enjoys Carell’s embarrassment, being glad that their lives did not play out the same way. In another sense, you could say that an audience member might feel that something is missing from Carell’s character’s life, and a feeling of relief and even joy is experienced vicariously when Carell finally finds the love of his life and consummates his love for her. While the comedic premise focuses on sex instead of romance, at least some of the compassion you feel for the main character is from a life lived without the joy (and struggle) that comes from having a partner. While this is a much more light-hearted example, one could make the case that this, too, is a movie about living your life with love for yourself and for others and overcoming the fears that prevent you from doing so.

What Movies Say About Our Views of Time (continued from front page)

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Time Toolbox: Online Resources for Your Students

Aside of the movies explicitly about time or using time to tell the story, we see that many other films suggest subtle things about the way our culture perceives and adjusts to time. The passage of time is not only symbolic of a passage of our lives, our opportunities, triumphs and failures, but time is even in itself the essential construct for measuring change. Many American films have an underlying moral that we should take chances, act in the face of challenges, and be generous with ourselves in acquiring new experiences. Not to say that we should act impulsively or unwisely, but that we may be happier knowing that we tried to change our lives for the better instead of regretting that we never did so because we were fearful of failure. In essence, don’t procrastinate; life is too short for that.

Time is the substance from which I am made.Time is a river which carries me along, but I am the river; it is a tiger that devours me, but I am the tiger;

it is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire.

- Jorge Luis Borges

•

The Sanger Learning & Career Center has a slew of helpful handouts online to help you get things done.

Download these handouts atlifelearning.utexas.edu > Handouts > Time & Goals

Be Strategic with Your TimeTally up how you spend your time and find out how to create a schedule that works for you.

Time Black HolesWhere is all that time really going? Start reclaiming your time to achieve your goals.

Procrastinators: Which One(s) Are You?Identify your procrastination style, and learn ways to manage it.

How To Get Stuff DoneTrace this flowchart to break down big tasks, schedule them, and get things done.

Setting PrioritiesTransform a to-do list from frustrating to finished by prioritizing tasks with the help of this simple matrix tool.

SMART GoalsSet goals that you know you can actually achieve by making them specific, measurable, action-oriented, realistic, and time-bound.

5 Habits of Proactive Students Follow these five guidelines for succeeding in college. (adapted from Stephen Covey’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People).

Monthly & Weekly calendar templatesPrint off these blank templates to make your own personalized time management system.

lifelearning.utexas.edu

Sample handout shown on the following page ...

You

coul

d al

so o

bser

ve y

ours

elf o

ver t

he co

urse

of a

day

or t

wo,

and

tally

wha

t you

find

in th

is co

lum

n.

Big problem

Often a problem

Seldom a problem

Not a problem

Actual tally

Phone calls, texting

Surfing the web, email

Reading (news, magazines, books)

Transportation (traffic, car trouble)

Socializing

Meals & snacking

Errands & shopping

Inability to say no

Family appointments

Looking for lost items

Jumping from task to task

Perfectionism, correcting mistakes

Hobbies

Other:

The following are common problems or time “black holes” that prevent us from getting things done. Which ones affect you?Time Black Holes

What did you find? How can you reclaim some of your time?

Do your time black holes fall into any patterns? Are there things that at first appear uncontrollable, but

that you can actually control? What can you do differently?

discuss

The Learning Curvelifelearning.utexas.edu

14

The Learning Curve

Sample Handout for Students(complete list on page 13)

15

A publication for college & university professionals by the Sanger Learning & Career Center at

Editorial BoardEd Fernandez, Kelly McCoy, Tracy Saenger, Pamela Way, Laura Weingarten, Jay Whitehead

Design & LayoutGoli Zarchi & Tracy Saenger

Director, Sanger Learning & Career CenterAlan Constant

learningcurve

the

lifelearning.utexas.edu

Podcast: “To the Best of Our Knowledge”

Facing Timehttp://ttbook.org/book/facing-timeFeaturing:• “The Clock of the Long Now” – a mechanical clock being constructed in the Nevada desert, and designed to run for 10,000 years.• Research and experiments on time travel being done by some of the world’s leading theoretical physicists.• The terror of time, as experienced by a classical pianist and composer.• How the slowness movement is becoming a revolution.• The Aboriginal concept of “The Dreaming” – an existence with no linear time.

ProcrastiNationhttp://ttbook.org/book/procrastination• Piers Steel, the author of “The Procrastination Equation,” discusses why procrastination is so difficult to manage (see our lead article, too).• Philosophers describe how procrastination is worse than just a bad habit – it’s a vice – and consider whether it can be overcome.• Mark Kingwell describes a chapter on procrastination from his book “Catch and Release: Trout Fishing and the Meaning of Life.”

The Course of Timehttp://ttbook.org/book/course-time• A mathematical cosmologist describes the nature of time and considers the human obsession with clocks.• A novelist reflects on the current state of the world and envisions a grim “end time.”• A theoretical physicist describes his personal quest to travel back in time.

Podcast: “Radiolab”

Timehttp://www.radiolab.org/2007/may/29/• Hear a recording of a baby becoming a young woman.• How the railroads changed our experience of time.• A brief history of clocks that predated the wristwatch.• Physicist Brian Greene and neurologist Oliver Sacks explain the strange and subjective nature of time.• A self-declared independent state that does not recognize GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). • Listen to a few notes of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony that’s played so slowly as to fill 24 hours.

Podcasts on Time: Listen, Learn, LingerHow to spend an hour or two thinking about time(aka how to procrastinate on what you actually need to be doing!)