Totally agree: if I’m not sure I have all the information I need to work on a task, it’s more difficult to tackle it, especially if like me you’re a natural procrastinator ;)
I found out another cause for intense procrastination is the lack of a goal: if I don’t know why I have to work or something, what purpose it serves, it’s going to be difficult for me to go on. In his book Smart, Faster, Better, Charles Duhigg proposes a solution to this problem.
By defining SMART goals, the productivity on a task can be drastically boosted. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and associated with a Timeline. But although these goals can help you accomplish tasks, they can be quite artificial. You can get stuck by defining easy goals without accomplishing a lot in the end.
This is why Duhigg introduces the notion of stretch goals. They are goals in the long term, such as “I want to run a marathon”, “I want to write a book about improving as a developer” or “I want to finish this project”. Stretch goals define a clear purpose, what you truly want to achieve. It’s when you want to associate them with a concrete plan that SMART goals become useful. You can then define several SMART goals, each one representing a step towards your stretch goal.
Very well said - I'm going to check out that book!
You can get stuck by defining easy goals...This is why Duhigg introduces the notion of stretch goals
This makes a lot of sense. Personally, my goals range quite a bit in size/complexity. I have some stretch goals that span 1 week, some 1 month, some 10 years. But I the same principles apply.
Thanks so much for sharing this!
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Totally agree: if I’m not sure I have all the information I need to work on a task, it’s more difficult to tackle it, especially if like me you’re a natural procrastinator ;)
I found out another cause for intense procrastination is the lack of a goal: if I don’t know why I have to work or something, what purpose it serves, it’s going to be difficult for me to go on. In his book Smart, Faster, Better, Charles Duhigg proposes a solution to this problem.
By defining SMART goals, the productivity on a task can be drastically boosted. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and associated with a Timeline. But although these goals can help you accomplish tasks, they can be quite artificial. You can get stuck by defining easy goals without accomplishing a lot in the end.
This is why Duhigg introduces the notion of stretch goals. They are goals in the long term, such as “I want to run a marathon”, “I want to write a book about improving as a developer” or “I want to finish this project”. Stretch goals define a clear purpose, what you truly want to achieve. It’s when you want to associate them with a concrete plan that SMART goals become useful. You can then define several SMART goals, each one representing a step towards your stretch goal.
Very well said - I'm going to check out that book!
This makes a lot of sense. Personally, my goals range quite a bit in size/complexity. I have some stretch goals that span 1 week, some 1 month, some 10 years. But I the same principles apply.
Thanks so much for sharing this!