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Q. I've been working on a big project for a long time.
Although I try to move ahead every day, sometimes I have to
force myself to accomplish even a small task. When I skip a
day, I feel guilty. How can I stay motivated?"
A. When you're working on a book, job search, business
start-up, dissertation, or special project, you can feel
consumed by the project. And often you feel as though you
can't afford to take a break, let alone a day off.
I once heard a writer say, "Sometimes I'm really productive.
I write five pages on my book! Then the next day I'm
drained. So I review what I've written or organize my
research files."
I agree! I resist taking a day off to read a new mystery,
go for a hike, visit an art museum, or watch a season of an
HBO series on DVD. But the next day, invariably, I wake up
eager to work. And I accomplish everything I need to do, and
more.
Frankly, I've never found staring at a blank screen (or
paper, in the old days) does much good. Resistance means,
"Time for a change of pace!"
These beliefs are supported by scientific evidence.
Psychologists who study these up-and-down activity blips
have found a certain randomness operates in human
productivity levels.
For example, an employee "Bill" varied his arrival time at
work. When Bill was late, his boss yelled at him. When Bill
was on time, the boss offered praise.
Sure enough, Bill responded. The day after the boss yelled,
Bill was on time. And the day after the reward, Bill slacked
off and arrived late. So, concluded the boss, praise doesn't
work.
There was only one problem. A computer demonstrated that
Bill's arrival times showed a pattern of random variation.
In fact, the computer could predict quite accurately how
Bill would perform - with or without praise and blame.
The same pattern has been found among students: some days
you learn faster while other days you just don't get it. And
some days you're productive and efficient, while other days
you're sluggish.
If you've studied statistics, you're probably guessed that
we're talking about regression to the mean, which is very
powerful. People usually have an average level of
productivity. When they work hard one day, they tend to slow
down the next.
So here's an exercise. Suppose you have a writing project.
You set a goal: write 500 words a day. For other projects,
find a daily activity level that's easy to observe and
measure.
For the next 30 days, track how many words you write (or how
productive you are in the task you've chosen). Some days
you'll write 1000 words, other days none, with lots of
variation. Each day just record your word count, without
judging your output. At the end of 30 days, calculate an
average. And calculate again after 60 days.
You may find that your natural average is 300 words a day.
You can lower your daily goals - or recognize that you work
best with your random pattern.
Obviously, if you have a deadline, you may have to increase
your output. Professional writers typically write 1000-3000
words a day.
But if you're making acceptable progress toward a goal, you
can begin to understand, accept and work with your natural
rhythm. Regardless, beating yourself up and feeling guilty
won't work. If you're constantly falling behind, maybe it's
time for a change of career - a chance to enjoy marching
your life to a new beat.
Source: http://www.ArticlePros.com/author.php?Cathy Goodwin, Ph.D.
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