We all procrastinate. Even the saints. Saint Augustine records in his “Confessions” that after years of sexual hedonism, it was time to return to Christianity. So he prayed to God for chastity and continence: “Give me chastity and continence, only not yet.” (Procrastination with Chutzpah) Although he abhorred his way of living and wanted to change, he kept deferring the change until “tomorrow.”
Procrastination
The deeper I get into the research on procrastination, the more I see Saint Augustine in me ( not sexual hedonism). My wife and I have a photography business and we shoot photo booth green screen sessions. This involves simultaneous use of three major software programs, lighting a twelve by twelve-foot chroma key green screen, radio transmitters between camera and three speedlights, and hooking up the camera to the computer and a display screen.So many “moving parts” that if we don’t practice often, it is almost like starting from scratch on the shoots.
Blogging circa 400
My problem is that I want to use my time researching and writing my blog. This gives my life meaning. It involves reading several books at once and searching through hundreds of internet sites to get a historical perspective and keep up with the latest research.
But our small photography business puts food on the table and pays our bills. And we need funds to constantly update hardware and software to stay competitive.
Present Bias
I have “present bias.” Present bias means putting a high value on the present and a relatively low value on the future. When the event comes around, I pay the piper when something goes wrong. Hitomi has to puzzle through the hangups on the spot.
So she put her foot down and said before upcoming green screen photo booth sessions we would practice at least a little bit every day. Which turns out to be a good thing. Scheduling time to work on projects is a proven way to overcome procrastination. It is definitely working for me.
Salience
She made the our practice sessions up front and salient. Research shows that salience counters procrastination. We put the practice sessions in a time slot on our calendars. It makes it hard to ignore and put out of mind. It makes the event salient.
The daily practices insure I understand the process from a to z. This makes the task easier. One of the reasons for procrastination is we think the task may be difficult. During these short practice sessions we break everything down into manageable parts. I am the one shooting and she is the model. So when we shoot the event, she will not have to do all the work and can focus on whatever is best for the shoot. I feel a lot more competent and independent.
With practice sessions scheduled, I make sure I get in blog time before our daily sessions. The practice sessions are not interfering with my work. I check my calendar each day and see that I am booked for a practice session and I make sure that I get some of my work done before the session.
Self-help books that help:
Total Self-Renewal through Attention Therapies and Open Focus
The Open-Focus Brain: Harnessing the Power of Attention to Heal Mind and Body
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