I put some in category ‘A’ (must be done tomorrow) and some in category ‘B’ (must be worked on or done in 2-3 days).
I do this because when I sit down at the computer to do work without a plan, I tend to fall flat on my face.
My so called “work time” turns into the not-so-productive “check email time” or “browse Reddit” time; nothing of any importance gets done.
It seems that I’m not alone!
In research by Gollwitzer and colleagues, the subject of “if-then” plans was discussed in relation to how we set and stay consistent with out goals, and the results are not surprising but reveal a lot of insight into how our brain reacts to planning (and even some great tips).
The thing is, researchers found that not only do well laid plans seem to get accomplished more often, but planning for failures along the way (“In case of emergency…”) helps people stay on task under duress.
Let’s continue our diet example from above.
Say you did have that lapse and go over your calories for the day.
Instead of “winging it” and letting your brain crumble to it’s likely response (discussed above), you should have a backup plan ready to know what to do when failure strikes.
This could be something like: “If I go over 2000 calories in a day, I’ll finish the day as close to 2000 as I can, and then the next morning, I’ll go for a 15 minute run as a ‘penance’, make sure I eat an extra healthy breakfast, and then continue the rest of my day as normal.”
You are likely no stranger to feeling ashamed about getting off track, we’ve all been there.
Having those “In case of emergency…” plans help us to have a gameplan in case we do falter, and including a small ‘penance’ like I discussed above can help us get over it quicker.
If you failed on your diet for a day and then ‘punish’ (again, just with a quick run) yourself by running in the morning, you can go about your day knowing that you got what you deserved, instead of sliding down the slippery slope of guilt through the rest of the day.
So remember to include an “If-Then” plan for your next big goal, you’ll be able to beat back your brain’s guilt over slipping up now and then and you won’t have to ever “wing it” in case something goes wrong!
Comments