My esteemed friend, colleague and coach Angela Lauria recently said, the #1 reason people don’t write the things they dream up, is they’re not sure if it’s going to be worth doing. Why bother?
This got me thinking… because I’m sure Angela was talking from her experience with her 450+ writing clients over the years. And I wondered if there was research to back up what she observed.
The #1 reason we don’t “bother” pursuing dreams is we’re not sure if it’s ever going to be worthwhile.
Is that your experience, too? What is that Very Important Thing you wish you were doing? And why aren’t you doing it? Is it the uncertainty? The lack of clarity? Do you wonder if it will ever be worthwhile?
Researchers have devised a mathematical formula for calculating just how much you’ll procrastinate before you buckle down. Wanna know when your procrastination will give way and you’ll be effortlessly productive again?
Let’s see. The equation factors are as follows:
C = how much you desire COMPLETION (i.e. your level of motivation)
S = your expectation of SUCCESS
V = VALUE to you/your life
I = IMMEDIACY of need
D = Your own sensitivity to DELAY (i.e. are you a last-minute person? or a get it done right away kind of person?)
The magic formula is C = S x V / I x D or COMPLETION = SUCCESS x VALUE/IMMEDIACY x DELAY
If your current formula isn’t feeling “magic” and completion does not seem attainable, or even approachable, what can you do to change the equation? You can look at any one factor and try to up its influence on your decision to keep procrastinating…
And, if COMPLETION is your goal on that Very Important Thing in your life, but it keeps not happening, what’s the fix?
C = how much you desire COMPLETION (i.e. your level of motivation) To enhance that motivation, and move toward completion, you need to play with the factors on the other side of the equation:
You can raise your expectation of SUCCESS, by making it easier, making a plan, getting help.
You can see its VALUE in your life, using a clarifying tool.
If those two factors are enlarged, that will change their ratio to IMMEDIACY and DELAY.
And voila, you’re feeling it, it’s flowing and you’re going!
For instance, I want to lose weight and I keep not doing it. Sound familiar? It’s not just procrastination, it’s active self-sabotage. But why? It’s frustrating, right?
Well, I took my own medicine, and used a creativity tool intended to help you clarify your challenge, called “Why? What’s stopping you?” (Read more about that here.) It helped me clarify the value of weight loss to me and truly changed the equation. I also then felt more hopeful (expectation of SUCCESS) and suddenly, a cloud lifted, and I quit putting it off, quit resisting it. I won (and I lost… weight… if you catch my drift.)
Procrastination is often a strong and overwhelming confusion about “why bother? how could it even be worth it?”and a dash of “who do I think I am? I can’t do that.” Pull apart the various factors in procrastination – Identify what you might be able to shift – and you might see more clearly, feel it more nearly, and undertake it sincerely. Good luck.
If you need help to up your expectation of SUCCESS, contact me. I’m always available to serious writers who need a creative and sympathetic ear. Let’s make this goal attainable.