WHY: Students and the NOW Habit

This week, Jason Fitzpatrick at Lifehacker posted a nice summary of Neil Fiore's 2007 book The Now Habit.  Reading with my educator hat on –instead of my productivity aspirant one– I thought about how some of this may be playing out in the classroom, and how it can help shape educator thinking and time management in the classroom.  First some background.

mr c's time this am
© 2010 ben capozzi

Fiore's unique contribution, says Fitzpatrick, is "revolutionary for being the first mainstream procrastination self-help book that focused on helping procrastinators deal with the psychological reasons behind procrastination [emphasis mine] and skipped the lectures on discipline and motivation."  For those for whom "just do it," just doesn't do it, this book may be for you.

I've read a few chapters of the book, and much of what Fiore (Ph.D. in Psychology) puts forward resonates.  Consider his definition of procrastination:

• a mechanism for coping with the anxiety associated with starting or completing any task or decision

 And the three main motivations for why people procrastinate:

• as an indirect method of resisting pressure from authorities

• as a method of lessening fear of failure by providing an excuse for a disappointing, less than perfect performance

• as a defense mechanism against fear of success by keeping us from doing our best

And one additional insight:

Non procrastinators think of procrastinators as lazy and careless, but the reality is that most procrastinators care way too much.  They worry that the work they do isn't good enough (so they put off doing it so they have an excuse for not meeting their own unreasonable expectations).  They worry that the worst possible thing will happen if they don't get their act together...[and are paralyzed by the pressure]

The rest of Fitzpatrick's summary goes into strategies for overcoming procrastination and warrants a read, which may motivate you to read Fiore's original as well.  But I wonder if and how this plays out in the classroom?

close up of a cy twombly painting at the vmfa
© 2010 ben capozzi

Every instructor has known students who dawdle, habitually turn in late work, and/or who do not perform to their potential.  Some may chalk this up to lack of engagement with the material or a crippled attention span, but could these be symptoms demonstrating a reaction to the anxiety of schoolwork?  Consider the high-stakes testing everyone bemoans and the relentless emphasis on something as abstract as a letter grade to indicate the breadth and depth of learning and understanding.  Add to this the tumult of social drama, teen angst, cognitive dissonance, and bodies chemically awash in hormones (and factory foods), and you have an army of impediments arrayed against young people.

Despite these obstacles, or perhaps in some cases because of them, many students still find their way and manage to succeed (both as our myopic and impoverished standardized system defines success and achievement, and beyond to an even greater standard), but student performance as a whole, whether compared to international competitors or against our own ideal calculus, seems to consistently disappoint.  Both adults and kids.  So what can be done?

several large ceramic totems by jun kaneko at the vmfa
© 2010 bencapozzi

Time Management plays a prominent role in Fiore's prescription, which wisely devotes significant attention to tracking and analyzing how we spend our time, plus scheduling healthy play and other beneficial coping strategies.  In the context of the classroom and as pertains to procrastination as an anxious reaction in students, I think a few things educators could try:

1. More Assignments - This may sound counter-intuitive, but one thing from my artistic practice for which I am particularly grateful is the emphasis on generating a large body of work rather than a few precious pieces.  With so many drawings, paintings, sketches, and studies generated over the course of a semester, there is less pressure for each activity to be perfect and more room for each to be what it should be –a learning opportunity.   Skill development takes time and practice.  How often do your students get to practice what they're learning, and how richly do they practice it?  By which I mean how varied and how stimulating; do they discuss challenges as a group? collaboratively solve?  imaginatively share findings?  provide counsel peer to peer?
2. Richer Assessments - Perhaps I'm prejudiced as an art student, but I am a big fan of portfolios to demonstrate learning and understanding.  Consider a collection of research, reflection, journal entries, artwork, stories, discussion, self-generated study guides, multimedia presentations and more as a better reflection of deep engagement with a subject and richer understanding.
3. Assisted Time Management - Be transparent about the structure of class time with your students, explaining the day's agenda so they can see how you budget the allotted time to get things done in class, and try out frequent, low-pressure, timed activities (great opportunities for practice and small group discussion).

What role do you think procrastination plays in student performance?  What are your ideas for managing anxiety in the classroom and creating optimal conditions for student learning, growth, and success?

~mrc