Making Continued Progress

It is summer, and those of us in higher education IT generally enjoy the extra time to focus on projects.  Most students and faculty are gone from campus, and there are many fewer meetings.

I have really been enjoying having the time to dig into projects that take more thinking time than I often have during the academic year.  However, it can sometimes be difficult to stay focused on making continued progress.

The article "3 Motivational Mind Tricks Designed to Power Progress," by Janet Choi, offers some useful suggestions.  Her three tricks are:

1. Seeing progress boosts your performance.
2. Even the illusion of progress spurs motivation.
3. A lack of progress isn't the end of the line.

I encourage you to read her article for some interesting research, examples, and expansion on these ideas.

For my own part, I know how easy it is to procrastinate when a project seems too large and complex.  I've noticed that sometimes just starting the job, without holding the requirement of finishing it over my head, can help me make progress and get to the goal.  Just starting the job demonstrates to myself that I can make progress.  Choi's article made me realize what a motivator this is.

So next time you are feeling stuck, try starting!  You might be surprised how starting gets to ending more quickly than you had imagined.  And for those really long and arduous tasks, break them into smaller tasks and start the first one.  Then start second one.  Before you know it, you'll be done.