We’ve all heard of procrastination—the artwork of laying aside till tomorrow (or subsequent yr) what may very well be carried out at the moment. However have you ever met its hyper-enthusiastic cousin, pre-crastination? As an alternative of lounging on the sofa whereas deadlines loom, the pre-crastinator is busy answering emails seconds after they arrive or carrying a heavier load of groceries simply to keep away from a second journey.
Coined by psychologist David Rosenbaum and colleagues in 2014, pre-crastination is the tendency to sort out duties as quickly as doable, even at the price of additional effort. Why do individuals pre-crastinate and is it as heroic because it appears?
The Science of Doing Too A lot, Too Quickly
Think about you’re standing in an alley with two buckets: one near you, the opposite farther away. That you must select one to hold over the end line on the finish of the alley, however which one would you seize? Logic says the farther bucket—you’d save effort by carrying the heavy object for a brief distance. However most individuals, in Rosenbaum’s unique bucket experiment selected the nearer one, choosing an extended carry. They wished to clear their psychological to-do record, as quickly as doable. Welcome to pre-crastination in motion.
Extra current research launched a artistic twist to understanding pre-crastination by so-called double-response response time duties. In these experiments, contributors had been required to make two sequential choices for every trial. The primary response was made rapidly, whereas the second allowed for potential reflection and revision. Researchers measured the time and accuracy of every response to uncover the dynamics of decision-making. The outcomes had been putting: Contributors constantly spent extra time on the primary choice, prioritizing cautious consideration, and barely revised their preliminary alternative. This sample of behaviour highlighted a robust choice for resolving cognitive duties upfront, minimizing the psychological effort required to revisit choices later. Moderately than performing impulsively, as one would possibly anticipate, contributors demonstrated a deliberate effort to “assume first, act as soon as,” a defining attribute of pre-crastination.
Why Do We Pre-crastinate?
Analysis exhibits that pre-crastination stems from a deep-seated need to scale back cognitive load. The cognitive load-reduction speculation means that our brains crave readability and order. By tackling duties early or making choices upfront, we liberate working reminiscence for different calls for and keep away from the psychological pressure of juggling too many unresolved choices. One issue influencing this behaviour is self-control. People with larger self-control are extra inclined to provoke duties sooner—not out of impulsiveness, however to alleviate psychological litter and regain focus. It’s much less about dashing choices and extra about creating a way of psychological calm. For instance, you would possibly ebook that trip months forward, even when it means lacking out on a last-minute deal. Consider it because the psychological equal of Marie Kondo-ing your life—clearing the litter to spark somewhat cognitive pleasure!
Pre-crastination vs. Procrastination
Whereas procrastination is the villain of missed deadlines, pre-crastination could also be a misguided superhero. Positive, it feels productive to complete issues early, however generally that “productiveness” results in inefficiency. Contemplate submitting a venture draft too quickly, solely to comprehend it wanted extra polish—or, as researchers found, selecting to hold the nearer bucket and exhausting your self within the course of.
A couple of pointers might assist to maintain your inside pre-crastinator in examine:
- Pause Earlier than You Act
If pre-crastination is your go-to mode, practice your self to pause. Take a second to contemplate whether or not dashing by the duty will prevent time or create additional work. - Chunk Your Duties
Breaking bigger duties into smaller, manageable chunks can scale back the cognitive load with out sacrificing effectivity. As an alternative of dashing to complete all the things, give attention to finishing significant sections. - Study to prioritise
Not all duties are created equal. Develop a behavior of prioritising based mostly on significance and impression. Pre-crastination would possibly make sense for fast, low-effort duties, however huge choices deserve considerate deliberation. - Use Your Calendar Properly
Unfold your workload throughout the week. Pre-crastinators usually front-load duties, resulting in burnout. A balanced schedule helps keep vitality and focus.
Whether or not you’re a bucket-carrying pre-crastinator or a persistent procrastinator, take a second to replicate in your private tendencies (however not too lengthy). The candy spot doubtless lies someplace within the center: act when it’s time, wait when it’s sensible, and keep in mind that clearing your psychological litter doesn’t imply overloading your bodily or emotional self.
