I can do it tomorrow.
If I don't do it tomorrow, I can do it next week.
If I don't do it next week, I can do it next month.
Most of us, including me, have what I call a drift list. You may not have a specifically defined list called Drift, although I'm about to encourage you to do so.
Many things: doctor's appointments, presentations to deliver, recurring meetings, the renewal of the Post Office Box, have due dates. Often they can be renegotiated, but the friction involved in the renegotiation makes it easier to just do it. There was a productivity concept a number of years ago that recommended making appointments with ourselves the same way we would with the dentist. Just make the appointment to do something on your list and just keep the appointment.
It emerged, the problem with making appointments with ourselves the way we would to meet a friend for lunch, is there is no friction involved with negotiating with ourselves. No one to contact, no one to disappoint, no loss of social capital. I thought I was going to do this today. I can't do it today. I'll do it tomorrow. Next week at the latest.
Maybe you've been in a bar with the sign, "Free beer tomorrow."
If you have a well regulated life, you're not reading this post. Every now has a thing to do. When that's completed, there is a thing to do with the next now. Your life is one thing at a time for every now at a time.
My life, and the lives of those of you I know, have more uncertainty than that. Things take longer than I thought. Projects take unexpected turns. A thunderstorm knocks the power out. A police officer asks to see my licence and registration. My flight is delayed. I miss my flight that left on time because a police officer asked for my license and registration. I planned to do something this morning; have time to do it; but don't feel like it; and I can do it tomorrow or next week -- at the latest.
Manage drift with metacognition
We can't manage uncertainty. We can make better or worse predictions.
We make better predictions with the grossly underused human superpower, metacognition: our species ability to watch our own brains at work.
Here's an application of our superpower, metacognition, to the uncertainty of doing something in the future.
Pick something off your drift list. Choose something you anticipate will take about 45 minutes, more or less. Do this in full awareness you may not have an accurate prediction of how long it will take. Forty-five minutes is one hypothesis you'll be testing.
Now imagine an upcoming week. When in the next week do you anticipate having 45 minutes to engage this thing with sufficient attention and energy. Let's call it Thursday at 10am.
Now apply your metacognition to the anticipation of doing this thing on Thursday at 10am.
What's your morning been like so far?
What will you be doing just before 10am?
Do you have to prepare anything before you start at 10am?
How will you create a defended space? A defended space means you're going to work in an environment that's as optimal to your attention and energy as possible. It could be a quiet library. It could be a lively cafe because the environment is energizing for you.
How will you keep from being interrupted?
What interruptions will you accept?
Who or what can interrupt you?
What will be competing for your attention at 10am Thursday?
What internal distractions will you have?
What could show up that would cause you to cancel this appointment with yourself at 10am Thursday?
What could cause you to leave before finishing?
Success won't be defined by whether or not you complete the task in the predicted time period.
Success is what you learn by watching yourself try.
Warm regards,
Francis Sopper