The Behaviour Effect

I was recently at a Customer Service workshop and during a conversation on what we expected as customers,  action within reasonable time frames was mentioned.  One of the ladies in the group mentioned that she is forever procrastinating.  She explained that she’ll read documents or emails any number of times before actually dealing with them or replying.

She reminded me of a suggestion I was once given which helps us measure how mad our procrastination of this type is and motivate us to postpone procrastination and act!

“Draw a black dot on a document or email each time you handle it”.

Simple.  Easy.  Effective?

Well, it certainly surprised me how many black dots appeared on my documents.  It was a visual demonstration of ineffective working. And its surprising the effect that mild shame will have on motivation

Procrastination can cause us anxiety, sleepless night…or put us in a perpetual state of catching up.  There is even evidence to suggest that it damages our immune system.  So my interest is pricked and I will be developing this topic over the next few posts.  First I will ask whether you are indeed a procrastinator, next we will examine why we procrastinate and then we will look at ways we can avoid it.

The reasons why we procrastinate are pushing for attention inside my head at the moment but considering the importance of time management on this very topic….I need to complete a more urgent task….so watch this space for the next post…

Ever been distracted?  What was it that distracted you?  What was the consequence?

It is one of the easiest things in the world to become distracted.  To not pay full attention to what we are doing at any one point in time.  We have other things on our mind.  Something catches the corner of our eye.  We are preoccupied with our preconceived beliefs.  We are not paying full attention because we don’t value the act/action in our schema. This ‘noise’ can have an impact on our behaviour and ultimately our success.

Harry Houdini was a talented escape artist.  A performer who was very concerned with putting on a show for his audience.  It might surprise you to learn that not only was he a magician and escape artist…he was also the first person to fly an aeroplane in Australia, to create a new diving suit, to start a movie company…and he was the man that was so impressed by how az certain Joseph Keaton managed to fall downstairs that he called him ‘Buster’.

You would think that a man with these talents wouldn’t let his guard drop.  His concentration must be complete.  Yet when he suffered from stomach pains, he refused to go to the doctor.  Distracted by  not wanting to let his audience down, keen to continue with his performances.  Then, in his dressing room, a student punched him in the stomach. Houdini had long prfessed his abiltiy to withstand blows but he was not prepared for this one.  He didn’t have time to tense his muscles.  A week later, he collapsed on stage.  Six days later he died from peritonitis, caused by appendicitis and the stomach punch.

The ‘noise’ that distracted Houdini comprised of the desire not to disappoint his audience, his fear of losing his popularity, his keeness not to return to the poor situation of his childhood, his drive, his ambition…his male thoguht processes that told him to ignore the stomach pains, to not go to the doctor…and of course, not paying attention to the student who decided to test the magician’s claim.

What ‘noise’ distracts us from giving complete attention to our actions? How does the ‘noise’ that distracts us impact our behaviour and ultimately our success?

Do you rememeber being told by the teacher in school to sit on your hand and to face the front?

Have you ever wanted to scream ‘Look at me when I’m talking to you!’ to someone who doesn’t appear to be paying attention?

A study by Doherty-Sneddon tells us that teacher interpret gaze aversion as an indication of less understanding, less interest and that the child is no longer thinking about the problem.  They say that this is completely incorrect!

When bombarded with so much visual information, looking away can actually help concentration.  Research shows that encouraging five-year-olds to look away can improve their performance on challenging yet solvable questions.

How do you behave when considering a problem or trying to understand a piece of information?  I know I tend to look up and away from the source when I’m pondering as I find anything in my line of vision distracting.  If someone stops making eye contact with you, what are your assumptions about their thoughts?

Next time you are conveying information, take note of where the recipients gaze is….and be aware of how you interpret it!