The 3 Steps of Coaching Grit Coaching practices inspired by “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance” Upon traveling home to visit my family in China for the Chinese New Year, I read Angela Lee Duckworth’s book “Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance.” Duckworth’s experience of persevering after failure and why some inherently have grit while others don’t resonated with me. However, my biggest takeaway was the practical approach for coaching grit There are many ways to foster grit within a company culture. But there seems to be three ways that I see someone able to coach another to increase their grit. 1) Reveal a calling What is your passion? Unfortunately, many of us either haven’t discovered our true passion or discovered it later than we wanted. Passion is something you need to explore early in your life, nurture in all actions and develop over time. It certainly is not something that you see and know immediately and takes a lot effort to develop into a calling. According to Duckworth, individuals can uncover their passion in four stages: trigger an interest, deliberate practice, find a purpose, and hope with a growth mindset. There are a litany of ways to begin, or trigger an interest. TTI Success Insights’ 12 driving forces assessment can help identify a passion by uncovering the activities someone may enjoy, what they are driven to achieve, and what they are seeking to avoid. You can start revealing people’ calling by asking these questions:

• What activities are you interested in?
• Have you ever done something where time flew by? What were you doing when you lost track of time?
• What have you always loved to do, even since you were a child?

2) Connect the dots Duckworth believes that everyone can work in an occupation that aligns with their purpose. I struggled with this concept, wondering how it could be possible to achieve a large life goal that serves a greater purpose if working on a team that doesn’t precisely align with one’s purpose. The key of life, according to Duckworth, is all about connecting the dots. I dove deep into Duckworth’s hierarchy goal model in the book. The concept is this: after identifying a large life goal, you then identify the strategic tiers and mid-level and low-level goals that can help you achieve the life goal. Take me, for example. I had a childhood dream of becoming a fashion designer and now have an interest in becoming an intercultural coach for Ex-Pats. The common thread for me is that I want to empower others and let them know there are better options in their lives. And I can achieve that each and every day. You can help people who lack grit in their lives connect the dots. Here are a few key questions you can ask:

• How can you connect your daily job to your core value?
• What are you doing now is helping you achieve your dream?

3) Cultivate the behavior Children imitating and emulating their parents. So parents try to stay on their best behavior. The same rules apply for leaders and employees in an organization. Duckworth has a rule in her home that every family member must stick with one activity to practice grit. She practices tough love, offering support with discipline. Coaches, managers and teachers have a lot in common. At the end, you’re bringing forth something. Like a parent, leaders need to show the way, offering support and constraints to help employees grow. To help foster grit among others, you can ask the following questions:

• How can we improve together?
• What is the best way I can help you stay accountable?
• What can I do for you?

Passion and perseverance are not easy. It is difficult to stay the course. But we can easily identify the need of a coach to help foster grit: to bring a person from point A to point B, we must show sincere interest, offer guidance, enable support systems and drive accountability.

About the Author

I came to TTI Success Insights six weeks before conference. After developing a systematic onboarding approach, I embraced my inner anthropologist and learned about the symbols, behaviors, and individuals at TTI Success Insights. I immediately noticed a tremendous amount of preparation for TTI Success Insights annual conference. Previous attendees described the value of conference as not only a great learning forum, but a monumental experience each year. Despite my methodical approach to learning, I had no idea that #ttisicon would be the richest activity in my first six weeks. Then, I showed up at the Scottsdale Plaza Resort on January 12. I learned about three critical elements of the culture at conference.  

Family Orientation

During my very first screening interview, Rick Bowers told me, “We have a family culture here at TTI SI.” I’ve heard that before in other organizations, so I didn’t give it much weight. However, conference shifted my perspective and clarified the meaning of family oriented. From the moment I attended pre-events for conference, I met people who felt like family members – from big brothers who tease you to wise aunts and uncles who are willing to guide you. Family orientation is the bedrock of this culture and an undeniable aspect of the conference. I lost count of the hugs, pats on the back, and belly laughs. Built person by person, one relationship at a time, TTI Success Insights thrives on the compassion, kindness, and genuine interest in each other’s success. This organization is like no other, where people support one another and invest in one another’s growth.  

Personal Growth

The speakers at conference – holy cow – they blew me away. I walked away from every presentation with golden nuggets to apply in my life, both professionally and personally. One moment stands out the most: During the Hartman panel, Ron Price said “The moment a scientist says, ‘the science is settled,’ he or she ceases to be a scientist.” As a marketer who leverages the scientific method, this profoundly resonated with me. I experienced the best of both worlds – I grew professionally and personally. I’m not alone. About 25% of the attendees who responded to the conference survey said personal growth was the primary reason why they attended conference as well.  

Networking

Our network is filled with the brightest, most big-hearted coaches, consultants, recruiters, and business men and women in the industry. Although I could not meet all of them (there were about 400 people at conference), I did connect with many of them. And I made out like a bandit! I received messages of welcome, desires to partner, and offers to help onboard me. I also walked away with over 50 business cards, 22 scheduled follow up calls, 4 job shadowing offers, 2 books, and a username and password to experience a coach’s products and services. Conference creates an environment of collaboration and generosity where thoughts are shared, ideas are born, and innovation spreads like wildfire. All are powered by the network of Value Added Associates and Master Distributors. I can easily say that conference was the richest and best cultural immersion I’ve ever experienced with any company. That means a lot, because I’ve been around the block. I can’t wait for next year. To learn more, visit TTI Success Insights conference website, where you can learn more about #ttisicon.

About the Author

The four networking rules you should break to connect with others like you’re members of a family The key to growing a successful business is networking. We at TTI Success Insights network a little differently –  we network like we are members of a family, with warmth and human connection. Family connections have staying power and are fiercely loyal. While there are many best practices of networking (see here, here or here), our network of world-renowned trainers, coaches, and recruiters break four common networking rules to connect with others and build long lasting, deep interpersonal relationships. While you may already be implementing family-like networking, here are four ways you can practice:   1. Make the time The rule to break: Move quickly from person to person at networking events The best family members sit down, listen, and repeat what you say, showing empathy and understanding. To strengthen professional bonds, understand another’s business experiences and challenges by taking time and using active listening skills. This simply cannot be done with speed networking. Put it in action: Check your stopwatch at the door. Seek quality conversations, not quantity.   2. Let conversations flow organically The rule to break: Have your list of questions ready At family gathers, people often gravitate to family members who supply a gentle give-and-take during conversation and avoid those who ask questions intensely. Our network uses this fact by having conversation starters in their back pocket, not as a to do list in front of them. They avoid aggressively asking questions of another person in a rapid fire manner. Instead, the conversations grow organically and the relationship strengthens based on trust and mutual respect. Put it in action: Let conversations flow. Be gentle, not intense, during your conversations.   3. Help others first The rule to break: Give and receive Sometimes, to further a family we must help others before ourselves. We find this to be true professionally as well. Put simply, reciprocity does not happen immediately. Coaches, trainers, and recruiters we work with often put others before themselves. Ultimately, they obtain advice, support, mentorship and more opportunities than they had before. This long-term benefit is founded on trust and desire to support those in your network by helping others first. Put it in action: Be altruistic. Expect to not receive an immediate benefit.   4. Connect with non-influencers The rule to break: Connect with speakers and those who are well known At conferences and events, speakers, event coordinators, and influencers are busy. Many people try to connect with these industry celebrities, making each connection attempt less memorable for them. Instead, our network builds strong relationships with people before they become industry famous. It’s like building a relationship as a child with a cousin who grows to become the CEO of a Fortune 500 company. Instead of seeking out industry celebrities, look for non-influencers in your industry who have strong leadership potential. As they rise over their career, they will take you with them. Put it in action: Look for potential, not fame or fortune. There is power in a real, authentic relationships. Restoring warmth and familial social skills when networking can help you to grow personally and professionally over the long term. So at your next conference or industry event, network like a family member and create lasting relationships that will support you throughout your career.

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TTISICon Sneak Peek: On Target Personas + Never-Gonna-Get-Its

  Let’s not waste this precious gift. Each of us has the great privilege of living and working in a world where we have unprecedented influence regarding whom we each are and what we will each become. Choose carefully. Each of us stands on the backs of ancestors who have made much of what we have possible. While I feel immense joy, I also feel great responsibility to get it right. Unfortunately, mediocrity is easy. We tend to do what everyone else does. Use a brand promise to stand out from everyone else.   A brand is a promise. Your brand promise is what to expect from you and your products/services. Your brand is what does or does not differentiate you from competitors. How your clients perceive you is your brand. What is your brand promise to your prospects and clients? What do your clients feel as a result of engaging you? Pure excitement is what I feel when I see an Audi A7 behind me. I have driven several Audi models. they are beautiful inside and out. They are thoughtfully engineered. They are distinctive. Audis are a significant investment. Pure love is what I feel when I hold an iPhone, iPad or Macbook Pro in my hands. These products work well together to create a powerful experience and are beautifully designed. Pure wonder is what I feel when I enjoy a dram of Old Pulteney 21-year single malt scotch. The care I sense in its creation… What kind of human being cares in this manner and what drives them to do so?   My father taught me to be an artisan. My father taught me at a young age that whatever you do, do it extremely well. He taught me the nobility in taking something to a level others scoff at. If you are a mechanic, be an artisan. If you are a custodian, be an artisan. If you stock shelves, be an artisan. Even when no one else is watching you, be an artisan. What matters more than anything is you know the care you put in. The Rainmaker Group identifies, onboards and coaches sales wolves – the best-of-the-best salespeople. We aspire to be viewed as the Audi, Apple or Old Pulteney of sales wolf selection.   What is your brand promise? Do you work with just any client or are you exclusive? Do you chase every opportunity to stay busy? Are you known to be the best-of-the-best in your craft?     Control & Compensation. I love both control and compensation with a passion. I love control over who I spend time with. My team and I don’t want to pursue an opportunity and then regret the time spent with a client. I love to be compensated well for the results we help clients achieve.   The pain of never-gonna-get-its. When I was 4 or 5 I touched the hot pipe of a Harley Davidson. I was a quick learner. It happened only once. Pickle juice helped keep the burn down to a day or two. No amount of pickle juice can overcome a never-gonna-get-it prospect or client. The burn can go on for months or years. I have come to realize the predisposition of some prospects who lack the ability or the desire to appreciate our offerings. We know what the assessment results of never-gonna-get-its look like as well as their job titles. We are doing everything possible to identify and avoid these people.   Choose target personas carefully. Your target personas are your ideal prospects and clients that you are trying to attract. If you love control and compensation and seek joy (avoid pain), you must identify your target personas. Then you must align everything you do and say as congruently as possible or you will not be credible. When considering your target personas, identify:

• Which current/past clients would you most like to replicate?
• What do you love doing/delivering?
• Where can you make the greatest difference and/or profit?

Identify three to four target personas to focus on. Ideally, each will have something significant in common with the others you choose.   Then focus and repel. Focus your branding, your brand promise, your website, your communication and your actions only on your target personas. Talk only to them. Prepare for the phone to ring less often. Repel. Your brand should not be for everyone. Audi is not for everyone. Nor is Apple and Old Pulteney. Repel those who are likely to be a time waste and/or lack the ability to appreciate your value proposition.   I look forward to meeting you at TTISICon. During my session, On Target Personas + Never-Gonna-Get-Its, on Saturday, January 14, I’ll help you refine your brand promise and target personas so that you avoid wasting time on prospects and clients who are never-gonna-get-it.

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Convert Debate Into Dialogue

  The uncertainty and high tensions of our world and political landscape have made us emotionally raw. Everywhere you turn it feels like your fundamental beliefs are under attack and for some even your very existence as a human being. And now we are going into the holidays with many gatherings where you have to interact with those who have opposing views and beliefs to yours. How do you have more effective conversations with friends, family and coworkers when argumentative and verbally aggressive statements are bound to happen? First, let’s talk about why we feel so threatened by these kinds of aggressive statements. In the latest episode of Science of Self® in 60 Seconds, Convert Debate Into Dialogue, Dr. Ron Bonnstetter explains how the brain sees a verbal attack in a very similar manner to a physical attack. Your brain immediately goes into a heightened alert that shuts down thoughtful executive function.  

You vs. Me Debate

Once your executive function shuts down, logical thinking is no longer available to your brain. You become strictly driven by emotions. Can you begin to see how these emotional, knee-jerk responses hamper the possibility of more effective conversations with those around you? When you feel like your conversation has become a you vs. me debate, mental walls go up. Shutting out the other person is your brain’s defense mechanism. Our brain reacts at such high speed and intensity to words and actions that it perceives as a You-Me debate (or as a verbal attack) that a conversation may never move past the initial reactions. How do you convert debate into dialogue?  

We Mentality Leads to More Effective Conversations

Now that you know why You-Me conversations create walls, we need to know how to break down those mental walls. Creating a We mentality in your communication is what starts to build trust. Dr. Bonnstetter shares three ways in the latest Science of Self video to help you foster a We mentality that breaks mental walls down and allows for more effective conversations. You can also become more aware of how others perceive your words and actions. Every person has certain words and actions, based on their behavioral style and driving forces, that evokes a precognitive negative reaction in the brain. When you know more about what triggers your own mental walls, you will recognize it in others and can begin to diffuse the situation to build trust and a We mentality.   Know that you can’t change someone else’s views and beliefs. But, you can reframe how you view these interactions. When we learn more about how we impact each other by our words and actions, we take a big step toward success in business and in life. Make sure to subscribe to the SOS in 60 Seconds channel to receive notification of new episodes. Please feel free to share the SOS in 60 channel and videos with your social networks. We encourage our VAAs and MDs to embed the link to the videos into your client communications – prospect education, newsletters and social channels.

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TTISICon Sneak Peek: The Best is Yet to Come

  There’s no perfect opportunity, there’s only opportunity. What are we going to do with it? That’s the big question that confronts us—the question that lingers in our heads amidst all the options, choices and uncertainties. The Best is Yet to Come. (TBIYTC if you like acronyms) This isn’t a question. It’s a statement. How do we deliver on it is the question? The big question that provokes us as it lingers in our head among all that we know and all that remains unknown. One thing’s for sure, we can’t just sit and wait with our minds full of lingering questions and expect the best course to surface. Opportunity requires action. This is our opportunity, both individually and collectively. It’s not about being trendy nor is it about being comfortable. Truth be told, opportunity often arrives uninvited, requiring us to figure out what we will do with it now that it’s presented itself.   Acting on Uninvited Opportunity As Value-added Associates and Master Distributors of TTI Success Insights, this is about how we respond. It’s about the local and worldwide impact of professionals that engage, challenge and advance—deliberately, decisively and purposefully. TBIYTC is about what came before, where we find ourselves now and where we will go into the future. Each of us, all of us, are facing times of change, of building, of challenge and of difference. Will we be able to look back on opportunity and say “well done”? In order to do so, we must approach our future enthusiastically and without delusion. Be unflinchingly real, authentic, and purposeful. What doors have opened? What doors have closed? What doors have opened and then closed? We’ve got to be all in to be ready for The Best is Yet to Come. Please plan to join me along with our fellow VAA’s and Master Distributors from around the world for the closing keynote at the 2017 TTI Success Insights International Conference. This is where we will experience firsthand what The Best is Yet to Come means uniquely and specifically. Image by: Quimono via Pixabay.com

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TTISICon Sneak Peek: Stop The Vanilla In Your Company and Life

“Wealth is not about having a lot of money. It’s about having a lot of options.” This quote by comedian Chris Rock this is a truth of life. Do you have a strategy to create the options you want in life? Some options to attract in your life could include:

• Spending more time with loved ones
• Developing your interpersonal skills
• Being in Phoenix, Arizona in January to enjoy warmer weather
• Improving your business and your life at TTI Success Insights International Conference

Successful people have options. A successful business provides you options. During my TTISICon session, Stop the Vanilla in Your Company and Life, on January 13, 2017, I will share with you two strategies to help you create more options in your life.

1. First, you must stop selling vanilla ice cream in your life. For an individual, success comes from wrapping your natural behavioral style and talents around a passion in your life. We like to call it your Mint Chocolate Chip. When you are passionate about what you do and deliver it naturally you are going to excel at it and get rewarded for it. Without passion in your life, your natural style is not focused. When you don’t focus on your natural style and what makes you unique, your passion is not enjoyed.
2. The second strategy to create more options in your life is to stop selling vanilla ice cream in your business. The Mint Chocolate Chip in your business is what your organization does better than anyone else in the markets you compete. It is why a customer chooses to do business with you vs. a competitor and pays you more for it. Success for your business comes by wrapping the right talent around your mint chocolate chip and strategy. Without a strategy, your talent is not focused. Without talent, your strategy is not executed.

The really cool part about this concept for entrepreneurs is that your mint chocolate chip in your life often becomes the mint chocolate chip for your business. In simple terms, what you become the best at as an individual becomes what your business becomes the best at as well. So if you are searching for how to differentiate your business, maybe you should first start by defining your mint chocolate chip for your life. Remember, wealth is about having a lot of options. A successful business provides you options. Successful people have options. Do you want more options in your life? Then it is time to Stop Selling Vanilla Ice Cream in your company and in your life. Stop the Vanilla! I look forward to seeing you at TTISICon and my session, Stop the Vanilla In Your Company & Life, on Saturday, January 13, 2017, at 11:30am. Image: ayeletphotography via Pixabay.com

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When was the last time you gave constructive feedback to one of your employees? Have you ever felt like you’re reaching out to them with your words of encouragement? Did they change their work and behavior after listening to you? Ah, that feedback. It’s one of your main responsibilities as a leader. You have to provide it, so your employees will understand their strengths and weaknesses, and they will get better at what they do. It’s a pressuring responsibility, though.

• When you need to give credit for a job well done, you don’t want your feedback to lead to extreme self-confidence and arrogance.
• When criticism is on the menu, you must take care with the way you express it. Instead of making an employee feel bad, you need to inspire them to get better.

Where’s the balance? How can you improve the feedback you give? Try something like this:   1.Clarify your purpose. Why are you giving feedback? You invite an employee to your office. They may come with a smile on their face, but you know they are tense. They don’t know what to expect, so they are getting more and more stressed as you carry on with your long introduction. Instead of introducing them to the feedback with something like: “So, about the last project we did… You were in charge of public relations, and your responsibilities involved marketing and social media management.” Okay, okay, cut to the chase. They know what their responsibilities were, and they know what they did. Start with something like this: “I called you in to talk about the job you did on this project. The point is for both of us to understand the strengths and weaknesses, and do something even better in future…” Be clear on the goal of feedback, and always state it right from the start. It’s always about bringing changes and improvements in the worker’s behavior.   2. Hear them out What’s the worst thing you could expect from an employee who gets feedback? Defensive attitude. People value their own work. If you criticize it, they will try to defend it. The person will either try to explain their point of view, or they will act like they are listening to you, but you’ll keep seeing the anger in their face. If your employee has something to say, hear them out. Maybe the situation was different from the way you perceive it. Maybe this person sitting in front of you wasn’t fully responsible for the mistakes. Maybe they had good intentions, so you’ll both have to discover what went wrong. If they are not talking, but you can notice the defensive attitude on their face, ask: “Do you agree we can do things differently? Do you think my suggestions are okay? What do you suggest as a solution?” Remember: feedback is not a one-way presentation of opinions. It has to come in the form of a conversation.   3. Timing is everything! “I don’t like the job you did with this project. You made the same mistakes last time.” Wait, what? Why didn’t you tell them last time? Remember: the sooner you give your feedback, the better for everyone. First of all, your employees don’t like waiting for hours or days just to find out what you think about the work they did. Untimely feedback is a great problem that leads to ineffective leadership. Give feedback as frequently as possible. You don’t have to invite employees into your office each time, but you can give brief, clear statements that will serve as affirmation, criticism, or guidelines. When you value their performance on an ongoing basis, they will do a better job.   Clear, timely feedback that leaves space for two-way conversation – that’s the recipe for success. Here are the most important takeaways to keep in mind:

• Provide very specific feedback and always explain why the employee needs to make changes in their behavior. Clarify the goal!
• Get their opinion. If they don’t agree with your feedback, hear them out.
• Your feedback should closely tie to the behavior in question. It’s more powerful when you provide it as soon as possible.

Now, take a deep breath. Are you ready to give some feedback today?   Editor’s note: Beyond delivering content internally and by our worldwide network of assessment distributors, we offer opportunities to those who are interested in examining how assessment and talent management solutions impact our decision-making. The opinions expressed herein are the author’s. Image source: Tim Gouw via Pexels.com

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How to Write a Speaker Bio That Sells You + Your Presentation

  You are presenting at a professional conference or networking group on your specialty. That’s great! Next, you receive one of the most dreaded emails from the organizers, “Please send us your professional bio and a hi-res headshot. Also, please keep your professional bio under 50 words.” Panic ensues for most professionals since this is usually needed right away and you have a business to run.   A professional bio is often needed for: your personal or company website; a listing in a professional directory; for articles or blog posts that you write; your social media profiles; for speaking engagements; when applying for corporate boards or the author page of your book. This post will primarily focus on writing a bio for a speaking engagement.   Treat your professional bio as a marketing tool to promote your brand. One speaking engagement can lead to potential clients, future strategic partners and additional speaking engagements.  

Always write your speaker bio for the people you want to attract in your professional life and those who will be attending your presentation.

 

Use these 10 tips to write a professional bio that sells:

1. Introduce yourself. Give your name, title, company name and what people know you for in your professional life. This can also be your biggest accomplishment.   2. What are you known for? Share your expertise or niche. It is more powerful than being all things to all people. When you share your specialty, you give people a specific reason to connect with you. Keep in mind what your target audience would want to know about you.   3. List your most important accomplishments. Once you list your accomplishments, order them by what is most relevant to your audience. The reader will only want to see two or three strong accomplishments that add to your credibility. Show rather than tell by quantifying your results when possible. Think about showing the person behind the accolades.   4. Your story. What personal or humanizing details can you provide that are interesting to your audience? Did you have a life-changing moment or did you overcome adversity to get where you are today? Are any of your hobbies or volunteer work related to your professional image? Choose carefully here, especially if you are only allowed a 50-word bio. Even though being a proud spouse, parent or pet owner is an important part of your story, it is usually best to save these expanded personal details for the about page on your website or blog.   5. Tell people how to reach you. Include a link to your website, about page, LinkedIn profile or customized landing page.   6. Use strong verbs and active voice. This helps build credibility and authority while keeping the focus on your contributions.   7. Your professional headshot. If you don’t have a professional headshot, schedule one immediately. Ask colleagues or friends to recommend a photographer. Your photo helps potential attendees who may become clients connect with you through your bio before your presentation.   8. Write in the third person. Write your speaker bio as if someone else is talking about you. Don’t use “I” statements.   9. Create three versions of your professional bio. Now that you have a draft, edit it down to a 50-word, 100-word and 250-word version of your bio. With minor adjustments, you’ll be ready to send your bio no matter the required length. Even when there is no space limit, always go for a short, succinct bio. It is more powerful and stands out from all the other long wordy bios.   10. Critically read your bio. Ask yourself, “Would this bio make me want to meet me?” “Would I want to listen to me speak?” “Does this matter to anyone but me?” Have a few friends or colleagues read it to give you constructive feedback. Be open to their suggestions of what is unnecessary or missing.    

Here are a few things to avoid:

 

• Don’t use jargon or buzzwords. Resist the urge to fill your professional bio with meaningless industry jargon or acronyms. They only make your bio wordy and boring. Buzzwords like “innovative” come off as fluffy and overused. Your reader will check out and not finish reading your bio.

 

• Don’t use passive voice. It is harder to read and comprehend. Plus, it tends to detract from your authority. Passive voice = form of “to be” + past participle

 

• Don’t send in a longer bio than requested. If the event organizer asks for a 50-word bio, send them a 50-word bio. You put your brand in the event organizer’s hands when you send in a longer bio than requested. Stay in control by sending the correct bio length. If in doubt, send your 50-word version to stand out from the longer bios. Less is more powerful.

  Carve out some time to create or revise your professional bio. You’ll thank yourself the next time you speak at a professional event.    

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Ah, procrastinating at work. When was the last time you procrastinated at work? Did it happen you put off work projects until the last-minute? Don’t hurry up to wear sackcloth and ashes. Experts say that procrastinating at work can be a powerful strategy benefiting a career. Indeed, Rory Vaden, author of Procrastinate on Purpose: 5 Permissions to Multiply Your Time, claims, “Procrastinating on purpose has nothing in common with being lazy or disengaged.” Professor at the University of San Diego, George E. Barrett who wrote Wait: The Art and Science of Delay agrees, saying, “We all are in a constant state of putting something off.” So, what if procrastination isn’t such a bad thing? Working it to your benefit, you can become a more creative and productive individual. To use procrastination for more efficient work, try this:   1) Structure Your Procrastination Stanford professor John Perry shares a strategy able to convert your procrastination into quality time. Its fundamental idea is to stop associating this trait with doing absolutely nothing: “If you’re going to procrastinate, do other productive things instead,” he says. So, to structure your procrastination, make a huge list of tasks you need to complete at work and order them by importance. The most urgent tasks go to the top. In a perfect world, you would do them first. But if procrastination leaves you wrong-footed, start doing something lower on the list. Therefore, procrastination becomes your motivation to complete dozens of other tasks and stay productive.   2) Get More Things Done According to Prof. Perry, “When you procrastinate productively, you knock out worthwhile tasks while you put off the urgent ones.” Your giant to-do list gives a realistic scope of what you need to do but also lets you pick what to do first. As we know, the most difficult thing is to start. But, as Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.” So, once you start crossing tasks off your list, you’ll see what to do next and hence get more things done. The Creativity Research Journal study found that avoiding your work in this way might be helping in other areas of your life. They examined the working habits of the Intel Science Talent competition winners and noticed that efficient procrastinating let them take care of other responsibilities. More than that, procrastination can make unnecessary tasks disappear by giving you an opportunity to reevaluate if they are relevant so far.   3) Work Small If you procrastinate because of your perfectionism or fear of failure, working by small portions can help you start. You might notice that harder bits are more likely to flow after you got going. Working on a project, try to find a so-called halting point to say “That’s it for today.” Stop at a sentence, chart, slide, or whatever you are working on now. Unfinished tasks won’t let you abstract away, and your subconsciousness will continue mulling over creative ways to complete them. Such tactics rely on the Zeigarnik effect and, therefore, kick starts creation.   4) Procrastinating: Delay to Accomplish More Sometimes a delay is the best tactic to deal with time-consuming issues at work. Simply because you can’t ignore certain matters doesn’t mean that you must handle them right now. Ric Edelman builds a context: “When a staff member comes in and says, “Hey, I need such and such,” I say, “Great. Let’s talk about it the day after tomorrow.” Guess what? The odds are high that I will never see them again on that matter because the problem will vaporize on its own. They discover that they didn’t need my help at all.” This delaying strategy will let you minimize interruptions and focus on more urgent tasks. Procrastinating at work also helps to make better decisions. When not sure which is the right strategy or plan for your project, procrastination becomes a savior preventing you from wrong choices. It gives you some time to think about all pros and cons again and be ready to reach a proper solution once the deadline comes. Some use procrastination as a trigger for stress needed to find positive solutions, while others consider it a kind of incubator for thoughts and willfully postpone making a decision to process it first. In his The Adweek Copywriting Handbook, legendary copywriter and role model Joseph Sugarman calls this method of generating ideas an “incubation process.” Think of a problem, then postpone it, and do something different instead. It helps to find the best solution. Sugarman is not alone to support this theory. Professor at the University of Wisconsin, Jihae Shin designed the experiment to prove the most creative ideas come after procrastination. What she did was ask people to come up with business ideas. One group shared ideas once they came, while another group played Solitaire or Minesweeper first. The experiment ended with the procrastinators’ ideas being 28% more creative.   5) Use 30/30 System Unify your procrastination with productivity with the help of the 30/30 system, which is interchanging 30 minutes of work with 30 minutes of relaxing. It’s a good way to trick your brain and start a task you postponed before: you know that you’ll get a reward after doing a little work. As mentioned, the most difficult thing is to start. Once you start, you might not want to take that 30-minute break and, therefore, continue working productively.   6) Find Time for Deep Work Cal Newport from Georgetown University divides work into shallow and deep. Shallow work is that not demanding a high level of concentration, while deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. To use your procrastination efficiently, you might want to organize your deep work. For that, clean your schedule and find the time when nothing distracts you from focusing on work. Otherwise, it will take 23 minutes for you to get back to the task after a distraction. Also, get into a state of flow, which is the full involvement and enjoyment in the process. It will seem like your work is doing itself.   7) Try the 2-Minute Rule James Clear doesn’t give procrastination a chance by using the strategy he calls “the 2-minute rule,” such that “if it takes less than two minutes, then do it now.” This one echoes points 1 and 2 to some extent, but the crucial moment to consider here is the balance. For example, checking emails takes less than two minutes, too. However, reading them every few minutes will interrupt your flow and hurt your productivity. The best strategy would be cutting down the number of times you check emails daily: taking into consideration the University of British Columbia study (checking email less frequently reduces stress), such procrastination can help you avoid responding in a potentially damaging way. Procrastinating is not always your enemy but sometimes the intuition that tries to help you process something before making the rushed decision. Embrace it, and you’ll be able to accomplish more. But don’t put work on the long finger. Otherwise, you’ll have to do nothing but take the very first idea that comes to your mind. Efficient procrastinating at work demands a balance. Editor’s note: Beyond delivering content internally and by our worldwide network of assessment distributors, we offer opportunities to those who are interested in examining how assessment and talent management solutions impact our decision-making. The opinions expressed herein are the author’s. Image: Pexels.com

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