The Pressure to Precrastinate in Educational Leadership
Rosenbaum’s 2014 study with university students found that many of the participants had an overwhelming inclination to precrastinate, defined as “the tendency to complete, or at least begin, tasks as soon as possible, even at the expense of extra physical effort.” When instructed to carry a bucket to the end of an alley, surprisingly many participants chose to pick the bucket nearest to them despite having to carry it further. The authors of the study question whether this was a case of “grabbing the “low-hanging fruit” no matter what the cost.”
I have realised that I have a tendency towards precrastination. As I was writing my essay a few weeks ago, I needed to add a few more appendices but I was tired and had been working for too long without a break. I ploughed on, only to return the next morning spotting several mistakes as well as having fresh ideas to add. Frustrated, I redid them at the expense of around two hours of extra work. Like the participants in the study, I was trying to decrease the load on my working memory, ticking off my to-do list despite the future work it would cause me. And deep down, I knew it was not the best idea. I just let my feelings of discomfort guide my decision-making.
When researching school leader well-being, one of the factors that contributed to stress was being interrupted when in the flow of important work (Mahfouz, 2020). Many times as a school leader, I would stop what I was doing to address an interruption even if it was not as urgent or as important as the work I had been doing. Often I replied to emails or messages knowing that I could answer them later and that it would take me considerable time to get back into the flow of the previous task. I also tackled my to-do list with precrastination - my energy is best in the morning but I would begin with the items that were quick and easy to tick off, leaving me with the harder and more meaningful jobs for later in the day when my energy levels were starting to flag.
The pace of schools and the urgency we can feel to improve the student experience or to gain resolution on issues, may lead us towards precrastination. As well as expending additional energy ourselves, there is also a danger that precrastination as a school leader could increase the labour and effort of others. This is represented in the waves of popular initiatives that can be taken on in education only to be discarded as they struggle to have impact.
As with all aspects of human behaviour, there is nuance - there may be times when precrastination serves us. Maybe we need to free up some mental space - perhaps the low hanging fruit is worth the extra cost. But maybe if we put on the brakes and slowed down some educational decision making we could save ourselves and others some of the effort and labour expended when we move too quickly.
I would love to hear your thoughts - is there a problem with precrastination in education or is this quick thinking and decision making vital in our current world?
Below are three ways I am going to tackle my tendency towards precrastination.
Notice how I react to work interruptions, pause and make a considered decision about where my energy should go
Minimise the chance of those interruptions by turning off notifications when working on something that may take time or require concentration
When looking at what I need to do, ask myself would any of this benefit from a pause and if so practice sitting with the uncomfortable feeling of leaving things undone
If you would like to find out how coaching can support you in pressing pause and gaining clarity on your best next steps as a school leader, then send me a message.
Mahfouz, J. (2020). Principals and Stress: Few Coping Strategies for Abundant Stressors. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 48(3), 440–458. ERIC. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143218817562
Rosenbaum, D. A., Gong, L., & Potts, C. A. (2014). Pre-Crastination: Hastening Subgoal Completion at the Expense of Extra Physical Effort. Psychological Science, 25(7), 1487–1496. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797614532657
