John Chaffee, PhD. Creating A Thinking World
with John Chaffee, Ph.D. @www.thinkingworld.com


Procrastination: Solving the Problem
steps to success

Some people are better problem-solvers than others, not because they’re more intelligent, but because they have mastered better problem-solving abilities. The approach to solving problems described in The Thinker’s Way is versatile and powerful, and you can learn it without difficulty. Included below is a brief overview of it: let’s see how it applies to procrastination.

Step 1 Accept the Problem


No problem can be solved until we acknowledge that we have a problem and then commit ourselves to solving it! This is especially true in the case of procrastination. People either don’t take the problem seriously or make only half-hearted attempts to solve it. Until we reach the point where we really want to solve this problem, little will happen. Strategies for "accepting" the problem include:

  • Formalize your acceptance with a signed document that expresses a clear, unambiguous commitment.
  • List the benefits of solving your problem to help you envision an on-time life for yourself.
  • Create a worst-case scenario that imagines the dire effects of your not solving your problem.


Step 2 Locate information about the problem


You can’t solve your problem in an information vacuum. Procrastination is a weed that’s deeply rooted: if you don’t pull it out by the roots it will simply grow back. Here are some strategies for helping you do this:

  • Ask -- and answer -- key questions that help you analyze your problem.
  • Analyze the history of your problem by tracing its origins and evolution.
  • Identify what’s preventing you from solving the problem so that you can overcome these constraints.

Step 3 Define the problem


We often have difficulties solving a problem because we misidentify the heart of the problem. For example, people often believe that they procrastinate because they simply need a schedule or because they don’t have enough time. In reality, the causes of procrastination are much more complex. Strategies for defining your problem include:

  • Identify the results you are aiming for in order to clarify what is really the issue.
  • Identify component problems which often constitute the larger problem.
  • Analyze the problem from different perspectives to overcome your limited view of the problem.


Step 4 Identify many alternatives


People typically identify only a few, standard alternatives for solving their problem, when the best and most original alternatives are never even contemplated. When people try to tackle procrastination their thinking is usually limited to "make a schedule" or "set my watch ahead." Try to identify at least 10 alternatives for solving your problem (in The Thinker’s Way I identify 35 alternatives). Don’t worry if they seem farfetched or impractical: that’s often how we end up with truly original ideas. Here are some strategies for discovering many possibilities:

  • Discuss the problem with other people in order to gain fresh and objective perspectives.
  • Brainstorm ideas with a group of people with the express purpose of generating as many ideas as possible.
  • Research books and articles that are devoted to your problem rather than trying to "reinvent the wheel."


Step 5 Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative.


After using your creative thinking abilities to generate many alternatives, the next step is to you your critical thinking abilities to evaluate the viability and practicality of each alternative. Which ones will work best? To overcome procrastination, you’ll likely find that some alternatives are more likely to succeed than others. The best way to perform this disciplined evaluation is to create a chart that insures all of your alternatives are thoroughly analyzed in terms of pluses and minuses.

Step 6 Decide on a solution


While there is no simple formula to tell you which alternatives to select and implement, but working thinking through your problem as you have been doing will likely make certain alternatives standout as potentially effective. You can also use the following strategies to guide your deliberations:

  • Compare alternative with your original goals in order to achieve the most promising match.
  • Synthesize a new alternative which combines the best qualities of several options.
  • Try out each alternative in your imagination which enables you to "pre-live" the alternatives to determine the most promising.


Step 7 Monitor your solution


Most solutions to problems are provisional in the sense that your ongoing experience will inform you if your decisions are working or if they need to be changed and modified. For example, you may discover that while your efforts to deal with procrastination have met with some success, you need to "fine-tune" them in order to achieve greater success. Here are some strategies for evaluating your solution:

  • Write an evaluation which encourages an organized and thorough evaluation.
  • Get other perspectives in order to secure a more objective evacuation of how your alternatives are working out.
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