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This is the text of a speech I am presenting tonight for Toastmasters entitled, “Procrastination.”

I struggled for a while with the topic for today’s speech, looking for just the right one. The one that would have punch, passion, and practicality. Longer and longer it took until finally it was almost too late. Then it hit me…procrastination. That’s the topic I’ll cover. We all suffer from it at one time or another. The causes are varied but the result is always the same. Tasks are delayed until the last minute or far beyond when would have been best to address them. What causes this? How can we combat it? Is some procrastination good, or is it always bad?

The definition of procrastination is to defer action; delay: to put off until an opportunity is lost. Ironically it is a verb which implies action. So the act of procrastinating is the action of deferring another action. Ugh. By procrastinating you are expending more effort by the time you have completed the task than if you had just gone ahead and done the task.

So why do we procrastinate? The most common reasons gathered by the “experts” in the field are: fear of failure, fear of success, perfectionism, boredom, anger, lack of skills and information, poor health, distractions, and the task seems to large. Walk through these with me for a moment.

Fear of failure is easy enough to understand. People fear being chastised for failing to deliver what is desired upon the completion of a task and as such are hesitant to start it. This can be combated by having a clear understanding of what the end goal is before beginning the task. You need to know where you’re going before you set out on your journey so you know when you get there.

Fear of success seems counter-intuitive. After all, who would be afraid at succeeding at what they set out to do? The fear is derived not from the actual success, but from a concern the standards that will be set for them in the future will be unachievable due to this current success. “They needed it in two days but I was able to finish it in one…now they’re always going to expect it in one.”

Perfectionism. Perfectionists can procrastinate the start of tasks when operating under the assumption if they do not feel they have the time / resources/ skills necessary to complete the task perfectly it should be put off. It is a challenge for these types of people to understand there is often an “acceptable” level of completion as compared to the “perfect” completion.

Boredom. This is tied most often to the task itself. Cleaning out the cat litter. No interest there…put it off for a while. Phew that stinks now. Now you have a vested interest in getting the task done. Dealing with boring or distasteful tasks can be best summed up with the “Band-Aid” metaphor. Give it a yank and the pain ends quickly. Get the task done and over with and the pain ends quickly.

Anger. This one screams passive aggressive behavior. Your significant other has honked you off in some manner and your response / vindication is…I’ll mow the lawn tomorrow. You know it will get under their skin so that becomes your rationale for procrastinating on the task at hand. Dealing with this has nothing to do with the task, but rather the underlying issue. Go kiss and make up…then get to work.

Many procrastinated tasks in the workplace stem from a lack of skills or understanding. The person responsible for the task doesn’t have the skills or information necessary to complete the task at hand, or doesn’t think they do. In either case the underlying fear of telling someone they can’t do the job prevents them from proceeding while also inhibiting their ability to get the help they need to move forward. This is a tough one. You need to have a relationship with someone professionally who can give you the “permission” to find out what you need. It’s a hard pill to swallow, but in the long run it’s usually for the best.

Poor health is a valid reason to put off a task in many cases, but there is often a base reason to why your poor health is interrupting the task at hand. If you dislike mowing the lawn, it’s amazing how often your back can act up. Be conscious to recurrences of the same excuses that prevent you from proceeding with tasks and see if your health improves when you realize maybe it’s not your back but rather you just don’t like to mow the lawn.

Distractions. I was thinking about moving this to the top of the list. In today’s world there is no limit to the number of distractions trying to steal your attention away from the task at hand. Email, instant messengers, cell phones, radios, TVs, YouTube, MySpace, the thieves go on and on. So what to do? How do you defend your fleeting attention span? Set a time and stop the world. If you have a task you know will take an hour, set aside an hour actively. Make a meeting with yourself. Put it on your calendar. Then set the phone to silent, put the instant messenger on do not disturb, and close your web browser. Focus on the task for as long as you can. When you feel yourself bogging down, give yourself permission for a brief (and I do mean brief) distraction before jumping right back in. Your focus can be enhanced by setting a reward upon completion of the task. Finish updating your checkbook at home and earn yourself a half-hour of guilt free time on Guitar Hero. There’s no shame in bribing yourself.

Finally task size. The old saying of every journey begins with a first step is quite true. Any task, no matter how daunting, can be broken down into smaller tasks that are achievable. Experts like David Allen of Getting Things Done fame espouse the “Next Action” method of defining what is the next thing that will keep the task or project moving forward. This is easiest to explain using a practical example. When planning a birthday party for my middle daughter the goal was to schedule a bowling party. There are a number of steps in making this happen, not all of which were able to be done at the same time. Defining the actions and then identifying the “next action” allowed me to keep the project in motion without feeling overwhelmed. The tasks were identify a local bowling alley, call and schedule the party, send out the invitations. The next action was “get the phone number for the alley.” While this seems like an oversimplified task, it actually is the only thing that would prevent the next action “call the alley and set a date” from happening. It’s small enough to be easily accomplished and can be performed with a high likelihood of success.

Procrastination is many things. For most it is a burden, for some it’s a defense mechanism. There are times it is perfectly reasonable to put off a task until later, but often the delay has little in the way of rational cause. It is not the demon it has been touted to be. It is beatable and manageable. If you’re putting something off, take a second and ask yourself why and deal with that issue first…then get back to work. How else do you think this speech got written?

In reading a recent posting from Scott McLeod, I challenged myself with the following question: Which is worse…anger or apathy? Now, let me say up front I have never in 10 years at our school received an angry or direct rebuke of the initiatives we have pursued from the staff or the other administrators. I am thankful for the blessing of our staff in that regard. (I can’t say the same for the commercial world, but we’ll cover those issues another time.)

In the case of a direct, angry rebuke there is typically some motivating factor driving the emotional response. Whether it is an old injury, sense of betrayal, or fear, people can reject change outright in a way far more harsh than would be expected. Those cases can be addressed. People can be “talked down” and a minimum of understanding can be gathered. Notice I did not say their minds could be changed easily. When an argument is emotionally charged it is difficult for them to see the benefits of what is causing them to react so strongly. A technologist can recognize the reaction for what it is and move on knowing well enough there just might not be anything they can do.

It is apathy that causes the greatest challenge for the technologist. Encountering a person who is indifferent to the benefits something new can provide them and their students is extremely frustrating. We begin asking questions such as, “Why don’t they get it? What’s their problem? Can’t they see the value?” We may even reach the stage of assigning our own emotional reaction to their lack of response. “Luddite. They’ll never get it.”

So what do we do? How do we address apathy? I wish there was a magic bullet or secret elixir that could fire the mind and inspire the spirit but alas there is not. What we can do is look for those people who are motivated, those who lack hostility or apathy about change, and assist them in reaping the benefits of those changes. By the very nature of our roles, we have an advantage in dealing with people.

There is an expectation all staff members, whether they be teachers or administrative, are professionals hence the phrase “professional development”. Forced development is not that at all. For perspective, look to the student who has decided there is no value in learning a particular subject. You can force them to sit, to study, and to regurgitate the correct responses, but you cannot force them to apply and benefit from that subject. It is a conscious decision on their part and can only be that. Even with the movement towards teacher testing and other various forms of certification and qualification, you can prove someone knows something but making them benefit from it is a completely separate matter.

As technologists, we can identify those individuals who want to benefit from technology for the good of their students and themselves. We can seek out those administrators who are looking to improve the functioning of their school and assist them along the path. We need to be quick to judge the desire of people; identify those with the fire, those with a spark, and those with dead embers.

You may be thinking, “This is pretty harsh. What about helping everyone and striving for the greater good?” In giving those people with the spark a chance to observe successes and failures you fan the spark to a point where it might well ignite fully. We should never forget our job is to help people with technology, aiding in their success and promoting their growth. Pushing someone where they don’t want to go doesn’t help anyone, least of all them. Be realistic and let everyone revel in your successes.

I’ve been quiet for a long time about this topic but I can’t any longer. Read the posting below and then I’ll comment…

TipLine - Gates’ Computer Tips: [TIPS] STOP! You can’t use Google Maps! What if…

A group of middle school teachers got together to create a cross curricular lesson. Each one would appoint a scribe for the day who would post information to a google map. The basis was that kids were going to “Walk to California” for wellness. They would do laps around the track, adding up the miles they walked and then plotting it on a google map where they stopped at each day. Other areas of the curriculum were involved, as well. Geography. Social Studies. Foreign language. It was going to be all the 6th, 7th and 8th graders building this project. Teachers were primed and ready to go.In steps the tech director who says, “What if someone posts something inappropriate on there - and other kids see it? It’s on YOUR web page!”

Full stop! End of idea. A couple teachers wanted to go ahead with it, offering some suggestions on how to deal with that possibility. No go. It died a quick death.

By the way, that person who raised this fear factor is NOT an educator and never WAS.

Ok, I’m going to take a couple deep breaths before I say this…quietly and calmly:

WHAT DOES “NOT AN EDUCATOR AND NEVER WAS.” HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?!?

Why is it that so many “educators” feel they know all the answers when it comes to the proper way to provide content on a school network. Throwing the doors open wide and casting the students into the world with “guidance” is the best way? How many of these so-called “educators” have stood in front of a board meeting or a parents conference and been able to explain how they are looking out for the welfare of their students with this mindset?

GET OFF YOUR HORSE!

Many tech administrators are caught in the unenviable position of having to enact the policies decreed by the administration and the board and then enforce those policies once they are in place. Many, many times they are not consulted about those policies in advance. There are some out there who have developed a napoleonic complex about their position, but the majority is trying to do what is right and best for everyone involved in using the technology.

Let’s take the question and you answer it…what if someone posts something inappropriate on your web page/blog/web 2.0 gadget of choice and a parent or better yet the press get a hold of it?

Are you ready to defend yourself? You’re going to have to do it outside the educator’s echo chamber and out in the real world. Are you ready to stand in front of your superintendent and say, “Why yes, we could have put in technology to protect the kids, but I thought it was best for them to just learn by encountering things and then we can discuss them.” Naive. Foolish. Irresponsible. There is much to be said for “authentic experiences” but some things do not need to be experienced by children. Period.

We talk about putting the computer at home in a public area such as the living room rather than the child’s bedroom. “We don’t use any filtering at home. I can keep an eye on what they are doing and keep them safe.”

DUH! You’re talking human filters, not technological ones, but it’s just the same. If schools could afford to have a teacher for each student then the technology answers wouldn’t be necessary. If you ever want a little dose of reality as to what’s actually happening outside the protected walls of your own little educational sanctuary, ask your network admin to show you the filter or firewall logs for your school for a week. You’ll be amazed the places your precious little angels wind up trying to go, most often by accident but in many cases not.

Stop thinking because a technology staffer doesn’t have an Ed degree he or she isn’t an educator. This is the 21st. century people. Stop thinking in such 19th. century terms. Many have been working in technology for much longer than the teachers they are trying to support. On top of that they are self-directed, continual learners and trainers. Teaching does not change nearly at the pace that technology does. A teacher can go for 20 years without changing and becomes “seasoned.” A technology person who doesn’t change for 20 years is “unemployed.” Try working with them rather than demonizing them for doing the jobs they’re paid and mandated to do. Without them and the protective/preventative measures they take on behalf of the entire school rather than just your batch of interests you’re able to have technology that was just dreamed of 10 years ago.

Gloves are off…comments are open. Let me hear you.

Donald Latumahina over at Life Optimizer wrote a great piece about the book Fire Them Up! by Carmine Gallo on becoming a company’s “Chief Inspiration Officer.” Coming off the energy and power of EduCon 2.0 I thought I’d try and take Donald’s ideas and focus them on how we can become “Inspirational Technology Teachers”.

1. Feed your enthusiasm. As technologists we’re already inspired to use technology in the classroom and appreciate the short term and long term benefits. Unfortunately we can be dragged down by the setbacks of administrative paralysis and challenge, apathy, and resistance to change. You need to constantly feed your enthusiasm with examples of people who are pushing the envelope and challenging the status quo.

2. Lead. Be a trail blazer. Show the people around you the path is not impossible, the bar is not too high, the obstacles not insurmountable. As Joyce Valenza says, “Be subversive.”

3. Sell the benefit. Gary Stager at EduCon 2.0 said, “Education should be shamelessly self-promoting.” I’m not going to go that far but I do agree with the idea that people cannot choose what they’re not aware of. (Another paraphrasing of Gary…man’s a quote machine.) Help people understand the problem what you’re about to suggest will solve or the direct educational benefit of the technology before you ever discuss the technology itself. For example, “So you want to have your students work on a document together? Excellent. Let’s talk Google Docs…”

4. Show them. Technology doesn’t often translate well to intangible descriptions. If you’re trying to motivate someone to try something, have an example of it similar to your end goal to put in front of them. If you want them to try podcasting, have some good podcasts handy to listen to.

5. Involve others. There’s no such thing as a parade of one. You need to find at least a couple of others who share your vision and can help you walk the walk and toot the horn.

6. Be happy. There will be challenges, difficulties, and obstacles. We recognize that. Don’t dwell on them. Reiterate the goals and benefits and celebrate the little successes as you move along. Watching your first self-produced UStream video can be a very cool moment.

7. Reinforce and repeat. Commit yourself to their successes and make sure the world knows when they win. Help them repeat those successes and over time it will become a self-fulfilling prophesy.

The world is full of nay-sayers and doubters. Take the other side. As Adam from Mythbusters says, “I reject your reality and substitute my own.”

How to Become a Chief Inspiration Officer | Life Optimizer

Marc Fisher - In Cyberspace, Everyone Can Hear You Scream - washingtonpost.com

“It used to be you could have an inappropriate or rude conversation with someone, and it would stay private,” says Ron McClain, director of the Parkmont School in the District and the parent of teenagers in the Montgomery County schools. “There’s a much fuzzier line between public and private now. This is a case where the technology has outpaced our ability to cope with its effects. As parents, we’re way behind.”

In what possible way was the fact of being able to have an ill-tempered, rude, abusive conversation in private a good thing?  Personally I find no fault with the student in this and all with the spouse.  You cannot respond to a student in that way…ever.  It’s not acceptable, it’s irresponsible, and in this case with it being left on a home answering machine, stupid.  What kind of an example is being set by this?  Perhaps the glaring light of the internet will focus now on the correct behaviors and make people think twice before roaring off on their own emotional tirades when students are involved.