Reframing your Work

Why It Matters?

Research has shown that our emotional connections to the work we are doing impact how much attention and effort we put toward those tasks. There is a higher likelihood of procrastination when we don’t see the value in the task right in front of us. This lack of connection to the task leads us to prioritize activities that provide a short-term boost to our mood at the long-term expense of our future selves. If a stronger positive emotional connection can be made to those immediate tasks, it reduces the likelihood of procrastination on said tasks.

How do I Reframe the Work Positively to Improve Self-Control?

Consider the following 5 suggestions to build value for your current tasks:

1. Connect the current task to one of your short- or long-term goals. Write down how this task relates so you can see how this is just one piece of your puzzle.
2. Create a visual representation of your goals and place it in your study/work area. This way you have an immediate reminder of where a single piece of homework or time spent studying will lead to.
3. Make sure your study/work environment is filled with positive associations. Think about the sights, sounds, and smells you enjoy to ensure the space you work in has those things around you.
4. Create tangible rewards for yourself for completing a task. This allows you to connect the reward center of your brain to a task you are struggling to have a positive connection to. 
5. For larger projects or exams that need a lot of study time, break the time into smaller, discrete chunks and set tangible rewards for yourself for completing those smaller chunks. This allows you to connect the reward center of your brain to each step of a task or each window of time spent studying.

When Should I Apply These Strategies?

Whenever you feel disconnected from the work for a class or feel that a project or homework has no discernible value to you, it might be best to take the time to find or create a positive connection to the task for the benefit of both your present self and your future self.

Action Steps: 

Identify the class you are currently in where you feel the least connected to the homework, studying, and/or projects. Take the time to apply the above strategies to create for yourself a positive association with those tasks. The more you feel negative or neutral about a task in front of you, the less likely you are to complete it to the best of your ability or at all. As you practice making these positive associations with the work in front of you, you will find more and more value in all of your classes.