How to Break the Habit of Overpreparation
/‘Success Favours the Prepared’ goes the saying and many of us feel comfort and security in the feeling of being prepared for a task.
But what if you have developed a habit of giving too much weight and time to preparation for work tasks and duties; time that you are taking away from other priorities, work duties, the ability to think clearly or your own well-being.
Perhaps you are reading this and you are…
· Ruled by the list of uncompleted actions
· See anything undone as a stress that keeps you awake at night
· Tend to spend a long morning preparing for what turns out to be a short meeting
· Try to anticipate 100% of contingencies
· Count any unplanned obstacle as a personal failure on your part.
To alleviate worry, you may have developed the habit of overpreparation. Overpreparation can be a well-intentioned tool; a person will develop it to respond to and alleviate worry. While overpreparation can start as an understandable habit at the beginning of a career, like all habits it can be hard to break. It can lead to unproductivity, stress and a devaluing of your time and your self-worth in the long run. Your time is important and you should be aware of how you spend it.
Preparation is defined as the action or process of making ready. This is an intentional act.
Overpreparation can be aligned with perfectionism and a desire to eliminate the risk of failure by preparing for every response. But of course failure allows us to learn and perfection is an impossible standard to hold ourselves to. So instead of trying to eliminate the risk of failure, here are some suggestions to break the habit of overpreparation and to let the more messy side of reality in.
Build your Awareness
In order to change a habit you have to firstly see it, name it and decide whether it is something you genuinely want to change.
A habit was developed for good intentions that served you well at the time. Unless you honour its good intentions you risk hiding it, defending it or protecting it from external judgement. So take a moment to honour it: overprotection was the best response you had in your toolbox at that time. You introduced preparation as a tool in order to alleviate the stress of feeling unprepared. It was successful and so you have continued to develop it. Perhaps however, you have now overcorrected for the stress. The overpreparation which was once your best solution is now the source of issues in your working life and your well-being.
Know your Triggers
What are your triggers for overpreparing?
Is there a fear of being judged by someone and if so, what is the basis for that fear. Perhaps that pattern of fear has repeated from job to job and so it may be more of an internal critic rather than a verified outside threat. Start to explore your triggers, perhaps by writing or meditating on them or by seeking the support of a professional or a trusted manager.
- Know why you are overpreparing
- Know who is triggering you
- Then adjust how you prepare – try setting limits on the hours you spend preparing
- Introduce something else into your preparation routine that eases and alleviates that fear such as a quiet moment on the morning of a meeting
What is preparation? Remember preparation requires a movement of the mind from a comfortable operating zone into a more focused switched on position. You would do best to ensure this happens at the right time: prepare too early and you risk burning out before you get there; prepare too late and you risk over-arousal or overwhelm.
Remember that good preparation involves rest and removal from the situation too.
Break the Habit Gradually
Rather than being forceful, pull back gradually on the amount of time spent preparing.
Track your time – before you change a habit you need to know how many hours of the day you spend preparing. Keep track for one week of how you spend your time and whether you are spending long days preparing for short or minor events. Take stock on what you see on paper: does it clarify things for you about how you spend your time.
Ask someone for help: whether it is someone senior to you for a monthly check in to keep track of your progress with your work; or someone you know and trust who doesn’t overly prepare for work and could share some advice with you. Let them know you are trying to change a habit.
Question Your Outlook
Change your outlook by deciding to prepare for 80% of contingencies rather than 100%. Being overprepared can mean that we are better prepared for reading than thinking. Are you leaving space for creativity and thinking in your execution? Allow your preparation to enhance your pressure decisions, but not to dictate them.
Once you start questioning the “truth” of the value of preparation, try creating a framework and a timeline, so that you know in advance what you will focus on and what you will let go. Know your objective and what you want to achieve. If you know your priorities, then you can speak positively to yourself afterwards because you achieved what you wanted to achieve.
Know when to say, ‘I’m prepared now and I’ve done enough’
You can still prepare for flawless execution of small details as a comfort, but aim for a lower threshold, such as 80% instead of the usual 100%. Know and set your limits: and pay attention to how that limit feels for you and what it gives back to you.
Try Under Preparation (just once)
Try being unprepared for something low risk such as a meeting which is typically informal, where you feel comfortable or where others generally do not prepare. See how it goes and take stock afterwards of how you feel. Was there a rush, an excitement, an openness you don’t often feel. Was that a positive or negative experience for you.
Like many changes in habit, you will need to connect with what the change brings you. You may regain crucial thinking time that helps you to refocus on what is important to you and your career growth. Or perhaps there is space for fun in your life thar once seemed out of reach.
Perhaps experiencing the opposite of this habit will help you to appreciate what change can bring you. Perhaps you are experiencing confidence. Perhaps you like that feeling.
The Value of Time
Any given week should promise some quiet time and a break from the working world. Try using that time to contemplate what it would be like to take back some of the attention you give to preparing for tasks when you don’t need to.
Preparation is a future focused act. When you are performing the action for which you have been preparing, bring your focus back to the now, to the moment. Focus on the one small thing in front of you and let go of everything else.
Time is a finite resource and we need to rethink how we spend it.
Sources
How To Stop Over-Preparing (forbes.com)
Being Over-Prepared Is No Better than Being Under-Prepared (andymort.com)
(33) Why The Best Leaders Always Overprepare But Don't Overthink | LinkedIn
Imagery sourced from Unsplash
