Cognitive restructuring
'Cognition' is a word used to denote a thought or belief, and 'restructuring' involves challenging a cognition by looking at the evidence for or against it. The basic idea behind cognitive restructuring is that thoughts themselves are not facts; you need to consider whether the thoughts you are having are true and to consider whether there are any other ways to thinking about a particular situation. At first this can be a real challenge: we often believe what we think and don't question our own thoughts. However, often our thinking is biased, and with perfectionism it can be biased towards thinking too negatively and harshly about yourself.
The importance of taking breaks
The second misconception you will tackle is that working harder means a better outcome.
Working hard involves dedicating more hours of your day to certain tasks and spending fewer hours on unrelated activities in the attempt to improve performance in a focused area. Working hard, in this way, equates to the quantity rather than the quality of hours spent.
As a result, working hard and working effectively become separate goals. To work hard, you need to put in maximum effort without actually maximising your output. To work effectively, however, involves dedicating time to deliberate and focused practice whilst also allowing time for rest.
​
In order to maximise productivity, time needs to be used in an effective and structured manner. This means certain hours of the day are allocated to practicing or improving in an achievement-based activity, but outside of these hours time is used to effectively recover.
​
The human mind and body are not designed to work at 100% capacity for long periods and pushing these natural limits can cause fatigue, muscular strains, brain fog, and an increased chance of making mistakes.
Think of the ad campaigns you see for road safety: drivers need to take breaks every two hours in order to keep up their concentration behind the wheel.
​
Watch this video for further explanation
Structuring your time gives your brain the best chance to stay fresh and focused on an activity but cuts down on the time available to engage in counter-productive behaviours such as procrastinating or overthinking a piece of work. For this experiment, you will need to complete a schedule and record your productivity over multiple days.
Here's the golden rule: You don't need to plan every activity for your day. Your schedule should include some down time or 'flexible hours' at least every two hours. Time for you to enjoy a book, chat with a friend, have a power nap, binge a little Tik Tok, whatever helps you unwind. Having a schedule doesn't mean you need to fill every hour. It means you've dedicated certain hours to certain tasks, even if that task is to relax.
​
'Intuitive scheduling' is better still, that is, schedule yourself around your natural body clock. If you are restless and lively about mid-morning, schedule a break or some exercise then. If you feel like you hit your peak focus at 6pm, schedule in an hour of homework or personal development. A routine which works around when you intuitively feel alert or tired will be much easier to stick to then one which feels like a constant effort.