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The economy may or not be recovering, but one thing is for sure: the confidence epidemic rages on.

After more than two years of the markets treating us all like my toddler treat his diapers, you could say that people’s confidence is lagging for good reason. But I would also add that our perception of helplessness has outstretched the reality of it.  Harvard researcher, Francesca Gino has recently discovered that we can be just as irrationally under-confident as we are overconfident.

How to Take Back Your Future

One of the easiest ways for us to regain confidence and control over tomorrow is to reinstate what psychologists call “positive illusions.”  These are natural and healthy (albeit sometimes inflated) beliefs about how much power we have over our environment and circumstances. These illusions are what makes a 2-year old who with barely enough balance to walk absolutely convinced he can ride his big brother’s bike.  It’s what make entrepreneurs believe that theirs is going to be the new business that defies the odds and actually turns a profit. It is precisely these often silly beliefs that also keep someone who’s been out of work for months persisting, adapting and finally, succeeding.

Unfortunately, we now know these illusions cut both ways.  Gino’s research shows that negative illusions are every bit as real and pervasive as positive illusions are.  Negative illusions make us feel utterly helpless, even when we actually do possess the power to change things.

The good news is that our brains are hard-wired to support positive illusions–we just need to nudge in the right direction.  In a series of studies, psychologists Shelley Taylor and Peter Gollwitzer have discovered that we can very simply and reliably kick these positive illusions back into action by plotting out when, where and how we intend to complete some task or project.  The beauty is that this process doesn’t just make you feel more in control of the specific task you’re working on, it also makes you feel more in control of just about everything in your life from your relationships and parenting skills to your career and your diet.

Eliminate 3 weeks of Helpless in Under 2 Hours

I know, I know.  Sounds like an infomercial, doesn’t it?  I normally try to steer clear of oversimplified solutions and promises.  But I have used this technique for years and it always does exactly that — eliminates what would have been countless hours of stress by taking less than 2 hours to plan.

1. Write Down your Tasks. Most adults create some sort of a to-do list.  If you have one, get it out.
2. Get an hour-by-hour Calendar Most to-do lists end up causing more stress and more feelings of helplessness than inducing feelings of control, because they don’t include specific time slots for each tasks.  So you wind up with a bunch of things you know you need to do, but have no idea when you’re going to do them.  (Pop Quiz: Do you think that will make you feel a) more powerful, or b) more like a wool sweater in a high-heat tumble dryer?)

   That’s why you need to transfer your to-do list to an hour-by-hour calendar.  I use my Google Calendar, but you could use any digital calendar or paper calendar so long as it shows hours and not just days.

3. Identify When & Where.  Assign a specific day and time for every task on your list.  I usually do this for two or three weeks at a time, because my “tasks” are things like “write a chapter” that can’t really be done in a couple of days. But your tasks might be shorter.  For me, a typical day looks like this:
   • 6-8a — Write 800 words on book chapter at Caribou;
   • 8-12 — Work on presentation for Phoenix
   • 12-1 — Eat lunch at home
   • 12:30-1:30 — Watch the boys (i.e. babysit kids)
   • 2-3 — Go to gym
   • 3-4:00 — Call insurance agent & pick up shower curtain at Home Depot
   • 4:30 — Go home

In a way, you’re tricking your brain into these tasks are already completed and that you’ve got your world under control.  Mentally speaking, you do.  Once you find each task a good home on your calendar, you don’t need to think about them anymore.  You know that when that specific day and time arrives, you’ll take care of business.

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