Search

To-do list got you down? Understanding the psychology of goals can help tick things off – and keep you on track

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kim-m-caudwell-1258935">Kim M Caudwell</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-darwin-university-1066">Charles Darwin University</a> It feels like we are living in busy times. According to the <a href="https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/work-life-balance/">OECD Better Life Index</a>, 12.5% of Australians report working at least 50 hours a week, higher than the OECD average. Many Australians are also <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-03/multiple-job-holders-hit-record-high-abs/102679190">working more than one job to buffer against cost-of-living pressures</a>. Psychology has long been interested in our goals – our mental representations of desirable outcomes. Much of this research is on how we form, pursue and attain goals, plus how goals make us feel. Across studies, we see a consistent pattern of <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10902-013-9493-0#Sec34">successful goal pursuit and wellbeing</a>. So, having time to work toward our goals is important. With this in mind, what is the best way to get things done – and how can we get better at achieving our goals, especially when we feel time poor? <h2>Make a list</h2> Most of us approach multiple goals with the age-old “to-do” list. First, you write down everything you need to do. Then you “check” or tick things off as you do them. One reason to-do lists are useful is because we are more likely to remember things we haven’t completed, rather than things we have. This is known as the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E-F1U4bV2m8">Zeigarnik effect</a>. While to-do lists are easy to write, they don’t always work. There are however <a href="https://hbr.org/2021/01/i-tried-4-to-do-list-methods-heres-what-worked">various approaches for to-do lists</a> that may improve their effectiveness. Another thing to consider is the wide range of apps, tools and platforms that can make tasks more fun and outsource mental load. Adding elements of game play like point scoring or competition – called “<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-gamification-could-revolutionise-creative-thinking-in-the-workplace-122852">gamification</a>” – can <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563221002867">help people work toward goals in educational and work settings</a>. Similarly, app-based reminders can help people reach <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2047487320905717">physical rehabilitation goals and form good exercise habits</a>. <h2>Finding your why</h2> Researchers have focused a lot on the psychology of why people pursue goals – and how this affects their approach to tasks. For example, some people want to complete a university degree because they want to get a job. Others may be more interested in developing skills or knowledge. In both cases, there is a desired outcome – albeit with differing reasons. Our goals can be differentiated by who or what is driving them. Goals that feel like our own, and for which we experience a sense of intrinsic motivation, are known as “self-concordant”. These goals represent enduring personal interests, are aligned with values and are positively <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12144-020-01156-7">linked to wellbeing</a>. <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10648-006-9012-5">Goal orientation theory</a> offers a similar perspective. Using the same example, you may study so you score well on a test (a performance goal) or because you want to be sure you develop your knowledge (a mastery goal). Mastery goals tend to lead to <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10869-010-9201-6">better results and self-regulation</a>. <h2>Juggling goals – 4 to-do tips</h2> So, what happens when we have multiple – perhaps even competing – goals, or goals that aren’t so enjoyable? We might want to finish writing a report or assignment, then read a few chapters of a textbook – but also go to the gym and binge a few episodes of our favourite TV show. In such scenarios, psychological science offers some insights into how we might stay task-focused, and on track to tick more items off our to-do list. 1. Beware the <a href="https://www.pwc.pl/en/articles/planning-fallacy-part-I-cognitive-traps.html">planning fallacy</a>. This happens when we underestimate the amount of resources (such as time) it will take to reach a goal. As writer and religious thinker William Penn put it: “Time is what we want most, but what we use worst”. Think through the all the steps and time required to complete your goal. 2. Monitor your progress. <a href="https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/91437/8/3_PDFsam_Does%20monitoring%20goal.pdf">Incorporating goal monitoring</a> into an activity can boost progress. And reviewing your estimations and expectations against your actual times and achievements can be used to calculate a “<a href="https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/estimating-time-for-tasks">fudge ratio</a>” to aid future planning. For instance, you could multiply your expected time on tasks by 1.5 to help buffer against the planning fallacy. 3. Focus on mastery. Self-concordant goals and tasks feel easier, and their underlying tasks may be <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0146167215575730">less subject to forgetting</a>. Tedious but necessary goals (such as doing the dishes or filling out forms) are less intrinsically motivating. This means <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/EBHRM-04-2014-0013/full/html#idm45933122746592">planning, reminders and support become more important to goal progress</a>. 4. Plan for derailments. People vary in their ability to plan and might forget to take a goal-directed action at an appropriate time (this could be one reason the <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/the-streaming-services-winning-the-battle-for-attention-and-the-feature-australians-want/9crrpafgd">average Australian streams 27 hours of video each week</a>). <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10463283.2024.2334563">Implementation intentions</a> bring our attention back toward our goals by linking them to an environmental marker. These simple “if-then” plans are shown to <a href="https://cancercontrol.cancer.gov/brp/research/constructs/implementation-intentions#:%7E:text=Implementation%20intentions%20are%20formed%20for,might%20otherwise%20undermine%20goal%20striving.">help overcome issues with self-regulation</a>. Such a statement might be “if I see the ‘next episode’ icon appear, I will get up and turn off the TV so I can read a chapter of my textbook”. With time being frustratingly finite, it is inevitable we will run out of time to do all of the things on our to-do list. Finding an approach that works for us will take time and effort. But it’s probably a worthy goal in itself.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/230399/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kim-m-caudwell-1258935">Kim M Caudwell</a>, Senior Lecturer - Psychology | Chair, Researchers in Behavioural Addictions, Alcohol and Drugs (BAAD), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/charles-darwin-university-1066">Charles Darwin University</a> Image credits: Shutterstock This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-do-list-got-you-down-understanding-the-psychology-of-goals-can-help-tick-things-off-and-keep-you-on-track-230399">original article</a>.

Mind

Ticked off trekker exposes family’s selfish act

Australian bushwalkers are bristling at one family’s claim over an entire viewing platform in Victoria. A picture, shared to Reddit, shows a family - of at least four - taking over at Wilsons Promontory National Park with their set up. Camp chairs, bags, and meal trays can be seen around them, blocking access to the viewing point for anyone else who might like to enjoy what the park has to offer. The area - well known for its stunning vistas and bountiful wildlife - is a popular weekend retreat for tourists and locals alike, and Parks Victoria have revealed that it gets “extremely busy over summer”. “This family [is] taking up an entire sightseeing platform so nobody else can take photos,” the poster stated. “It’s a long weekend,” he continued below, “so Wilsons Promontory was very busy. A lot of people missed out on great photos and views because these people wanted it for themselves.” One had a simple, if not entirely beneficial solution, declaring that “confrontation is not always wrong.” “As I walked past, a guy said ‘that's just f***ing rude’,” the individual behind the post responded. “Especially in the case of entitled twats, I feel sorry for the kids though, they have parents who convince them shit like this is ok,” agreed another. “This park have rangers?” enquired one. “I'd be getting them to get those a***oles outta there.” “Despite being 2hrs from civilisation, it was packed because it's a long weekend here,” the original poster responded. “There's a huge campground nearby that was completely full. “But I didn't see any rangers all day, just a bus driver shuttling people up a mountain because the car park at the top would have been overflowing if everyone drove up.” Another shared their past experience with the spot, noting that they’d seen the same thing happen before, and that they’d just gone over and taken pictures anyway. “They then realised they were in the way,” they said of their encounter, “apologised, moved a little, and we had a chat about the weather. People do dumb s*** all the time without taking into consideration other people.” “I’m wondering this too if maybe they didn’t connect that it was a specific overlook platform at the time of the pic,” mused one responder. Meanwhile, another only had “never assume malice when stupidity will suffice” to say. Some, however, had a little more compassion for the family in the picture, writing that there were a lot of people “describing how they'd solve this problem. How about ‘excuse me, can I take some photos here?’ like a normal person?” “Exactly. I cringed. Like what if they just thought they stumbled upon the spot and were like ‘let’s picnic real quick’ and didn’t know people were going out of their way to find that spot or just that it’s a viewpoint spot,” another offered in agreement. “I have to sympathise, we’re all humans and hopefully it was not malicious. Just parents trying to have fun with their children?” “Duuuude, seriously,” one more wrote. “The ‘perpetrators’ might not even know [that] what they’re doing isn’t cool. It looks like they hiked out there and saw a decent spot to chill.” Images: Reddit

Travel Trouble

New deadly tick-borne dog disease is on the move

While we continue to be occupied with the COVID pandemic, another life-threatening disease has emerged in northern Australia, one that's cause for considerable alarm for the millions of dog owners around the country. This disease — canine ehrlichiosis — is transmitted through the bite of a bacterium-carrying parasite called the "brown dog tick". This vector parasite is widespread in warm and humid areas of Australia, and its bite can be potentially fatal for dogs. Until the first cases were recently discovered <a href="https://www.agric.wa.gov.au/ehrlichiosis">last May</a>, Australia was considered free of the disease. However, <a href="https://www.outbreak.gov.au/current-responses-to-outbreaks/ehrlichiosis-dogs">more than 300 dogs</a> in Western Australian and the Northern Territory have now <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2020-12-22/northern-territory-exotic-tick-borne-disease-ehrlichiosis-dogs/12997140">tested positive</a> for it. There have also been reports, from veterinary workers in the field, of dogs dying without being tested or treated. And it's spreading — infected ticks that carry the deadly bacteria have been detected in South Australia, according to Mark Schipp, Australia's chief veterinary officer. If you own a dog, it's vital you take precautions to protect it, as the outbreak is unlikely to be controlled any time soon. Fever, lethargy and uncontrollable bleeding Canine ehrlichiosis is caused by a bacterium called Ehrlichia canis (E. canis) carried by the tick. It first came to the attention of veterinary scientists in the 1960-1970s after affecting scores of military working dogs, often German Shepherds, in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. In Australia today, the disease appears most prevalent in regional areas and remote communities in WA and NT, where the ability to test dogs is restricted for logistical reasons. In some areas, such as communities in the Roper Gulf Shire, testing and treating dogs can be impossible during the wet season as <a href="https://ropergulf.nt.gov.au/our-communities/ngukurr/">severe flooding</a> can prevent veterinarians from accessing the region. However, with the detection of ticks in South Australia, veterinarians are concerned they could travel to more populous areas. When an infected tick bites a dog, the bacterium enters white blood cells and multiplies rapidly, causing signs of illness the owner will only first notice about two weeks after transmission. The disease is characterised by fever, decreased appetite, lethargy and bleeding (such as nose bleeds). Some dogs develop severe and rapid weight loss, swollen limbs, difficulty in breathing and blindness. One of the most serious effects of this disease is on the bone marrow, which can be fatal. Some dogs die of septicaemia as they can no longer fight off even the most innocuous of infections, or they bleed uncontrollably, which can also lead to death. Ticks expanding southward Every pet owner who has travelled into Australia with their dogs would know about the stringent testing procedures in place to ensure their canine companions do not bring canine ehrlichiosis into the country. This is especially important since the brown dog tick (the vector) has been in northern Australia for many years, but not with this particular infection. As with other serious animal diseases screened by biosecurity authorities, such as <a href="https://www.agriculture.gov.au/pests-diseases-weeds/animal/asf">African Swine Fever</a> and <a href="https://www.animalhealthaustralia.com.au/what-we-do/disease-surveillance/screw-worm-fly/">Screw Worm Fly</a>, the bacterium E. canis is highly prevalent in tropical regions, including our closest northern neighbours (Indonesia, East Timor, Papua New Guinea) and the Pacific Islands. However, our <a href="https://parasitesandvectors.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13071-016-1480-y">2016 research</a> shows a southwards expansion of the brown dog tick's geographical range. The reasons why aren't fully understood, but may include increased pet travel around the country and possibly also climate change. Worse, the tick is also well adapted to indoor living and readily establishes within kennels or homes, and even in cooler climates. These conditions mean E. canis can spread to most parts of Australia. Protecting your best friend Just as our health authorities have been with COVID-19, the response from the state and federal veterinary authorities to this outbreak of canine ehrlichiosis <a href="https://www.outbreak.gov.au/current-responses-to-outbreaks/ehrlichiosis-dogs">has been swift</a>. Most dogs will improve from treatment with antibiotics and other supportive measures. However, some may develop a chronic infection, which usually has a terminal outcome. The disease isn't contagious; only dogs bitten by the ticks will contract it. So it's vital animal owners are proactive with the application of parasite prevention. Owners should seek advice from their veterinarian about which <a href="https://www.amrric.org/resources/view/tick-prevention-for-dogs-and-cats/">products</a> will protect their dogs from contracting this disease. <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23774841/">Research</a> has shown those that repel ticks and stop them attaching in the first place, such as effective tick collars, are the best way to prevent canine ehrlichiosis. <img style="width: 353.77358490566036px; height: 500px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7839675/1-2021-01-29t102743566.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/a0ff0d8d188241d6b197e8f8a2d98624" /> Important questions remain Since the first Australian cases of canine ehrlichiosis were diagnosed, veterinary practitioners have raised questions about how the disease arrived (considering our border controls), as well as how it's likely to play out in the future. Was the infection carried into Australia by a dog travelling from an endemic country, or was there an undetected incursion of the contaminated tick itself? If this were the case, there are implications for other, potentially far more serious diseases, such as rabies, entering the continent in a similar manner. And when exactly did the infection arrive? To be so widespread now would seem to imply its presence for quite some time, possibly several years. Finally, what are the implications of this disease spilling over to other animals — and humans — in Australia? It would seem our native marsupials are in no danger from this disease; however, the potential impact on dingoes is unknown. A similar, rare disease in humans — called "human monocytic ehrlichiosis" (HME) — is caused by a different, closely related bacterium (Ehrlichia chaffeensis) and is characterised by fever, chill, headache, nausea and weight loss. However, one <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17114689/">study</a> in Venezuela revealed 30 per cent of humans with HME were infected with a strain of E. canis. HME isn't known to occur in Australia, and the potential for E. canis to cause illness in humans here is currently unknown. The discovery of E. canis in Australia reminds us of the importance of quarantine measures to protect our pets, just as we take such measures seriously for the protection of humans. Peter Irwin is an emeritus professor, Amanda Barbosa is a post-doctoral research fellow and Charlotte Oskam is a senior lecturer at Murdoch University. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/protect-your-dog-from-this-new-deadly-disease-outbreak-we-still-dont-know-how-it-got-here-153794">The Conversation</a>.

Family & Pets

How many of these famous landmarks have you ticked off?

Incredible feats of architecture can be found on every continent. One of the joys of travelling is finally standing at the foot of that famous tower or wandering through the ruins of an ancient site you’d seen on the history channel. These incredible locations will make you want to pack your bags and book a flight ASAP. Feast your eyes on the world’s most famous landmarks. Statue of Liberty Where is it? New York CIty, NY, USA When was it built? 1875 Crunch the numbers: 93 metres tall, weighing a total of 225 tonnes. Fun fact: On a windy day, the Statue of Liberty can sway as much as 6 inches. Eiffel Tower Where is it? Paris, France When was it built? 1875 Crunch the numbers: 324 metres tall, weighing a total of 7.3 million kilograms. Fun fact: The Eiffel Tower was never intended to be permanent. It was due to be demolished in 1909 but was repurposed as a radio antenna. Big Ben Where is it? London, England When was it built? 1884 Crunch the numbers: The clock tower stands at 96 metres tall. The Great Bell inside weighs more than 13 tonnes. Fun fact: Many people refer to Big Ben as the tower that houses London’s most recognisable clock, however, Big Ben was actually the name given to the Great Bell inside. Leaning Tower of Pisa Where is it? Pisa, Italy (85km west of Florence) When was it built? 1173 Crunch the numbers: 57 metres tall, weighing around 12,500 tonnes with a current lean of 3.99 degrees. This means the top of the tower is displaced 3.9 metres from where it would be if it were perfectly vertical. Fun fact: The Leaning Tower of Pisa is actually starting to straighten. It has moved 3 inches in the last decade. Experts predict the tower will stand for at least another 200 years. Colosseum Where is it? Rome, Italy When was it built? Construction began in AD 72 and was finished in AD 80 Crunch the numbers: 189 metres long, 156 metres wide and 48 metres high. It can purportedly hold up to 80,000 spectators. Fun fact: Even though Ridley Scott was granted access to film his hit movie, Gladiator, at the Colosseum, it apparently wasn’t big enough. Instead, he built a replica in Malta at a cost of US$1 million. London Eye Where is it? London, England When was it built? 1998 Crunch the numbers: Standing at 135 metres tall, the London Eye rotates 26cm per second. A full revolution takes around 30 minutes. Fun fact: The London Eye has 32 capsules, one to represent each of the city’s 32 boroughs. However, they are numbered one to 33, skipping number 13 because it’s considered an unlucky number. Written by Bethany Plint. Republished with permission of <a href="https://www.mydiscoveries.com.au/stories/famous-landmarks/?slide=all">MyDiscoveries.</a>

Travel Tips

10 items you should tick off your travel checklist before leaving home

No matter where you’re going, there’s some items you need to pack on every trip. But in the rush of getting your stuff together, it’s so easy for one of these often-forgotten but highly crucial items to get misplaced and left behind. So you’re not in a mad rush to figure out what’s missing on your next trip, we’ve put together 10 items you should tick off your checklist before leaving home. To see them all, scroll through the gallery above.

Travel Tips

Dutch woman in her 90s ticks “getting arrested” off bucket list

What’s on your bucket list? For most people, it’s travelling the world, spending time with loved ones and maybe doing something a little adrenaline-pumping like going skydiving. For one Dutch woman, however, that wish was simply to get arrested. <img width="500" height="500" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/33695/image__500x500.jpg" alt="arrested" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"/> Pushing 100 years old, Annie’s unusual dream to be “booked” and “experience a police cell from within” came true last week, when officers at her local police station in Nijmegen-Zuid, Netherlands handcuffed the nonagenarian and placed her in jail. See her special moment in the gallery above and tell us in the comments, what’s the strangest item on your bucket list? Credit: Facebook/Politie Nijmegen-Zuid via Storyful Related links: <a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2017/02/elderly-man-dancing-in-street/">Sweet elderly man dancing in the street will make your day</a> <a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2017/02/grandma-paints-from-hospital-bed/">83-year-old gran creates stunning paintings from hospital bed</a> <a href="/lifestyle/retirement-life/2017/02/bride-asks-92-year-old-grandmother-to-be-her-bridesmaid/">Bride asks 92-year-old grandmother to be her bridesmaid</a>

Retirement Life

Planning ahead checklist: have you ticked all of the boxes?

There can be a lot of things to consider when getting your affairs in order, so here’s a handy checklist to make the process easy. Planning ahead can be an intensive exercise. Not only do you have to try and unearth all of your financial documents, but you have to sign a handful of legal documents and make some important decisions. Many people like to put it off for another day but the danger in doing this is if something was to happen to you, your family could be tied up in legal and financial costs trying to find a way to secure your assets. As with anything we’d rather put off, the sooner it’s done, the better. To help make the process as smooth (and painless) as possible, here’s a checklist of what you need to have in order. 1. Prepare a will. If you’ve already done this, great! If not, it’s time to get it sorted. This legal document will clearly set out where to distribute your assets when you’re no longer here. It is usually best to get professional assistance to prepare your will. 2. Appoint trustworthy people to make decisions on your behalf. It can be very handy to appoint an enduring attorney and an enduring guardian. While you may be fit and healthy now, it’s important to plan for whatever the future may bring – good or bad. Be prepared, put your plans in place and your mind will rest easier knowing someone has your back if things go pear-shaped. 3. Funeral plans. Have you been paying funeral bonds or insurance that your family should know about? Many people purchase pre-paid funeral plans but if their family doesn’t know about it, how can they use it? When you sit down with your family to discuss your future plans, let them know about any funeral preparations that you have made. And, remember to keep any documentation for any pre-paid plan or insurance in an important documents folder. 4. Get your finances sorted. Do you have bank accounts all over the place? What about investments in shares and property? Take the opportunity now to get all of your finances in order. Not only is this a great thing for you in the short term, it’s even better in the long term. Think about consolidating accounts and putting the structures in place now to ensure your beneficiaries don’t see most of their inheritance in the tax man’s hands. 5. Housing options and where to live. Will you decide to downsize to be closer to family or the beach? Or will you move into a retirement village to socialise with other retirees? While there’s a trend towards retirees staying in their family home, many still consider moving to small residences to reduce the costs of maintenance or to simply be closer to their grandchildren. Talk with your family and discuss what will be the best option for you. 6. Round up all of your important documents and put them in the one spot. Together with the documents mentioned so far, your folder should also contain any identification documents, such as your birth certificate and passport. Some of the other key documents to put in your folder include: marriage certificate, advance healthcare directive or living will, personal insurance policies, home and contents insurance, bank account details, investment documents and medical insurance papers. By storing this all in the one place, perhaps in a home safe, your family will be prepared and organised. 7. Have a conversation with your partner and family. Call the family over and let them know what you’ve planned. Inform them of your decisions about what you would like to happen in the future. This is the best way to ensure everyone is on the same page when it comes to fulfilling your wishes. Also, remember to tell them where you store all of your documents! Many families have gone through unnecessary legal costs or stress because they weren’t told about what preparations their family member made. 8. Consider seeing a professional to make sure everything is in order. It’s a good idea to make sure everything is in order now, not later when you may not be able to do anything about it. While you’ll need a lawyer for some of the finer details of your estate planning, particularly if you have extensive assets, or assets held in other businesses and trust, or you are considering setting up one or more testamentary trusts in your will, don’t hesitate to see them again should you be concerned or unsure of anything. This article is for general information only and cannot be relied on as legal advice. You should seek formal legal advice on your specific circumstances.

Legal

Over 60

News

Shop

Catalogues

Travel

Health

Lifestyle

Finance

Entertainment

Property

Information

Keep up to date