When I help students figure out how to get through a week or two of multiple assignments for different classes, I teach them my version of the Foot-in-the-Door technique. I learned the technique when I was in my Social Psychology class in graduate school. The idea, as I remember it, is we have a better chance of persuading people to do things when we already have a foot in the door of their house. This marketing concept was useful back in the day when vacuums were sold door-to-door, and people felt comfortable welcoming total strangers into their homes.
Now, back to the overwhelmed students. I encourage them to get their foot in the proverbial door of their assignment. Notice I used the word “assignment” in the singular. When I ask students to focus on just one assignment, they pretty much invariably remind me of how many assignments they have left to do. And I then bring their focus back to the first one they think they can deal with. We hammer out what first step needs to be taken, and then — aha! — the work process begins. By using the Foot-in-the-Door technique, students teach themselves how not to be afraid of their work and how their work is manageable in small, approachable parts. In short time, they are gearing up to write the 20-page paper they didn't think they could handle before.
When we face a packed schedule of obligations, we may get anxious thinking the tasks will be too much, too big for us to handle. This type of worrying only magnifies the stresses we face when our schedule is full. I believe it is more advantageous to decide what the first, smallest step in each item on the to-do list is than to plan to go through each task one by one, finishing each one before starting the next. When you deal with the first step of a project, you:
- learn how you think and feel about the project, e.g. you may find it is easier than you first thought
- feel your anxiety get cut down
- feel more motivated to handle your tasks
- reduce the chances you will neglect or run out of time for any one project on your list
I am personally a big fan of this technique as it helps me to deal with the stress of having many projects to do in the same period of time. I have learned I can reduce my anxiety by easing in to tasks. Handling new tasks in this manner is far easier than feeling paralyzed by thoughts of how much there is to be done — and losing time in the process.
How might you apply the Foot-in-the-Door technique in your own life? Can you use it for schoolwork? Housework? Planning your social life? Feel free to share how you plan to use this technique by writing a reply here.
