"I do not do the right thing I should do" - underperformance

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Naturally, as humans we are known as drifting from goals or standards. Apostle Paul in the bible claimed that “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do” (Romans 7:15). It is a desperate cry for all humans. We just cannot help it. We all may have experienced the scenario, a well-developed new year resolution to do exercise, to quit smoking, to eat healthy, to have 8hr sleep, to pick up that hobby… does not last 3 weeks, and we go back to where we were. The drifting away issue is not only for lifestyle goals. Underperformance, the condition that one performs less well than expected, is a never-ending topic for work and education.

(A scheme of drifting away from a central standard)

We should not assume underperformance is only due to the individual’s issues. It is true that people perform the activity. People are agents who have free wills, meaning to decide whether to act or not. However, it is a systematic issue too. Where the activity to occur or to perform, and how we monitor and adjust in the process are also important factors to sustain the performance. To promote an activity, the system where the activity occurs should have a sound structure/framework and a control mechanism to monitor the process. At the end, it is about how much effort we put in. No effort, carelessness would cause us drift away.  

 
 (A 3-in-1 scheme of activity and performance)

 

 

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