Have you ever
thought, “I’ll wait, and do that tomorrow?" Do you ever follow through to
complete that project the next day? Chore-wise, often tomorrow never comes. Procrastination
is a common human weakness that all of us have fallen victim to at one time.
Maybe you are procrastinating right now by reading this post instead of working
on a project that you have delayed too many times in the past. The following instruction
can help you to stop procrastinating right now:
1.
Get started: Take a baby step on an unwanted task by working on it
immediately, and then planning to finish the task by breaking it up into
manageable amounts. Create
a task list to first work on the aspects you
like the least. It may even be helpful to set reminders on your iPhone, making
sure that the time you allow is a realistic for working on the project.
By
doing what you least like first, you can get ahead of procrastination. At the
very least, the worst part will be over before you know it. Scheduling out a
project in this manner is a big stress reducer, and can help you manage your
task more effectively.
2.
Learn how to manage your
time: Chronic lateness is also a form of procrastination. This
includes being late to work. Make an accurate estimate of how long it takes you
to get to work in the morning. If you walk into work at 9 a.m., it's impossible
for you to be in a meeting and ready to go at 9:15. Be honest with yourself
about timing, and schedule things accordingly. Then try moving up the time
in your head. If a meeting is at 3, for example mentally aim for 2:30. Analyze
your time by asking yourself: Am I spending my time in the right places?
Are
there any areas I'm spending too much time on that someone else could handle?
How can I adjust my daily task schedule so that I'm working on the toughest
tasks when
I am most alert? Pull out your calendar this month,
and look at your scheduled tasks. Ask yourself if the time allotted is
realistic. You may find you need to make a few adjustments the first month you
are implementing this system to get a sense of time frames in your life.
Set
your timer for fifteen minutes, and get to work on your project. Stop when the
timer goes off. Based on your first fifteen minutes, you can gage how long it
will take you to finish it. Set
your timer for another thirty minutes,
and decide when during the week you have a few chunks of time to continue
working on the task. Schedule a reminder for yourself for the days and times
you have chosen, and stick to your plan.
This
process can work well for certain projects that you can break up into
steps. Others may require longer amounts of focus time and aren't as
appropriate for these shorter time frames. Determine the best way to break up
whatever project you are working on, and then create those baby steps
based on that structure.
3.
Understand why you are
procrastinating: Have you found yourself putting off tasks until the
very last possible minute? Try to determine why you procrastinate. Perhaps you
think you work better under pressure. You don't enjoy certain tasks, or you
just get distracted with other things during the day. Maybe you like to wait to
be remind that it's an important high priority item.
Perhaps
it is fear because you are not sure you can complete the task alone. Do you
feel that you have the needed skills to complete it successfully? Ask yourself
why you procrastinate. If you are unsure, keep a daily log of your activities
to discover where
you are spending (or wasting) your time.
This will help you uncover why you are procrastinating.
Until you discover the why, it will be harder
for you to combat the habit. Some people do work better under pressure, and if
you're one of them then that's okay. Just realize the difference between a
reason (your performance is better under pressure on certain tasks) versus an
excuse (procrastination).
“Procrastination isn't the problem. It's the
solution. It's the universe's way of saying stop, slow down, you move too fast.”
(Ellen DeGeneres)[i]
[i] Adapted from: “3 Steps to Stop Procrastinating” by Hallie
Crawford
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