Getting Past Procrastination
Posted on January 24, 2007 in the category
There is no bigger destroyer of time than procrastination, but how do we get past procrastination? Usually getting started is the hardest part and you will usually find if you can just take that first step the rest will follow. We, as a society are very good at putting things off until another time, but there are ways we can get past the urge to put it off until tomorrow.
Follow these simple suggestions and you will find it easier to get things accomplished:
1. Do it now. In most cases you know what is required the first time you encounter the task. Whether it is an email or a written task, you should handle it the first time you come in contact with the item. If you put the item aside and decide to deal with it later, you are wasting time by having to handle the item a second time. Completing these small tasks will give you a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment and will make it easier for you to continue moving forward.
2. Eliminate task overload. If you can do this you will be able to clear your mind and be more at ease. If you have 20 five minute tasks, you may seem overwhelmed by the sheer number of tasks that you have, but once you get started and an hour later after you have accomplished two thirds of these items you will not feel as overwhelmed. Better yet try to be proactive and keep the tasks from accumulating.
3. Solve problems before they get out of hand. As you become familiar with your job or anything new in your life, you will learn to recognize things that have the potential be to be bad, if you do not take action. The secret is not to ignore these signals. Putting these situations on the back burner will only make them more difficult and more time consuming to resolve. Get in the habit of taking care of your problems while they are small and it will leave you more time to spend on the important things.
4. Reduce Interruptions. Many times the reason for an interruption has something to do with a task that has been put off. Unfortunately, we cannot avoid all interruption, but if all tasks are completed in a timely manner you will be able to keep interruptions to a minimum. If you are able to present a project when requested, there is a good chance you will avoid being asked for a progress report. Once again you will be able to live more efficiently if you handle the task the first time you encounter it.
5. Clean up the excess. Work on this a little bit each day until it is complete. Identify where the backlog is and prioritize it as to what needs tackled first. Try to identify the cause of the backlog and find a way to try to prevent the backlog in the future. You will be better able to deal with the future if you can prevent having to deal with the past.
6. Start working towards your future by getting out of the past. This has a lot to do with the previous step. If you can get your life organized so that you are dealing with the present and looking forward towards the future, you will have a much better outlook on life in general. Operating towards the future is considered much healthier than having to deal with overdue tasks and circumstances from the past.
7. Stop worrying. The real danger in putting things off comes from how it affects you emotionally and mentally. Not all tasks are pleasant, but the consequences of putting them off can be far worse. Not only are you not completing the task but you are dwelling on the fact that it needs done and you have not completed the task.
8. Feel better about yourself. Having a plan and following through with it will give you a sense of accomplishment. This sense of accomplishment will make you feel good about yourself. So do it now!
Following these principles should help you get your life a bit more under control, whether it is at home or at work. Putting things off that need done will only succeed in lowering your self-esteem and making you feel overwhelmed. So just get started. Start out with a few simple five minute tasks and this should be enough to get you motivated to accomplish a few more tasks and before you know it you will be well on your way to working towards the future.
procrastination, overcoming procrastination
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[...] It’s as if these action-oriented individuals have no procrastination filter in place. As if it doesn’t even dawn on them that they could postpone taking action. They just go ahead as if it were the only logical thing to do. Of course in many cases that’s exactly what moving into action is: the only logical thing to do. Yet how many times have you found yourself in a situation where, for some strange reason, you didn’t shift into gear immediately? Instead you thought about it for a while and then you decided to make a mental note and pick it up somewhere later in the day or perhaps later in the week. Only to find that whatever it was you intended to do, you never came around to doing it. [...]