No. 40 - Overcome Procrastination

We all deal with procrastination: the desire to put off something unpleasant.

As Mark Twain said, "Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow." Of course, he was kidding!

Procrastination is nasty because it builds on itself. Once you get in the habit of putting something off, one day leads to two, and then two to four. Before you know it, you're either in a crazy rush to get something done, or worse, it's too late.

Here is how to beat back procrastination:

1. Recognize the feeling.

The it-can-wait sensation that comes over you when you'd prefer not to do something. Procrastination lives in your head.

2. Debate yourself.

When procrastination begins to creep through your brain, start a debate with yourself. What are the consequences of putting this off? Will it hurt me in some significant way?

In fact, perhaps you CAN put off whatever it is without any real harm. Just be honest with yourself.

3. Take on a small increment immediately.

Suppose you need to clean your car but the idea of spending an hour doing so is just too much. Can you sacrifice five minutes? Can you start an undesirable project with a mini-step? Something that gets some momentum going?

4. Reward yourself.

So you have to start a chore immediately, but you still can't bring yourself to do it. Can you build yourself a reward system? Persuade yourself by promising yourself something once you finish.

Many of us hesitate to treat ourselves well. Sometimes we feel guilty, or a sense that we're undeserving. So get specific. If you complete A (the chore), you deserve B (the reward).

Procrastination is part of life. There will always be activities that are more enjoyable than others. Putting off some for the pleasure of others is just human. But when procrastination prevents you from reaching your goals, you may be paying too high a price.

"It's not that successful people enjoy doing what others do not. It's just that successful people do them nevertheless." - E.W. Grey

See a related post with even more tips entitled 'How To Defeat Procrastination.'

Comments

[shaun]

Good tips,

I am totally lazy, but find that if I can just convince myself to do something small I'm more likely to get into the mood to keep going. Procrastination is great fun and if you do what needs to be done, there will be more time for it!