Procrastination affects us all at some time and can become a major problem in both your business and personal life. Getting ready for April 15th is one of the biggest areas of procrastination but it impacts us in many other areas too. Some of the symptoms of procrastination are stress, anxiety, resentment,guilt and last minute frenzy. Here's two practical tools to overcome it.
First- replace "Do It All" with "Just Start". Seeing a task as one big monster that must be done all at once will virtually ensure that you put it off. If you focus on completing a task when you can't even see all the steps to get there, you bring up a feeling of being overwhelmed. Then pain becomes associated with the task and you delay as long as possible. I used to say to myself, "I've got to do my taxes today", which instantly led to a physical pain in my neck, added pressure and finding reasons to put the task off. When I started thinking of one small piece of the task I could do instead of telling myself that I had to finish the whole thing, my neck pain subsided.
What task are you putting off right now? Instead of asking "How am I going to finish this?", ask "What small step can I do right now?" If you simply work with small pieces enough times, you will eventually finish it. For example, if organizing your home office is a project you keep putting off, stop thinking about it as a big project that must be done all at once. Go to your office and jot down some quick short tasks you could do to make a dent in the paper stacks or clutter. Pick one of the ideas on your list and do it! Don't worry about finishing - just focus on what you can do right now. If you do this enough times, you'll eventually be done.
Second - For tasks you've been putting off for a while, use the Timed Method to get started. Here's how it works: Select a small task you can work on for just 30 minutes. Then choose a reward for immediately after the end of the 30 minutes. The reward needs to be something you would really enjoy. For example, lets say you decide to spend 30 minutes organizing your tax receipts. Its a beautiful Spring Day and when the 30 minutes is up, you plan to take a walk to see all the plants blooming. Having this reward shifts your focus from the unpleasantness of the task to the pleasure of the walk. You can endure 30 minutes of organizing if you have a big enough reward waiting for you!
Schedule another 30-minute period to work on the next piece with another reward. As you do, you'll begin to associate more and more pleasure with the task, knowing that you will always be immediately rewarded for your efforts. Rewarding yourself for simply putting in the time, instead of for specific achievements, makes you eager to return to work on your project, and you'll ultimately finish it!
What would you love to do 30 minutes from now? That is, right after you complete one piece of your postponed project!
Go for it!
Copyright March 2006; Vicki Miller CUCG, PCC |
