“Doing it later” can become a real problem when “later” becomes tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow… You may find that you’re not accomplishing many of the things you need to, and that your life is becoming miserable to live in because of your procrastination.
These five tips can help.
1. Keep a to-do list, and put a date on each item to keep track of when you put it on your list. Set a limit on how long you will keep putting off a task before you do it. Whether that’s one day or three, set the limit and stick to it.
2. Determine the most important thing you need to do, and then just do that thing. Some people like to practice “structured procrastination,” in which they do a lot of things, but put off the biggest thing until later. This is still procrastination.
3. Practice the “Swiss Cheese Approach.” Pick the thing you need to do, identify the smallest chunk you can do, and then do that. Make a hole in your task, then another hole, then another.
4. Make a list of what you actually do in a day. Keep track of what you’re doing instead of what you need to do, and take a close look at what you’re doing to avoid your work. If these are also things that need doing, find a way to prioritize. If you’re just wasting time, find a way to get your work done first.
5. Catch up! If things build up and you get overwhelmed, take a day away from everything else and just spend it getting caught up. Call it a sick day and do it from home if you have to, but get caught up and get over the overwhelm.
Procrastination can become a very serious and harmful habit, but it doesn’t have to take over your life or your job.
Related Course:
Overcome Procrastination Hypnosis
