Top 11 Ways to Kick a Procrastination Stupor

  procrastination 
  Originally uploaded by aelyn

I don't know one person, no matter how evolved, organized or productive they may be, who does not suffer from the occassional bout of procrastination.

Mere mortals that we are, it seems like we're contastantly in danger of falling into a downward spiral of avoiding things that we know we should be doing.

Accompanying this avoidance is often stress, shame and guilt, not to mention that the thing we're avoiding stays firmly planted where it is still needing to get done and perhaps getting worse because we've neglected it for so long.

Oy--what's to be done to overcome this dreaded foe?

Sometimes it helps to get past a roadblock if we understand the reason why it's there. JohnPlaceOnline lists the top 11 causes and cures of procrastination (via) as being:

• Complicated-task anxiety: Break big, complicated tasks into smaller pieces. Complete a starter task, no matter how small.
• Fear of imperfection: Accept that perfection is rarely attainable and seldom necessary. You’re a person, not a robot. Use the 80/20 rule whenever appropriate.
• Indecision: Determine your decision-making criteria, then set a deadline for your decision. Ask a friend to hold you accountable.
• Priority confusion: Distinguish obligations from options. What are you really responsible for? List and prioritize tasks.
• Boredom from minutiae: Automate simple repetitive tasks whenever possible.
• Lack of focus: Minimize distractions. Check e-mail and voicemail only twice per day instead of every 5 minutes. Find a quiet room where you can concentrate. Resist the urge to keep taking breaks.
• Poor organizational skills: Clean your work area. Put tools and utensils in their proper place so you can find them when you need them.
• Laziness: Remind yourself of the consequences of procrastination. Resist the urge to be a couch potato. Try to complete several small tasks to provide a feeling of accomplishment. Reward yourself.
• Lack of energy: Maintain a regular sleep routine. Eat healthy. Exercise regularly. Do not skip breakfast.
• Early morning lag: Before you stop working each day, make a list of the tasks you want to begin first thing the following morning so you can hit the ground running the next day.
• Post-lunch fatigue: Before leaving for lunch, make a list of the things you plan to do when you get back so you can pick up where you left off. Avoid eating a heavy lunch.

I totally agree with everything on John's list. Procrastination is something that we can try to control (kinda hard to cure!  ), but there will be times when we succumb to it. Here's a tip for when that happens:

If you are going to procrastinate, a good thing to do is to procrastinate using activities that are actually somewhat useful.

Let's say you're avoiding a report you're supposed to be doing--well, you might as well procrastinate by doing the dishes, or cleaning your house, or sorting through your mail. That way, even though you're technically procrastinating you're at least using your procrastination time wisely by getting something else necessary done.

Question for ya--What are the things that cause YOU to procrastinate and what do you think the cure is?

Comments

[Dawn Goldberg]

I have a former client who believes that procrastination is a good thing. If we didn't need to do it right this minute, then why do it? For the important things, they get done when they need to be done. Most of the anxiety comes from us thinking that we should do them EARLY. Why? We don't get any medals for getting things done early.

Plus, procrastination allows our mind to ruminate on the task at hand. I know I've found that I procrastinate because I'm not sure of the direction or the right words or I have something else going on entirely. When I let myself have the space I need, I find the straight path, the right words, and I've solved whatever was blocking me.

I personally like this approach. Procrastination isn't evil. :)

[Alan Bradford]

Sharon,

Love the post. This has always been a problem for me.

So, you wanna know what things cause me to procrastinate huh? I'll have to get back to you on that one. I don't feel like answering it right now.

ha.

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hey Dawn,

Yep, it's all about attitude. If you're actually benefiting from not doing the work or delaying doing the work, then that puts a positive spin on it. :-) Lots of times folks are very hard on themselves to do things early, and it creates needless stress.

I would agree that the more we can relax and feel confident that the thing that we're doing at the moment is the right thing for us to be doing, then the more productive we'll be. Why put more pressure and stress on ourselves anyway! :-)

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Alan,

Hee hee, I'm not going to hold my breath for you to get back to me with your list. :-)

Yeah, procrastination is a problem for most humans :-). Especially when it's a big project, I think it's just human nature to put it off, but for most folks, the bad part is the stress that compounds the longer the thing gets put off. Yikes!

Like I said in my response to Dawn, I firmly believe that the more we can relax and feel good that what we're doing at the present moment is absolutely what we should be doing, then we're right on track. Relaxation is the key to productivity. So much of productivity is mental attitude. This is always what I try to keep in mind when I find myself procrastinating (which everyone does from time to time!). :-)

[KG]

I keep coming back to your blog to read this post, and now I'm back to print it out so I can read it over and over to really incorporate this info into my system.

Thank you for this, Sharon!

[Sharon Sarmiento]

You're welcome, KG! It really does help when we think about the reasons why we procrastinate. I'm glad this was helpful to you. It was to me too. :-)

[Maryam in Marrakesh]

I'm with KG (what else is new?). I am copying and printing this out. Not as good as having you here, Sharon, but will do for now:-)

[Sharon Sarmiento]

Hey Maryam---I actually had to print it out too! :-)