to Stop Procrastinating

presents

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❑ They feel overwhelmed. This usually happens when there is an overload of information or too many details.

❑ They overestimate time needed. They think the task is too time-consuming, that it will take forever. A variation of this is thinking that they have forever to finish something.

❑ They’d rather be doing something else. Anything seems better than what awaits them.

❑ They think that if they wait long enough, it will go away. The project will be canceled or the appointment postponed, and so forth.

❑ They want to do it perfectly. People often fear turning in a report or finishing a project because they worry about failing on “judgment day.” They delay until the last minute, and then if it doesn’t measure up, they say, “Oh, I would have done better if I’d had more time.”

❑ They don’t want to assume responsibility. After all, if they never complete the project, no one will hold them responsible.

❑ They fear success. If they complete something and succeed, will they be able to continue to live up to that standard? How will others relate to them once they are successful?

❑ They say they enjoy the last-minute adrenaline rush. Often people feel that they do their best work “under pressure.” What they fail to remember are the times when they had a terrible cold or there was a family emergency during the time they had intended to devote to the project.

Most of us procrastinate in one area or another. Some people procrasti-

nate about everything. While we’ve made the decision to do something,

there is still a part of us that holds back. Why?

These are common reasons why some people procrastinate:

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The hardest part is getting started. Once you’re in motion, it will be easier to keep going. You may well find that it isn’t as bad as you expected, and once you’re involved, you’ve overcome the highest hurdle.

A more realistic sense of time will aid in getting things done. Procrastinators of-ten have an unrealistic sense of time; you may have the feeling that a project will take forever or that you have “plenty of time.” The more realistic you become, the less likely you’ll be to procrastinate.

Work with the time available to you. Sometimes people estimate that a project will take ten or twelve hours, so they keep waiting for a day when they can de-vote that amount of time to it. Of course, that day never comes.

Work from your To-Do list. Tackle the more difficult tasks during your prime time.

Remember that even five minutes is enough time to get something done. One or two phone calls or more can be returned in that time.

If it seems like there really is no time, carve out a half hour or so from your exist-ing schedule. If you really want to take up jogging, try getting up a half hour earlier each day (or on weekends). If you want to do it, you’ll find the time.

Minimize interruptions if you intend to dedicate time to a specific task. With the ubiquity of cell phones and the constant barrage of incoming e-mail, you may intend to spend fifteen minutes getting started on a new project only to find that you wasted that time dealing with an unexpected phone call or being distracted by an e-mail.

Consider your workspace—perhaps it’s simply not convenient. One client con-stantly complained that she never had time to write, though she enjoyed it. When I visited her I saw why. Her computer was in one part of the house; her notes and files were in a closet, and her books were scattered on the floor—she then had to carry everything to a fourth location where she liked to work. Simply setting up was such a big project, small wonder she never wrote!

So what can you do about it?

It all starts with identifying your personal reasons for procrastinating, which you will do as part of Organize Yourself Online.

But since we procrastinators don’t always like to wait, here’s a preview of some of the approaches that we’ll be working on so that you can rid yourself of procrastination:

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Clear your work area of all else so you don’t let your eyes wander.

You don’t always have to start at the beginning. If that first step seems the hardest, start with another part of the project instead.

Some people like to do the worst first. If they accomplish what they dislike most, the rest of the project seems to proceed more smoothly.

Set small deadlines for yourself. For example, a major desk organization schedule might include:

a. Purchase desktop organizers by April 20.

b. Establish a Desk Workbook by April 30.

c. Finish sorting through papers by May 8.

Tell someone else what your deadline is. Often you will be motivated by not want-ing to disclose to him or her that you did not meet it.

Try tricking yourself: “If I don’t finish writing this proposal by 5 p.m., then I will have to cancel my plans for tonight.” Working against that sort of deadline can be quite effective!

After you meet each small deadline, promise yourself a reward. Perhaps it could be a new paperback or a tennis lesson. When the entire project is completed, think on a little grander scale and promise yourself dinner out and a movie, or tickets to a football game.

Try to do things as they occur to you. The more papers you process as they arrive in the mail or the more tasks you complete as you think of them, the less oppor-tunity you will have to procrastinate.

Ask yourself, “Is there a simpler way to do it?” Maybe you’re making the task more difficult than it is. Do you really need to make dessert for the party from scratch or would a fruit platter do just as well?

Ask yourself, “What’s the worst thing that will happen if I do it?” (Perhaps you’ll spend a beautiful Saturday afternoon inside finishing your project, but isn’t that better than worrying all day Saturday whether you’ll feel like doing it on Sunday?)

Do nothing! Try sitting with the project in front of you for a full fifteen minutes. People generally become so frustrated by just sitting there that they dive into the project before the allotted time has passed.

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Listen to your moods. When you’re motivated, use that energy to get the project done. Lots of people laugh at those who use anger as a motivation to scrub the floor or clean a closet, but what’s so silly about it? It makes them feel better by burning off the excess energy caused by the anger, and they accomplish some-thing they probably wouldn’t otherwise.

Plan an appropriate reason to be motivated. For example, if you have been procrastinating about getting the rugs and windows cleaned, host a Sunday brunch. Your friends may not care if your house glows, but it will make you feel good if it does.

Be opportunistic. If your father calls and says he’ll be a half hour late dropping by, take that thirty-minute block of time and make a stab at something you’ve put off. Or if a meeting that would have taken a full afternoon is canceled, consider working on a special project that needs your attention. With a full afternoon, you have a longer period of time to concentrate.

Expect problems. The kids may get sick. You may be delayed coming back from your trip. If you anticipate that you really won’t have “all of next week” to work on something, then you may be motivated to start a little earlier.

If you tend to stall when you’re almost finished with a project, maybe you fear being judged once you’re finished. Go easy on yourself. At heart, you know it doesn’t really need to be perfect.

If you’ve promised to get back to someone about a decision but haven’t made up your mind yet, call and tell him you haven’t made up your mind, but you will get back to him. Then at least you don’t add guilt (about not getting back in touch) to your indecision.

Remember that you really are not the only one who can do the job well, so del-egate to someone else what you would rather not do or hire someone to do it for you. You could also barter with a friend. If she’ll organize your files, you can help set up her computer.

Be sure to use your leisure time for leisure. Most procrastinators ruin much of their free time because they are worrying about whether “tomorrow” is really enough time to get something done. Learning to do things in advance provides the opportunity for worry-free leisure.

Sometimes procrastination is a decision in itself. If you don’t get around to send-ing for the travel brochures you promised your spouse you’d send for, think again. Maybe you really don’t want to go away right now.

For your customized program, go to www.OrganizeYourselfOnline.com