Dealing With Procrastination
Right now I am procrastinating. I should be working on writing a story about American Legion Baseball, but I’m writing this blog post instead.
I am not a serial procrastinator—in fact, rarely do I procrastinate. But when there is a story that I know I have to write on a topic that I’m not all that interested in, I tend to put it off. I KNOW that I will get it done, eventually, because I have to, it’s just hard to get started.
I’m sure many of you know exactly what I’m talking about. Whether it’s writing a story, balancing your checkbook, or working on your website design—when it’s not something you’re totally excited about, it’s easy to push it to the side.
I wrote a blog post last month that talked about how procrastination can actually be essential to innovation. I have never been the type of person to thrive on procrastination to get stuff done. Heck—I have a full time job, a part time job, and I freelance! I don’t have TIME to procrastinate!
There was a great article posted on FastCompany.com about how to beat procrastination and get down to work. Their tips can help freelancers as well as anyone who has a tendency to put things off until later.
Knowing and acknowledging when you’re actually procrastinating, and knowing what’s likely to trigger it, is probably your best defense against the monster that makes you feel busy without feeling productive. —FastCompany.com
Catching yourself in the act of procrastination is the first step in getting past it. Here are some of their tips:
Deal With Clutter
Your inbox can be empty, your to-do list entirely reasonable, but clutter gives away your latent procrastination. —FastCompany.com
Yikes! Not cleaning my desk is a form of procrastination? Apparently so. By not making a decision what do to with all of these multicolored sticky notes, pads of paper, business cards, and empty water bottles, I’m procrastinating. I am deliberately telling myself that I don’t feel like dealing with it. Which I don’t.
Cleaning my desk is always the last thing on my to-do list. I’m more concerned with checking my voicemail and email messages, updating my Twitter feed and Facebook pages, and making sure my website is updated and operating correctly. But that doesn’t mean my desk doesn’t need to be cleaned…
Stop Waiting for the Right Time
Rather than do the things that seem far more emotionally draining than they are actually, physically demanding, we talk about projects with people, or mess with the tools we have to do them–find the right add-on, tweak the settings, add more contacts to LinkedIn. —FastCompany.com
You’ve heard it said, or you’ve said it yourself, “I’ll start that diet on Monday,” or “I’ll start going to the gym after vacation.” The same goes for your work life. There is no perfect time to start in on that project—so do it now!
Maybe you do this too—there’s an email that comes in that I mark as important. Usually for me this means I need to do something for someone. But I keep putting it off, waiting for the task to become convenient, which it never does. What I find embarrassing is when I get a second email from that person, asking me to do whatever it is I need to do. That’s when I snap into action. I hate asking people twice for something, and I hate having to be asked twice, but it happens.
When there’s an article I have to write that I’m not jazzed about, starting in on the research is always the hardest part. But once I get over that hump, set up some interviews, and start organizing my thoughts, the rest just follows. So instead of color coordinating your sock drawer or spending hours archiving your past projects for the past five years, make a conscious decision to start making progress on what is in front of you.
Do The Hard Stuff First
This post on FastCompany.com talks about decision fatigue—an interesting theory on how we can make better decisions.
Want to plan your day, your meetings, and your commute better? Factor in how your body and brain may make bad decisions after being worn down from making the right moves earlier in the day. —FastCompany.com
Making good decisions can be compromised if you have spent too much time and willpower earlier in the day. Listening to your internal clock can help schedule out your day. Instead of spending an hour each morning, when you are most alert, doing things like checking your Facebook page and answering emails, use that time to start in on that daunting project—and do the other, less meaningful stuff afterward.
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its easier said then done
Making a To Do list the night before is great. So that while your sipping your coffee the next day, you have a guide of what to do next. I also assign numbers to my list, making the ones that are of priority to do first. Creative work can not be forced, so anything like logo design has to have its moment in time for the idea to evolve. Make sure you give yourself ample time and have it stated in your agreement to the client so that your not rushing things. Once I took some paper and pen to a conference and came up with a concept for a logo. So sitting behind a desk may not be the only choice to do your work, get out in the park or any kind of different setting and your productivity may soar.
DesignFacet – it’s so true mate. I sometimes start the day with all the to-do’s in my head and try and mentally tick them off when they are done.
It’s exhausting though… much better to plan the night before.
It also helps to schedule regular breaks. Often we procrastinate to simply slow down because we feel overwhelmed or tired. And plan something nice for the evening. That’s a great motivator to get things done during the day. Enjoy your break!
When is procrastination just a cover word for being lazy or the fact that you just don’t want to do something…?
There’s some great advice above. What I have found though is that procrastination is a mindset that you have to displace.
You can displace it with some different ‘rythms’ in your life.
What I mean by that is that you have set times for doing set things and nothing can get in the way of you doing that.
Having two small children and a business to run can be overwhelming at times, but I deal with it by getting these rythms running throughout the week.
It’s amazing how much your mind can tackle problems when you do it on a regular basis.
Hope that helps…
[quote]What I mean by that is that you have set times for doing set things and nothing can get in the way of you doing that.[/quote]
I have gotten this advice before but I never understood it. How can you set an exact time on certain projects/work. Sometimes things take more time than expected (well for me more often than not). So this messes up the whole “set times” thingy.
Your advice or tips are right on the dot but sometimes it is easier said than done especially on the “Do the Hard Stuff First” thing. I heard that several times but doing something you hate to do just get into your nerves and destroy your whole day. It’s supposed to make me feel that everything will be easier when you’ve accomplished the most difficult. Cheers!
I am also one of those people who hates doing the hard stuff first:-(. From time to time I start of in the right direction but then I fall back to my old behaviour of doing the fun stuff first.
I like to start my day with fun things and not the things that I find hard to do and am reluctant to do.
Hard stuff first is definitely the way to go. Damn hard though!
Sometimes I attack a list by doing 5-10 minutes solid on each task and then gradually increasing that time to 20, 30, 45 minute blocks. I find that way you can make progress across all tasks and are less likely to loose concentration and focus. Doesn’t work on all types of tasks though…
I like the idea about doing the list the night before. Makes your morning that little bit easier.
One does not write 750+ words on procrastination…
Anyways, I’ll read it later.
My middle name is procrastination lol