Methods to stop procrastinating and finish more projects

Posted on October 19, 2009
Filed Under Goal Setting |

The biggest pest, when coming to terms of how to manage time, is procrastination. There are theories that say procrastination is linked to depression, and some say it is a learned response. One thing is for certain; the less you procrastinate, the more efficiently you are able to manage your time.

There are four themes connected to procrastination. There is the Self-Doubting Procrastinator, who fears he will fail at his task so he second-guesses himself out of taking action. There is the Discomfort Dodger, who avoids activities that cause anxiety or discomfort. There is the Guilt-Driven Person, who feels guilty about putting off important tasks but continues to procrastinate to avoid the pressing guilt. Finally, there is the Habitual Procrastinator, one who has procrastinated so many times that the action has become routine, just a part of the person.

The worst thing about procrastination and how easy it is to continue to develop this habit is that society actually accepts it and unknowingly rewards the behavior. How many times have you apologized for being late and been excused? Or asked for an extension to a deadline and actually gotten one? What about being told ‘good job’ for having put in a burst of last-minute effort to get a project done? Slow and steady progress doesn’t seem to attract as much notice, does it? One issue around procrastination is that once you’ve discovered you do it and want to change, it’s difficult to know how to start correcting the problem, but changing your ways can be done.

The first step toward breaking the procrastination spell is to make a to-do-list. The list doesn’t have to be in order, but it needs to be somewhere visible so that it can serve as a constant reminder of what needs to be done. After you have made a list, it would be great if you could prioritize that list. If you’ve operated a home business knows the value of this. You could rank your tasks by deadline or what is considered to be most important. You can also invest in a large calendar that can be a constant source for dates and writing notes. You need to put the calendar in a place that is common, so that it can be seen often and not hidden by a closed door and forgotten. If you have a punctuality problem when it comes to time and deadlines, you can up your deadlines by two days and set your clocks ahead by ten minutes. When you mentally think that the new time and deadline are the right ones, you will find yourself relieved that you not only made your deadline, but you did it early and now you have free time.

Unreliable, unpredictable, unstable: those are three words associated with procrastinators, unpleasant labels that no one really wants to be the owner of. Procrastinating can jeopardize many areas of your life, such as jobs or relationships, and it’s a very good idea to try and break yourself of the habit. What’s more, you may find that your newfound efficiency actually means you have more free time to spend doing the things you enjoy, instead of feeling guilty about the things you’ve been putting off.

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