Conquer procrastination! - 5 proven ways to get more done in less time
Published:Wednesday | February 16, 2011 | 12:00 AM
Glenford Smith, Career Writer
The habit of procrastination exacts a high cost in money, peace of mind, and even jobs. Correspondingly, there is no single thing you could do to realise a quantum leap in your level of professional satisfaction and career success like overcoming procrastination.
The answer to this problem is not to wish you had more time, or learning more personal-productivity techniques.
Rather, you need to attack this problem from two angles: mental and practical. The following five strategies will change how you think, work and deal with the never-ending avalanche of responsibilities that threaten to drown you each day. Use them and you'll gain control of your time and your life and get more done in less time.
MENTAL STRATEGIES
1. Endure uncomfortable emotions. People put off important and necessary tasks because either the thought or act of doing them makes them feel fearful, inadequate, guilty, embarrassed, bored, uneasy, or somehow uncomfortable. So they instead do something that is easier or more enjoyable, like watching TV, talking on the phone, or connecting with friends on Facebook. To conquer procrastination, train yourself to experience these uncomfortable feelings rather than instinctively distracting yourself from feeling them. Learn to become comfortable with discomfort.
2. Focus on end-results and rewards. Don't think about how hard or unpleasant the project is, or on yourself failing. Concentrate, instead, on the feeling of satisfaction you'll get when you're successfully finished, the money you'll make, or the accolades you'll receive from your boss and co-workers. Also, think about a reward you'll give yourself when you complete a demanding or unpleasant task instead of the pains of the process.
PRACTICAL STRATEGIES
3. Practice saying no. To achieve your most important career goals, you have to stop spending time on many things and start spending more time on the few activities that really make a difference. You have to focus on the vital few to the exclusion of the trivial many. It is a self-evident fact that you can't ever get everything done, no matter how much time you have. You, therefore, need to be ruthlessly selective in what gets your time and attention.
4. Set up structures and systems. Anyone attempting to stop smoking appreciates the wisdom of ridding the home, car, and office of all cigarettes. In the same way, you need to eliminate sources of distraction from your workspace. Close down your email, Facebook, and Twitter; shut off your phone; unplug the TV; put a 'do not disturb' sign on your desk or office door.
Also, structure your time and establish basic routines by consistently planning your days, weeks and months. Develop the habit of making your scheduled commitments a must in order to take action on them every time.
5. Start now. Beginning is half-done. Whatever you have to do, just begin it. Don't wait to feel like starting. Instead, practise the discipline to begin and the feeling will come. Starting creates the momentum to keep going. Develop the 'start now' habit by adopting Nike's famous motto: Just do it.
Glenford Smith is a motivational speaker and success strategist.