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Procrastinate
Avoid not getting things done
Do you procrastinate? I do. I do it all the time. If I'm sitting at my computer I'll always just check my mail instead of getting on with the task I'm supposed to be doing. If it's not my mail I'll look at a news web site; anything to avoid the job in hand.
I always feel guilty about it. I think about all the things I could get done if only I didn't procrastinate. Then I think, hey I'm doing it again! So I'm dedicating this page to some tips and strategies to avoid procrastination.
Why
Why seems a good place to start. If we can understand why then perhaps solving the problem might prove to be a bit simpler. After all if you understand the problem then a logical solution must exist - well maybe.
We procrastinate for a variety of reasons. Often the reasons vary from situation to situation. I've put some of them together as 7 P's
| THE "P" | What it means |
| Perfectionism | If you like everything to be perfect then you're going to have a problem. You'll be worrying that the task is too hard because you want to reach such a high standard. You'll procrastinate |
|
Panic |
Panic often grabs people when they are about to start work. They suddenly worry if they'll succeed. Will they manage to complete whatever it is they set out to do? |
| Puzzled | Puzzled is when you really don't understand what it is you're supposed to do. Instead of finding out, you find other things to do instead. Things that you do understand how to do. |
| Perplexed | Unlike puzzled you do understand what you're supposed to do you just don't know how. You feel the task is too difficult and so you find something easier to do. |
| Push | Push is a lack of drive. You are unable to push yourself to get the task done. Lack of push is often a result of some or all of the other P's |
| Preoccupation | You're thinking about something else. This often happens when you have other important issues. Perhaps your kid is ill or there is trouble at work. |
| Priority | When priority is a problem it's because you're thinking that you should be doing something else. |
When you procrastinate in one or all of these ways you generally don't feel bad at the time. It's often later that you feel guilty. Perhaps you didn't finish the task and so you start to think "if only". If you procrastinate a lot then you feel guilty a lot.
When you look around you in your home, do you feel okay or guilty? If you feel guilty is it because things aren't as tidy as they could be. Do you feel guilty because you haven't played with the kids or swept the yard? Similarly at work do you look at your inbox and feel bad that you haven't dealt with the emails or look at your in tray and wonder why it's full.
That feeling of guilt is often the result of procrastination. It can really build up if you don't deal with it. It'll affect your relationships, your ability to work and your friendships. For example have you ever thought I should really be tidying up rather than going out with my friends? Does that feeling remain with you throughout your time with your friends.
You need to first recognize the feelings you are getting and then put in place strategies to deal with them. So for any task think of the P's and think which ones apply to you. It's that P you need to deal with.
Dealing with P
Dealing with the P's isn't that difficult if you're prepared. Perhaps the single most important thing you need to do is have a clear goal for the task you are undertaking. A clear goal will enable you to be sure of what you're doing. If you have worked the goal out correctly then you'll also be clear on the benefits and so you'll be motivated.
Goal setting is a great thing to be able to do and do well. Goal setting is simply figuring out what you want to do. If you're at home and you want all the piles of paper you have lying about tidied away then you've got your goal.
Let's stick with this goal of tidying away papers in your home and examine it in a bit more depth to figure out if it can be done in a way that prevents the 7 P's happening to us.
The goal is pretty clear. Get rid of the papers. Within that goal there are a variety of other goals. These are sub goals of the main goal. These goals might include filing important papers, taking paper to a recycling station, clearing out cupboards to make room for some important papers and so on.
Now we have a main goal and sub goals to deal with. Probably if you haven't tidied for a while you'll now start to feel Panic and you'll go off and find something else to do. Hold up, now's the time to bring in control and technique to get you through.
Often the problem with goals is that they are too big. If I said to you put away 1 paper each day then that sounds very achievable. However if I say clear away 1000 papers today then you start to think it's impossible. That's the key to success. You need to break the goals or sub goals down into manageable chunks.
A manageable chunk is the amount of time you can spend on a task. So if you have an hour to spare and you think about tidying all the papers in your house you'll procrastinate. You'll panic and you'll end up doing something else. Instead come prepared.
Get out your task list and pick the number one priority task off it. Check that it fits with your timescale. If not break it down and then tackle it. Have a look at this complementary page to procrastinate to check whether you're set up properly.
Just by going to the task list you'll be focused on the right task and by making sure it fits your time criteria you'll be avoiding the 7 P's.