I’ll Get around to It: 10 Tips on Avoiding Procrastination

RISMEDIA, Jan. 24, 2007-(MSN.com)-Admit it: there are a number of projects that might warrant a little procrastination. Especially those home maintenance and seasonal projects that you know have to be done, but you keep avoiding because you're too busy, uninspired, or afraid of because you've convinced yourself that you don't have the skills to complete.

But the truth is that many of these projects just get more daunting and difficult with time. Delay can create not only more work in the long run, it can actually put a crippling grip on your ability to start newer, more fun projects. So how do you get the procrastination monkey off your back, get those backlogged (but necessary) chores done, and open up your ambition again to take on what you really want to do?

Procrastination is quite a strong force; often it allows us to ignore the most important of priorities in lieu of doing things we might prefer to do. The good news is that there are tools to help you tame the procrastination beast, ultimately making you happier and much more productive in the long run.

The Culprit

The first step toward solving your procrastination issues is to determine what type of procrastinator you are. Procrastination comes in many forms, but there are two commonly classified forms of procrastination: relaxed and tense.

The relaxed procrastinator tends to blow off their work. Often he or she will "forget" about what needs to be done. They won't prioritize their tasks and thus, never get around to what needs to be accomplished. This type of procrastination is commonly found in school-aged kids who ignore their homework, but at the same time, remember that they must get together with friends later in the day. They typically avoid stress by simply not doing whatever it is that is pressing, or focus their time and effort on completing tasks that are less challenging.

The tense procrastinator will often allow themselves to become completely overwhelmed with stress and pressure. They will exaggerate the complexity of the task at hand and thus "scare" themselves out of completing it. They will go to extremes to fill themselves with such self doubt and negative emotions that they are literally forced to relax simply to get away from all the self-induced stress. Eventually, the calming effects of relaxing begin to fade and they soon realize they have now compounded the problem because the task is still pending. Ultimately, the problem gets worse because feelings of guilt and apprehension start to take hold and the tense procrastinator quickly finds him/herself completely paralyzed.

Avoid The Grip!

Procrastination is often an easy trap for any one of us to fall into. However, there are some techniques that you can employ in your every day life that won't just help you to tackle those projects, but take on any number of ideas that once held you back from personal gain. Here are a few methods that have worked:

1. Lists vs. Rewards

We like to call this the "gold star" method. Just like when you were in school and a teacher rewarded your work with a gold star, you were often inclined to try just a bit harder to get it again. So, apply this same process to your own projects. Start by listing everything you know that you need to accomplish and then determine an appropriate reward to completing each project. Be realistic in the tasks you need to complete and the timelines you establish. Also, make sure you actually reward yourself after each task has been completed. (That's the fun part!)

2. Gradual Method

Another method is to work on a given project for short bursts. Since procrastination isn't something that you can get rid of overnight, you'll need to be somewhat therapeutic about it. So, gradually work it in. Start on a project for 10 minutes at a time. You can even say, "I'm going to work on this for no more than 10 minutes." Set a timer and when it goes off, leave the project and go at it again for another ten minutes and so on. It at least gets you started and there's a good chance that once you start, you'll eventually keep going until you're finished.

3. Do It Now

It's easy to convince yourself that you have enough time to accomplish everything you want. But as we all know, that window of time closes all too quickly. So, another method is that the moment you think to do it, do it! Don't wait around for the right time to complete a task – and take action the moment it pops into your head.

4. Avoid Perfection

Perfection is essential when it comes to building a space shuttle, but not so much when painting your bedroom. If you're a bit of a perfectionist it's probably affecting your ability to start a given project. So, learn to ease up on yourself. Perfection in home improvement is a relatively unachievable goal, so don't convince yourself otherwise. The mistakes you make in your present will always help you to improve your future. If you just can't help it, take a page from modern management theory: strive for excellence, not perfection.

5. Change Your Thinking

Procrastination starts with the way you think about a task at hand. If you believe from the start that you're incapable of accomplishing something, you simply won't ever get around to doing it. Thoughts like, "this project is too overwhelming" could be changed into "what's the easiest place for me to start on this?" Switch out self-deprecating thoughts not necessarily with positive messaging (which can sometimes be unrealistic), but with more task oriented messaging. This is a powerful force that will get you started in a realistic and forward thinking manner.

6. Schedule Your Work Time

Set a realistic work schedule and stick to it. "Realistic" means literally that. Don't be overzealous and think that you're going to finish every project you've been putting off for months in a single weekend. Even just by scheduling one hour a week to start and then carving out more time as needed will increase your chances of success. Try to pre-establish penalties for not sticking to your work schedule and that you dole them out to yourself as need be. Also be sure that you can determine whether or not your goals were simply too far fetched to begin with and how you can adjust them without scrapping your entire work schedule.

7. Live in the Present

Finishing your projects will be something you'll be able to look at with pride. You'll find yourself exclaiming, "I did that!" and "I can't believe I finished that!" But the only way to get there is to be sure that you are constantly living in the present and not in the future. Take each step of a project as it comes. Try not to spend too much time focusing on the final result so that you ignore the steps that are right in front of you. Often what might happen is that the end result might start to seem too far off and you'll quickly get discouraged realizing how much more work lies ahead of you and you quit mid way through.

8. Schedule Your Play Time!

If you're a workaholic, as many do-it-yourselfers are, you sometimes might find that once you get started with a given project, you don't allow yourself to stop. Or if you stop, you do so for good simply because you're too exhausted or too frustrated to continue. So, be sure you schedule breaks and a bit of play time both during project work sessions and after you're finished. Many of our community members use the ‘drying time' of paint and tiling projects to grab a nice meal with a friend or spouse. Or, they'll break down a project into phases making sure to schedule an hour or two of relaxation in between each stage. Be diligent not to allow yourself open ended times either on when you start your break and when you finish your break. Give yourself a reasonable amount of time to relax and de-stress and then get back to work according to your schedule.

9. Don't Just Do It Yourself!

Consider sharing your goals with a roommate or spouse. By doing so, you now have someone you have to "answer to." Ask them to help you by gently pressuring you to either get started or get back to work. Even a slight nudge done in a loving manner will be more than enough to get you up and going. You might also consider asking a friend or relative come over to help you actually do the work!

10. Don't Worry So Much!

Worrying about a given project will sometimes keep you from doing it. You might find that you spin yourself up so much from the time that you're wasting by not doing something that you make yourself incapable of doing the given project in the first place. So, don't worry so much. Just know that even by accomplishing seemingly small steps on any project will get you one step closer to actually finishing.

From winterizing your windows to painting your exterior, some projects tend to be projects that we like to plan for and talk about, but take forever to actually complete. But by following a few of the tips we laid out above, we know that you'll get one step closer one step at a time and before you know it – you'll be done!

Source: MSN.com

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