Seven Tips for Beating Procrastination
When I was a kid, I loved tag. Tag came in second only to my ultimate favorite game of hide-and-seek. The challenge to find creative hiding places was just too much for a kid like me.
But tag? I was fast, with long legs, and I loved running like a maniac to escape grasping fingertips. Except today, I’m not so fast and I got caught.
Rebecca from Writers Roundabout tagged me to come up with Seven Procrastination Busters. (She just had to pick the topic I struggle with daily.) Without further ado, here are my seven tips for beating procrastination:
Use the 10-minute method to get jobs done. Nothing kills my energy more than a huge project or one that seems never-ending. Breaking it down into daily 10-minute sessions of frenzied work generally get the job done quickly and painlessly. (Cheers, Harry!)
Break your project down and give yourself small goals. This complements the 10-minute method by creating small, progressive steps towards the completion of a bigger project. Every job has stages – each stage is one project. Think of it that way, and the task doesn’t seem so enormous. (Thanks again, Harry!)
Develop the habit of an efficient work routine. My worst problem is having a poor routine and that leaves me feeling attention-splattered and like I’m spinning my wheels. I’ve been working on creating habits that help me stay on track and get me through the day. (Uhh… Harry! Thanks!)
Sit straighter in your chair when you work. It sounds crazy, but your body position when you write has a huge effect on your mood. Slouch for a while – how do you feel? Lazy and bored. Sit up straight. Force yourself to perk up, and you’ll feel your mood snap to attention. (Harry had nothing to do with this post. Score one for James.)
Keep yourself busy. Once you have a momentum going in your day, don’t break from it until you’ve ridden the wave for all it’s worth. During slow periods, work on your business and take care of the things you’ve been putting off. (Harry again.)
Take a break. Alright, yes, I know – I just told you not to stop. But there’s a difference between keeping the momentum going and burning yourself into the ground. Make sure that you’re maintaining a healthy work-play balance and not letting the scales tip too far in one direction or the other. (Yes, you guessed it… Harry.)
Last but not least, use every resource you have to stay focused, like the combined superhero duo of Google Calendar with Remember the Milk. (YES! Finally! James hits two points!)
Procrastination, for some people, comes from the inability to stay on track (raises hand sheepishly). It’s not that I avoid tasks because I don’t want to do them – it just seems that whatever I’m working on (or whatever shiny new toy grips my attention) is more important.
…like writing this blog post instead of working down my to-do list. 
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Well at least you can consider the fact that this post was ON your to-do list.
Score another for you. Thanks for joining in and I’ll remember how addicted to tag you are in the future. I can’t resist a challenge either but in school we played kiss chasey instead. I was pretty good at catching the boys then too.
You (and Harry) have some fantastic tips. I should practice the 10 minute method more often. I have a timer, it’s usually to remind me to get up and turn dinner off or rotate the laundry or limit my kids bathtime. I’m like you, easily distracted. I claim to be a great multi tasker but mostly it’s a scattered mind that works on a million things at once but really has to get focused to accomplish any of them.
Sometimes you really do just have to get the butt in the chair. Make it happen. The good thing about the 10 minute method is by having a timer going off ever ten minutes it brings your primary project back into focus. If you’ve wandered off and started doing something else the buzzer goes off to remind you to get back on track.
Fantastic points!
Wear shoes. Seems a bit silly (like sitting up straight) but for some reason, when I put shoes on I am 100 percent more productive.
@ Kim – Shoes? Hm. You know, you might be onto something…
@ Rebecca – I’m practicing using a daily task schedule, and I’m trying like anything to stick to it. I’m proud to say it’s working. Most of the time. And thanks for the compliments – I had fun writing this. (Harry laughed his head off when he saw who between us is obviously more organized!)
I swear this is true: when I saw the title of this in my RSS my very first thought was “I’ll read that tomorrow”.
I also get distracted by shiny baubles, but it’s those that I put away for “later” – web pages I’d like to read but that aren’t relevant to anything I’m doing, books I want to read but that have no immediate benefit.. all those get pushed off until I feel justified in having some “me time”.
That time is important for our mental health – “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, so don’t get too beholden to the necessary and important.
Point in case: here I am. This post isn’t particularly relevant to me (I get my work done without difficulty) but I wanted to read it just the same: “me time”.
I’m actually honored that you went against your first instinct to put it off and came to read, considering it “you” time. That’s an awesome compliment.
@ Anthony: For the sanity of the rest of us do you have any secrets to share? How to you manage to “get [your] work done without difficulty”? I’m sure there must be some kind of secret to avoiding procrastination and having a wonderfully productive work day.
I think probably my biggest “secret” is my ability to read quickly. It’s a natural talent – I never took any speed reading courses. I can read even difficult technical material at close to 1,000 WPM and if it’s easy reading I can get through almost any book in an hour or two at most. This lets me take a pile of books and suck them all down in a day, or squeeze a few into any week easily That alone is probably the most helpful in getting a lot done.
Also, I really believe in “good enough”: (http://aplawrence.com/foo-self-employed/getting-more-done.html ) – I don’t look back, I don’t second guess myself, I “do” and move on.
I also don’t set up stress. I schedule myself very loosely: http://aplawrence.com/foo-self-employed/looser-schedule.html
It’s also a matter of choosing what’s really important. I don’t clutter my life with unimportant things. Making X amount of money is important, but making XX is not – I’d rather have quality of life, so making decisions about WHAT really needs to be done is a part of it too. Exercise is important, so is spending time with family and friends – and I mean really IMPORTANT – every bit as important as making money. A happy mind is a more productive mind.
A place where I save a lot of time is fiction and movies. I seldom read fiction ( I read tech, science, history, economics, philosophy) and don’t watch many movies. I watch some TV, but many nights I just read instead – I’d almost never choose a movie over a book.
Because of this, I have time for the things I enjoy, so seldom feel like I need to put things off. Not that it never happens: I can overload my work day now and then.
But mostly I do not.
These are excellent points, James! I’m glad you decided to share them. I once read that a writer gets completely dressed head to toe in a suit and nice shoes when she writes. She said it makes her feel more professional, efficient, and helps her get quality work done every time. Now, I wish I could remember where I read that….
I definitely think that breaking the project down helps. I used that method for losing over 100 pounds, too. Instead of focusing on the entire amount, it’s easier to look at just getting that next 10 pounds off.
Great post!
James,
Everything your mother told you is true. Sitting up straighter works wonders. It’s an overlooked point.
I remind myself several times a day and I always get a burst of energy from straightening up. No impeded air flow, brain is happier.
When the brain is happier, the work is better!
Regards,
Kelly
Man, look at all the great comments here! I had to type this out in a Word document to make sure I caught everyone.
@Rebecca: Thanks for the compliments and I’m glad you’re finding our posts useful. You set a timer? In my mind that defeats the purpose. For me, the idea of saying you have to work for only ten minutes on a project is to free my mind from the stress of knowing I have a deadline. When I do a 10 minute project I actually want to forget I have only ten minutes and not feel pressured that I have to do something in ten minutes.
I totally understand your reasons for a timer, James is the same way. What ever way you make that ten minutes work for you is what’s important.
@Kim: Wearing shoes doesn’t sound silly at all. In fact, a couple of years ago a friend of mine found this site: The Fly Lady. One of the items on this site says you should get fully dressed every day regardless of whether you’re working at home or not. It makes sense. Seems like the same principle behind corporate wear vs. casual office wear. It does put you in a different mindset.
@Anthony: Gotta love “me timeâ€.
@Michele: See my answer to Kim, you probably saw it the same place I did. And congrats on the weight loss, that’s quite an accomplishment!
“you should get fully dressed every day regardless of whether you’re working at home or not.”
Though we used to spend most of the summer at a clothing optional resort.. I had DSL there, so could work from my “branch office”. Getting “fully dressed” was a bit unusual.. getting dressed at all was too
@ Tony – Okay, reading that quickly and that much is… discouraging. I wish I could do that. On the other hand, I probably couldn’t afford to keep that habit happy
As for working in optional clothing… lol, too funny.
@ Kelly – My mother still tells me not to slouch.
@ Michele – You’re welcome! It was actually pretty fun to write. (Thank you, Harry.)
@ Tony again – I agree. I don’t want XX money. I’m perfectly happy with X money. In fact, as long as I have XX happiness, I’m happy with zero money. (Though money makes happiness easier, I’ll admit.)
@Tony: that is far too much information.
@James: Glad I could provide some inspiration. Just call me Muse.
@Harry
Oh c’mon – don’t tell me you Canadians are as hung up and narrow minded as my U.S. brethren.. I’ll be terribly disappointed. Especially smart folks like you..
@ Tony – Us Canadians are pretty loose. Topless is legal in public in most provinces, I believe. As for Harry, he’s American born and raise. I’m the only Canuck ’round here!
Well, maybe that explains it. Still – I don’t expect bright people to have silly social taboos..
@Tony: Yup. 100% Grade A Prime American. I’m far from narrow minded. I actually admire people who are secure enough in themselves to do the clothing optional thing – it’s just not my “thing”.
PS: with me it’s not a social taboo by any means. I’m too smart to get caught up in taboos
Great tips on procrastination. Being the “Queen of Procrastination”, I decided to write a book on procrastination. I was trying to figure out if it could possibly be a disease, genetically inherited (a lazy gene), or a psychological problem. I was real excited completing two chapters that day five years ago. The only thing I can figure, procrastination took over. Is there a Procrastination Anonymous? Ah, nobody would show up for the meetings.
Breaking your projects down into smaller ones, does make it easier. Once you have done that get started on your project right away. If you stall around, more then likely you will procrastinate. Anyway, thanks for the tips.
Great tips James. I used to struggle with big projects because I didn’t break them down and it’s easy to become overwhelmed.
Remember The Milk sounds like it could be a useful tool.
@ Catherine – Yeah, it does. I installed it… uh… and haven’t gotten around to actually trying it yet. Saw a review though (Freelance Switch?) and it sounded awesome.
@ Christine – I’ve read several times that procrastination is really a myth and doesn’t exist as a problem per se, because the problem is really something else entirely and we just use the P-word as a nicer label.
I wrote an article a while back on procrastination and I seem to remember coming across something that it had to do with our genetic make-up and the way each individual thinks. I’ll have to see if I can find it and get back to you on that one.
Very good tips. I too tend to procrastinate on things. The slouching is horrible too. At work I have gotten into the habit of forcing my chair as close as my body will let me in an effort to keep from slouching. It’s working, and I do indeed notice a huge difference in my mood. Now, if I could just force myself to do this at home!
I struggle with procrastinating when it comes to house work. I’m very organized and try to keep the house clean, it’s the jobs that need to be done that get me; like unpacking the boxes stored in my garage or installing childproof cabinet locks.
I find what helps me when I feel bad because I’m procrastinating is to drink beer, because then I don’t care anymore!
By god, John… I think you have the answer!
Hey,anyone ever read Wiki on this? (Yes, I read Wiki. I like Wiki. Have you ever had to try and have an article approved on Wiki? They’re extremely strict. And they’re a fast fix when you just need to know something.)
Go read it here.
I love the words Chronic procrastination. Makes me think of a really nervous person who can’t cope with anything.
By the way, I love Wikipedia and reference it from time-to-time. I find it very insightful and usually correct.
*ponders* You know, I’ve been thinking about that clothing optional thing recently. I think the real taboo about it comes from the “comfortableness” of ugly. I’m completely into clothing optional for all those hot looking people out there but I freely admit that there are some SCARY people I’d rather avoid when clothing is optional.
Here at home clothing is optional but I must admit more work gets done when the clothes stay on. Usually.
As for procrastination, I’m in that hellish pit and for weeks now. Someone, please, held me find a shovel to dig myself out. *goes back over all these fantastic tips in the hopes of stickable solutions.*
Rebecca Laffar-Smith’s last blog post..Giving Back to Your Blogging Community
Procrastination is shouting you have no love for the task.
If you’re a one-horse production, you’ll pay a heavy price if procrastination trumps discipline. If you have a team, pawn everything off that doesn’t fit your sweet spot.
Here’s the thing. If you have the magic money skills, don’t burden yourself with the mundane stuff. If you’re Michelangelo, you shouldn’t be cutting the grass even if you love cutting grass.
Joe
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