Learn 8 ways to stop procrastinating
Monday, February 8th, 2010Learn 8 ways to stop procrastinating
Below are eight ways to kill the procrastination out of your life, we all put tasks off and lose precious time from our life. Procrastination is the biggest waste of time you could be doing, learn to notice and change it.
- Learn organization - Organization is key, without a clear structure and plan you will find it easy to put tasks off because you wont be able to see the bigger picture and an end to the work. Try using a calendar to organize your life’s tasks long term, then break them down daily with a top do list and you will soon see the difference.
- Learn to be realistic - One main reason tasks get put off because when you are planning your to-do-lists they can b overwhelming with tasks, keep them simple and make sure each task is manageable for the set amount of time. Don’t try and do too much too soon otherwise you run the risk of nothing getting done.
- Learn to tell the truth - Lets be honest, some tasks on the to-do-list are not going to get done. They are just not nice jobs to do, if you know that you have no intention of doing a task for that day; leave it off the list! However the task does need to be done sooner or later so instead set yourself a date to complete it buy, then your mind will come to terms that it has to be done and you will allocate the best time to do it.
- Learn to avoid social chat – If you work on a computer nothing encourages procrastination like social chat such as MSN, if your working close down all your communication, email included and just get on with the task at hand.
- Learn what you do to waste time – Everyone has there own way to waste time and procrastinate, mine is the one mentioned above ‘social chat’ and answering emails. However yours may be music, films, Facebook, telephone calls or anything. Learn your patens and what you do to waste time, then you can better fight it. Remember you are your own enemy.
- Learn your not perfect - If the task is important, and requires it to be done very well. Like a university thesis or an important work report we have a tendency to postpone the work in fear of the timing being wrong to do a good enough job. DONT waste time, it needs to get done so make a start, learn that you are not perfect, and there will never be a perfect time to do the task.
Actually I’m wrong, the perfect time to do the task is NOW!
- Learn to ignore failure - fear is a powerful emotion, learn not to fear your failings but rather praise your achievements. If the task is difficult you may fail, but if its difficult this only means that its a worth while cause, and the reward will be great. Get going, give it your best – and always remember that in life people don’t ever fail; they just quit!
- Learn to be fit and happy - If you are an unhappy and depressed person you will find any reason not to be productive and do a task, learn to look after your health. We all have bad moods from time to time but if your unhappy mood is serious and ongoing go to see a doctor. Your health and happiness go hand in hand, and will benefit your daily attitude to tasks.
