The five steps to a procrastination-free life (if you want one)

October 26 2011 , Written by thediversetraveller Published on #Ola Fagbohun, #procrastination, #productivity, #Travel News, #travel writing, #Writing

Even when I look like I am not doing anything I am a very busy woman. How can that be, well I'm probably watching a TV show on my PC, while checking tweets on my iPhone, and filing things away to be read or written about later.

And I can't blame technology for this, as from childhood I have unleashed my seemingly endless frenetic energy on getting stuff done. This attitude to life may be lauded and even envied by some, but it has left me physically and mentally exhausted. So these days I take a much slower pace, allowing myself to wile away time, smelling both coffee and roses.

But procrastination does not come easy to a type-A personality like me. I have to-do lists with tasks that are weeks overdue, and that's just the one on my PC. Then there's the to-do and notes lists on my my Mac, iPhone and alongside my Google calender, then as that wasn't enough I have a back-up paper list safe in my to-do folder. The sad thing is many of the to-dos on these various lists are the same, but, shudder, many are not.

Picture: My to-do list has a to-do list

There are days, when I do not allow an overdue task pulsating in red anger, overwhelm me, on these days in my new found Zen mode, I calmly open it up, then attack, defiantly creating a new due date.

Yes, my friends, the days of near anxiety attacks and sleepless nights are no longer as frequent, how I hear you ask? Easy! By embracing my dark side - procrastination.

Now before you high and mighty types, unclench your fist to wag your perfectly manicured "I manage to accomplish everything I set out to do, and still have time for Zumba classes, so why can't you" finger at me, let me tell you; us procrastinators are in eminent company.

According to a recent article I found on the Harvard Business review (HBR) website ...

When someone asked Ernest Hemingway how to write a novel, his response was "First you defrost the refrigerator."

So what do the experts say?

According to the same HBR article, experts want to rid the world of procrastinators, that surprises me considering how much money they make from guilt-prone procrastinators.

Ned Hallowell, a psychiatrist and the author of 12 books, including Driven to Distraction, says delaying work is often a symptom of how busy you are. "We procrastinate because we all have too much to do," he says. And of course, we want to dodge things we don't like.

"Many people procrastinate because they fear the drudgery or the difficulty of the task they are avoiding," says Teresa Amabile, the Edsel Bryant Ford Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and coauthor of The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work.

But even I know that I cannot procrastinate my life away, and of course I don't want to. So how can I achieve balance and productivity?

Fortunately, the same HBR article, and same Harvard brains, provide us with five tactical anti-procrastination tools, principles to "kick in" the next time I find myself spiralling into delaying mode.

1. Figure out what's holding you back

When you find yourself ignoring or delaying a task, ask yourself why.

Hallowell points out that there are two types of tasks most often deferred:

Something you don't like to do. This is the most common one. As Hallowell says, "You don't put off eating your favorite dessert."

Once you've identified why you've put something off, you can break the cycle and prevent future bouts of procrastination.

2. Set deadlines for yourself

One of the simplest things you can do is create a schedule with clear due dates for each part of a task. "As soon as you get the project, chunk it down into a few manageable segments that you can complete in sequence," Amabile advises. Then, assign deadlines for each piece.

These "small wins" make the work more manageable and contribute to your sense of progress. And achieving them is much easier than trying to barrel through a complex project.

Setting deadlines also makes sure the project doesn't get buried. For things that you are likely to put off, add reminders in your calendar or put a Post-It on your computer screen. Use whatever visual cues will ensure you don't avoid the project.

3. Increase the rewards

Picture: My favourite reward - cupcakes

We often dally because the reward for doing a certain assignment is too far off.

To make a task feel more immediate, focus on short-term rewards, such as getting a refund. Or if there aren't any, insert your own. Treat yourself to a coffee break, or a quick chat with a co-worker once you've finished a task.

4. Involve others

One of the principles Hallowell often repeats in his work is "Never worry alone." If you don't know how to do something, ask for help. Turn to a trusted colleague or a friend for advice. Or, look for an example of the project you are working on to use as a starting point.

5. Get in the habit

"People throw up a hand and say "I'm such a procrastinator as if they have no control," says Hallowell. "You do have control over this and you'll be very proud when you change it." Hallowell says that he used to be a procrastinator but trained himself to stop. "I don't procrastinate at all now. I just do it," he says.

There are immediate benefits when you start getting things done right away, and it's a habit you can cultivate.

Dealing with procrastination (or not)

So, let's review the advice from the experts above and my response:

1. Identify which tasks you are most likely to put off.

I have done this to death, hence my million to-do lists

2. Use deadlines to motivate you to get things done within a certain time frame.

Often when I can't be bothered I ignore my self-imposed deadlines, after all the only person affected by non-completion is me. However, if I am given a deadline by someone else, see me fly, I get a thrill of completing before the deadline. Yep, I'm a weird one!

3. Reward yourself for reaching milestones.

Oh, I'm good at this one. Evidenced by the number of cappuccinos and cupcakes I savour each week at my favour procrastination spot.

Don't:

4. Call yourself a procrastinator as if it is an intrinsic part of who you are.

Oops! failed there and don't care!

Picture: My two sides: Ms Productivity and Ms Procrastination

5. Tackle arduous tasks on your own — ask others to help you get over the hump.

Problem here! Like many people who work on their own and / work from home, there isn't always someone you can turn to at the time you need for help. That said I do appreciate the informal networks I have built up over the years. Always helpful for sense-checking and listening.

6. Try to finish a project in one sitting — break it down into smaller, achievable chunks.

Now this is something I am good. In the words of Lafcadio Hearn, 1850-1904 Greek Writer and Translator, "All good work is done the way ants do things, little by little." Probably the reason I manage to get anything done at all.

So now I have come clean and laid my procrastination predilections bare, what about you? What do you love about being a procrastinator? What are your procrastination do and don't?

Read the full HBR article: http://blogs.hbr.org/hmu/2011/10/stop-procrastinatingnow.html

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