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Time, Seven Ways To Beat Procrastination
by Jim Estill
I am a student of Time Management and a big part of time management is beating procrastination. We all procrastinate, even those of us who pride ourselves in having good time management skills.
From my studies, I have come up with seven proven ways to beat procrastination.
1. Do the worst task first: I have used this technique for years. I have even created more than one “first thing.” There is first thing in the morning, there is first thing after lunch, and there is first thing in the evening. I take a look at the items on my To Do List and figure out which one I am dreading the most and spend a limited time on it at least moving it forward. This is known as swallowing the frog first thing; if you begin your day by swallowing a frog, then the rest of the day looks good.
2. Break it down: Often the reason that we procrastinate is because the task ahead of us is too big. Often there are small parts of the task that can be done. How do you climb a mountain? One step at a time.
3. Use a friend: I am not actually referring to delegation (but of course I don’t mind that either); what I mean is to tell a friend what you want to do and get them to help you start the task. Often it is the act of starting a task that is enough to get the task done.
4. Do the pleasant part of the task: Often many distasteful and large jobs have some parts to it that are not particular distasteful. Do them so at least you are moving forward on your most important items.
5. Fifteen (15) minutes: Just spend 15 minutes on a task. I have the attitude that I can spend 15 minutes doing virtually anything and I can certainly survive spending 15 minutes on something. Often by spending the 15 minutes on a task, I either complete it or I will get it moved forward enough that it has momentum to finish.
6. Track it: The simple act of tracking a goal is often enough to keep the goal moving forward. It seems odd, but knowing that you are going to write down whether or not you have done something is often enough to make you move forward.
7. Reward or punish: The reason we do something is because it is more painful than not getting it done, so if we can make the completion a task more rewarding or the consequences of not completing it more painful, then we tend to move forward on things. Tying successful completion of a task to a reward is often a successful technique.
Remember that even successful people occasionally procrastinate. Procrastination is not a permanent condition.
About The Author: Jim Estill is the CEO of SYNNEX Canada. His time management expertise is available in his ebook, Time Leadership. To read a sample chapter of his ebook, and to check out his highly acclaimed CEO blog, visit http://www.jimestill.com.
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Return to the selection of time
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Time, Time Management by Kim Olver Approximately 930 Words
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Time, Are You A Time User Or A Time Waster? by Richard Kimball Approximately 691 Words
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You may want to try these websites for additional information
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1575410,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,186660,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1535817,00.html
The information provided in this article is the express opinion of the author. Exchangenet is not responsible for the content!
I am a student of Time Management and a big part of time management is beating procrastination. We all procrastinate, even those of us who pride ourselves in having good time management skills.
From my studies, I have come up with seven proven ways to beat procrastination.
1. Do the worst task first: I have used this technique for years. I have even created more than one “first thing.” There is first thing in the morning, there is first thing after lunch, and there is first thing in the evening. I take a look at the items on my To Do List and figure out which one I am dreading the most and spend a limited time on it at least moving it forward. This is known as swallowing the frog first thing; if you begin your day by swallowing a frog, then the rest of the day looks good.
2. Break it down: Often the reason that we procrastinate is because the task ahead of us is too big. Often there are small parts of the task that can be done. How do you climb a mountain? One step at a time.
3. Use a friend: I am not actually referring to delegation (but of course I don’t mind that either); what I mean is to tell a friend what you want to do and get them to help you start the task. Often it is the act of starting a task that is enough to get the task done.
4. Do the pleasant part of the task: Often many distasteful and large jobs have some parts to it that are not particular distasteful. Do them so at least you are moving forward on your most important items.
5. Fifteen (15) minutes: Just spend 15 minutes on a task. I have the attitude that I can spend 15 minutes doing virtually anything and I can certainly survive spending 15 minutes on something. Often by spending the 15 minutes on a task, I either complete it or I will get it moved forward enough that it has momentum to finish.
6. Track it: The simple act of tracking a goal is often enough to keep the goal moving forward. It seems odd, but knowing that you are going to write down whether or not you have done something is often enough to make you move forward.
7. Reward or punish: The reason we do something is because it is more painful than not getting it done, so if we can make the completion a task more rewarding or the consequences of not completing it more painful, then we tend to move forward on things. Tying successful completion of a task to a reward is often a successful technique.
Remember that even successful people occasionally procrastinate. Procrastination is not a permanent condition.
About The Author: Jim Estill is the CEO of SYNNEX Canada. His time management expertise is available in his ebook, Time Leadership. To read a sample chapter of his ebook, and to check out his highly acclaimed CEO blog, visit http://www.jimestill.com.
These articles on lifestyle and more
Reprint this article free of charge as long as you keep the author's resource box or bio intact and the links active. A copy of the ezine or URL of the page where the article was reprinted emailed to the author would be very much appreciated. time
Return to the selection of time
You may want to try these articles on time
Time, Time Management by Kim Olver Approximately 930 Words
Time, How To Be More Productive Today by Gary Ruplinger Approximately 531 Words
Time, Respect: The Key To Delegation by Jim Estill Approximately 542 Words
Time, How To Plan Time So I Can Stay Highly Productive by Jim Estill Approximately 578 Words
Time, Are You A Time User Or A Time Waster? by Richard Kimball Approximately 691 Words
Time, Doing Things By Halves by Davina deWitts Approximately 618 Words
You may want to try these websites for additional information
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1575410,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,186660,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1535817,00.html
The information provided in this article is the express opinion of the author. Exchangenet is not responsible for the content!
