Mark Twain wrote, “If you have to swallow a frog, don’t look at it too long.” Welcome, fellow frog-starers; this is for you.
The agony
Procrastination results in stress and shoddy work. Why? Because if you leave it until Zero Hour you:
- won’t be able to put it aside to let your subconscious mull over it, to generate fresher ideas
- will rush your work, and make errors in content, layout or punctuation, etc.
The ecstasy
You’re not doomed to procrastinate forever; like any bad habit you can “unlearn” it.
Here are four proven procrastination prescriptions:
- Gimme five: Commit to doing the task for just five minutes – a tiny time period. When five minutes is up, decide if you want to continue. You probably will, but if not, at least you’ll have started.
- Break it down: Need four hours to write a report but only have 20 minutes until your next meeting? Do something towards it – brainstorm some notes, call a subject expert, or draft your contents page. Then your brain will be engaged so you’ll have better ideas when you continue it later.
- Daydream: Imagine the endgame – how will you feel if you do great work? What results will you get? What will your boss or client say? Now imagine the opposite of all that – what you’ll get if you procrastinate. That should motivate you!
- A, not B: Is this you? “I can get any amount of work done, as long as it’s not what I’m meant to be doing.” If you busy yourself with priority “B” things instead of important “A” tasks, wake yourself with a slap, see point 3 above, then point 1!
How do YOU procrastinate?
Tell us your favourite ways to avoid writing, and your reward will be an EXTRA anti-procrastination tip — and it’s a biggie. We’ll (anonymously) share the funniest avoidance strategies next month. Tell us now (don’t put it off!).
OR you can share your thoughts for the world below…
