Thursday, February 22, 2018

6 Tips to Overcome Procrastination

Are you having trouble with focusing on the tasks at hand? Maybe you got occupied chatting with a coworker that popped into your office a few minutes ago. Or maybe you've found yourself catching up on industry news by looking through a stack of trade magazines. Regardless of the cause, we all struggle with procrastination in one form or another. So how can you overcome procrastination? Below are six helpful tips to follow:

1. Thinking "have to" vs "choose to":
You may be procrastinating because you feel that you are being forced to perform a task that you don't want to do. For example, you may tell yourself that your spouse is trying to manipulate you into washing the dishes or doing the laundry. Because you don't like being manipulated, you procrastinate by:

-Playing video games
-Watching TV
-Walking the dog

Instead of telling yourself you have to wash the dishes, tell yourself that you choose to wash the dishes to make your spouse happy.

2. Don't blow tasks out of proportion:
Stop telling yourself that the future of your business, your career, and even your success all depend on the outcome of this one action you have to take.

3. Reward yourself:
For example, tell yourself that if you sit at your desk and work on your taxes for an hour without interruptions, you'll reward yourself with that delicious slice of cake in the fridge. Giving yourself the incentive to complete a task makes it a lot easier.

4. Three questions to ask yourself:
Before you start working on any given task, ask yourself these three questions.

-Am I the best person to perform this task?
-Is this the best use of my time at the moment?
-Am I using this task as an excuse to avoid working on something that's more important?

5. Get rid of overstaying visitors:
Struggling with dilly-dallying visitors? Follow these three steps to get rid of them politely.

-As you're talking, suddenly interrupt yourself. It's okay to put your task first!
-Take control of the conversation.
-Look at your watch and say "Oh no! It's already 3:30 PM!"

6. Keep asking yourself what needs to be done next:
You don't have to wait for the perfect, detailed plan of how you're going to achieve your goal before acting on it. Center yourself in the moment and ask:

-"What can I do right now to move forward?"
-"What's right in front of me?"

Practicing these six tips can help you become a more productive person!

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