Volume 3, Issue 7 - July 2002

I've been meaning to write this article for weeks now, and it just seems that I can't get to it! Seriously though, procrastination is a disease that many many of us have. Why? Procrastination feels good at the time… it gets you out of doing things that you really don't want to do. So the purpose of procrastination is good, but it always seems to add more stress and disorganization to our lives.

Can you recognize when you are procrastinating? Do you know what to do when you catch yourself?

Procrastination is like creating a snowball on the top of a mountain. For a little while, it is just fine. If you move the snowball around too much up there, it takes on a life of its own and travels down the mountain on its own steam. We know that it crashes when it hits bottom! Have you ever done that? I have…. And I would like to be better about not doing it again.

We start the cycle by saying, "I'll do that tomorrow" or, "I will be more focused to do that tomorrow" or even, "I don't have the energy to do that today". Those are not bad statements. Until tomorrow comes and we say the same thing.

If you have procrastinated three times in a row… you have a problem. So how do you get over it? First, start by recognizing when you have procrastinated. Be totally honest with yourself and say, "Yes - I really am putting this off - and I really don't have a good reason". That is half the battle.

Then, choose one of the following techniques and stick with it until you get the task done:

Tell someone else that you are committed to getting it done. Make an out-loud commitment to someone else. Make that someone be a person that will make you keep your word, that won't take your excuses or explanations. Your dog doesn't count!

Give yourself a deadline. Many of us truly believe that we work better under pressure. Sometimes we really do. Therefore, those things that don't have deadlines (or the deadlines are very far into the future), we just never seem to get around to. So, say "I will have 3 pages of this book written by next Tuesday" and hold yourself to that deadline.

Break the task into little pieces. You know the joke, "How do you eat an elephant?" "One bite at a time!". So break your elephant into little pieces. Some people prefer to start with the easy tasks to keep the momentum going and some people like to start with the hard tasks to get them out of the way. The way to figure out your style is quite simple. When you were a child and you had a vegetable on your plate that you hated - and you HAD to eat it - when did you eat the vegetable? If you ate it first, then you should start with the difficult task first. If you ate the vegetable last, then start with the easy parts of the task. If you mixed it up into the potatoes, you need to just start anywhere and get going. Finally, if you gave your vegetable to the dog, you should probably delegate the task!

Be sure to keep the task front and centre on your desk. If you put it in the filing cabinet, it is very easy to forget about it. It is almost like nagging yourself. If it is always staring you in the face, it is hard to keep procrastinating. I do this with the ironing in my house. To be honest - I iron everything. I know that isn't necessary, but once I get going with my ironing, I quite enjoy it. So I leave the ironing board up in the family room with all the clothes piled in a basket beside it. When I sit down in the living room, I will usually get up and iron once I see the pile growing!

Don't wait until the last minute. I know we work better under pressure, but get some of it done before it is too late! This way you won't have your snowball take off down the mountain without you!

Finally, keep this little rhyme in your head and remind yourself that the pain of procrastination is not worth the small reward we get when we do procrastinate.

Procrastination is my sin
It gives me pain and sorrow
But I can stop most anytime,
I think I'll change tomorrow!

Rhonda Scharf (Finniss) is a Professional Speaker, Trainer and Consultant and President of ON THE RIGHT TRACK - Training & Consulting and is available to deliver customized workshops or keynote speeches at your next convention. Call today at 1-877-213-8608 or e-mail Rhonda@on-the-right-track.com. Since you are now visiting her site, why not take a moment and sign up here for her complimentary quarterly newsletter.