Overcoming Procrastination

Do you need help with overcoming procrastination?

Do you tend to put off doing things until the last minute?
Do you waste time doing trivial tasks while the important things remain undone?
Would you prefer to do something easy, which doesn't take a lot of thought or effort, than the task that you know should be your number one priority?
Do you put off starting something because you know it will take a long time to complete?
Are you worried that it won't be perfect when its done, so you never get started?
Do you put off the tasks that you dislike?...
...Or that you don't know how to do?

I would venture that we are all guilty, and procrastinate at home, school and work on occasions. However, there are steps that we can take to help us with overcoming procrastination.

Why do people procrastinate?

There are many causes of procrastination. Let's run through a few of them and I will offer some ideas that may help in each situation.

Perfectionism

Perhaps the most difficult to deal with is perfectionism. We all want to do the best we can, but the perfectionist can get really concerned about turning out anything that is less than top notch. In fact, they often won't start work on a project in case it isn't "just so".

I suffer from this to a certain extent myself, when writing pages for this site. I can see in my mind's eye a fantastic page that says exactly what I am thinking. But when it comes to putting those thoughts onto the screen, I start wondering if they are really expressing what I want to say. I will often put off writing the page, instead I browse the web or check my stats to try to put off the inevitable.

Eventually we have to just run with it, but overcoming procrastination in this instance is tough. I normally give myself a talking to, and attempt to get something written down, even if I know that I will want to edit it afterwards. In fact if I have a deadline, the quicker I can complete that first draft the better, as it then gives me more time to pick it to pieces and rewrite it. But even at that stage, I have to be careful not to continue editing and never publish or hand in the work.

It is too difficult

Another situation where we might need help in learning how to overcome procrastination is when we are faced with a difficult task that we do not know how to tackle.

Here, it is important to realise WHY we are not getting the task done. Take a moment or two to really think about what is stopping us. Do we need information from someone else? Are we afraid of asking for it, thinking that the other person will consider us stupid for not knowing it already? Do we just not know who to ask for the assistance? Perhaps we need to ask different people for help with different parts of our project?

Being too proud to ask for help can get us into all sorts of trouble. Remember that the only silly question, is the one that we don't ask! Muddling along and getting stressed, can make any job seem harder than it need be.

Think about when you are next likely to see the person that can possibly help you. If it won't be until after the project needs completing, then work out how you can get in touch - can you send them an e-mail, phone them, or pop into their office on route to somewhere else? Often that first step of working out how, and when, to make contact can "unstick" a project.

It will take too long

When faced with a large project it can seem to big to handle. The trick here is to break it down into smaller pieces that are "doable".

Grab a notepad and jot down each task that needs to be done to bring the project to completion.

Then look at each item you have written down and see if it can be broken down further into even smaller tasks. If you have written down "Call Joe" then make sure you have his phone number, so that it is simple to get that item ticked off. As the finished tasks build up, you should be more motivated to keep going, however huge the original job seemed to be.

You might also find that you can delegate some of the steps. Knowing that someone else is also "on the job" can help with overcoming procrastination.

Lack of motivation

If the task at hand does not interest you, or won't benefit you personally when it is done, overcoming procrastination can be difficult.

Sometimes it is best to turn these sort of tasks on their head and look at how you will suffer if you do not "get on with it".

For example if your taxes need doing before the deadline, but you can't summon up the energy to work on them, think about the consequences if they are handed in late! Perhaps think about how the fine you would have to pay if you don't get them in on time, could be better spent on something nice for yourself or your family.

In a similar vein, why not offer yourself a reward once the work is accomplished? Or a smaller reward for the completion of each step?

Fear

Fear can be one of the main causes of procrastination.

This can manifest itself as a ...

fear of making a decision - it could be the wrong one!
fear of making a mistake
fear of making a commitment - and having to follow it through
fear of change
fear of repercussions
fear of bad news
fear of rejection
and even fear of success!

Perhaps the best way to tackle these, is to think of the pain you are experiencing by putting off the things you are frightened to do. Then you have to decide, whether that is worse, than the results of actually doing that action. Often, getting it done so that you can stop worrying about it, is better in the long run.

Summary

As we have seen there are as many ways of overcoming procrastination as there are reasons why we procrastinate. Hopefully some of the solutions on this page will help you to get you started.

You might also find the books below useful.

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