I am sometimes a procrastinator. There needs to be some kind of 12 Step program for that. Except I’d keep putting off going to the meetings, so maybe that isn’t such a good idea after all. What I have learned after all these many years is something my Mom knew about me when I was 10. I need some kind of deadline in order to fool my time clock so that I can just finish off my work in a speedy manner. What happens a lot is that I have a few days to accomplish something that will only take about 30 minutes, and I wait for a bit to start and finish the job. I put it off for so long that it makes me crazy to see it on my to-do list. And then when I actually do the task, it gets done in about half the time I expected and was no big deal. Then I berate myself for not getting it over with sooner. Can you relate?
Here’s the 2-step process I came up with. (Feel free to copy this!)
1. Put the activity or task on the calendar at a specific day and time.
2. When that time comes, sit down and do the work and don’t put it off.
3. Bonus step: Celebrate!
Hope that helps. Okay, I get that it isn’t rocket science, but when I put on my entrepreneur hat and realize that I am not going to love doing everything that needs to be done as it relates to running a business, then I am okay. I may have to put a little “carrot” out there in order to get it done on time. Like offering myself a cup of hot tea and a handful of chocolate chips for doing the job. But seriously, the only thing that really works for overcoming procrastination is just doing the job when it needs to be done. And then I feel a-MAY-zing at the end of the day when I consider all I accomplished, instead of feeling bad about rolling that job over and over again from day to day.
Gotta run…I’ve got to do a 10 minute job that I have been putting off for weeks days a while. Why don’t you chime in and let me know that you’ve just finished something you have been putting off? I’m cheering you on.