Breaking Free from Procrastination

No Better Time Like…Another Day Taking Back Control of your Time and Productivity 

In terms of tackling tasks, would you say you’re a “get it done now” or “this can wait” type of person?

Time management is a key area of focus in my practice, and a topic that is consistently part of the conversation with my clients. I’m sure you can imagine why…time, as the saying goes, is the great equalizer. Unlike many aspects of business that may be dependent on your line-of-work, industry, role, area of responsibility, etc., we all play with the same allocation of 24 hours and 365 days.

So why are some of us seemingly so much better than others at squeezing out more efficiency, productivity and even enjoyment from the same clock and calendar? Many factors are at play here, but for the purposes of this post, I’d like to examine one possibility: procrastination.

Some may argue that procrastination is not a time management problem, but rather a bad habit problem. And to that I say yes to both. I actually think it’s rooted in a combination of challenges around prioritization AND behavior.

From my observations over the years as an executive coach, it’s this combined effect that has the potential for adverse consequence. When we stray from our time management best practices, we can certainly see our hours and days pass by with little to no impact on the stuff that matters most. Combine this with a bad habit or two that cause us to delay and/or divert our attention from the highest value activities, and we create a cycle that seems too overwhelming to overcome. It’s why I want to point out that we must look at both sides of this equation in order to best experience improvement.  And it’s the latter, recognizing one’s habit of procrastination, that often gets overlooked…but arguably warrants as much attention as the former, time management skillset.

Let’s consider some habits and behaviors that may lead us to procrastinate. A few top prospects may include:

• Simple avoidance from tasks and activities that we find unpleasant, unrewarding, complex, hard, mundane, etc.?…you get the point.

• A desire for perfection, and the belief that the time allocated to tackle a specific task is just not enough to get it done to your level of high standards.

• There’s a confidence gap between your desire to complete the task and your belief in your skillset to actually achieve it.

• You become distracted with stuff that leads to a more immediate level of satisfaction than the outcome of the task would yield (immediate vs. delayed satisfaction). You may see this quite often with emails and texts that “pop-up”.

Consider the list above and determine if any describe you (and I’m sure there may be others). The key initial take-away is to acknowledge the behavior or behaviors that may be the culprit behind your procrastination. Once there, the difficult task of executing a corrective shift in your behavior lies ahead. This will take work. As adults, we’re a tough group to crack when it comes to shifting a habit, especially one that is so deeply entrenched. But stay with me. Take it in small steps. The next time you find yourself getting ready to venture down one of the routes described above, consider an alternate route. I’ve listed a few alternate approaches that may help you chip away at this vexing procrastination thing.

Consider the following:

The Value Proposition

Placing a true sense of value to the outcome of the task adds weight and significance. Remind yourself of the reason(s) the task warrants being on your list in the first place. You may find writing it down adjacent to the line item on your to-do list helps. A reminder in your own handwriting highlighting the importance and/or value of the activity and helps provide an anchor to the rationale for its completion.

The Dreaded Deadline

Setting deadlines works. It forces us to have a completion date front and center and should…repeat, should allow us ample time to plan and execute. One tip: set realistic deadlines. It’s just one of those things many of us are not very good at: we tend to underestimate how much time we need to properly complete relatively short-term tasks. Bonus pro tip: consider adding a timeline to your deadline. In other words, breakdown the overall task into incremental tasks and milestone mini-deadlines to be achieved periodically along the way. Think bitesize pieces.

Phone a Friend

Recruit an accountability partner. Holding oneself accountable is easier said than done. But asking someone close to you to take on the responsibility of holding you accountable adds a significant level of value. Share your deadline and timeline with someone you can rely on to “check-in” and ask the tough questions about your progress. Having someone in this role serves many benefits. One worth noting, is our natural inclination and unwillingness to show up without our homework completed.

Be willing to explore this deeper…and begin the process NOW. Don’t allow the strangle-hold of procrastination to win any longer.

If you would like to explore more, here are two other posts on the subject of time management that may be of interest:

·       The Rule of Three and Time Management

·       Energy and Time Management

Continued success.