We all procrastinate, myself included. We don’t want to do something that we don’t enjoy doing, so we find other important things that we need to do, and we push something off. And then we push it off again, and again, all the while justifying it because we really do have other important things to do. But that doesn’t exactly help the case of taking care of the thing we were supposed to do in the first place. So the question becomes, how can we avoid procrastination and be as efficient and capable as we really are?
Here are some solutions and tips that work for me and help many others:
1. Set due dates that are REAL. If something’s on your calendar to be done by a specific time, hold yourself to it, and have a rule never to change a due date unless there’s an unusual situation (like you’re sick).
2. “Eat the frog” first. As part of your daily routine, do something first that you really don’t like, get it over with, and then it’ll be behind you. The rest of the day will be easier and calmer, and you’ll be more focused on what you like to do.
3. Reward yourself. Everything hard deserves recognition. When you do something you don’t like or which is hard, reward yourself with a break or something else you enjoy.
4. Make realistic daily goals. When you know you have work to do and a certain amount of time to do it, fill that time with a realistic set of goals. The things you don’t want to do should be given appropriate time so that there’s no reason why they can’t be completed that day.
Too often we overschedule ourselves because we want to get ahead, but when that happens we tend to focus on what we enjoy more rather than what’s pressing.
5. Work smart, not hard. When you’ve made that realistic daily goal list, work to get it done. Then reward yourself. If you finish it and you’re done early – take some extra free time. If you can get things done well in less time, that’s great. Often, if you know you can take that time off early, it’ll push you to get through your daily goals – because no matter how much you don’t want to do it, you’ll probably enjoy your time off more than that.
I know these tips help me work smarter and get more done, and I hope they can help you too!
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