Procrastination is to put off intentionally and habitually. Do you often find that time escapes you, especially for the important tasks? Piers Steel is a professor in the Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources area and is the Brookfield Research Chair at the Haskayne School of Business. He says that procrastination is not about putting things off in general. It is reasonable that we must put stuff off because there is an infinite amount of stuff we need to do. He says if you are doing lesser value tasks when there are more important tasks to do, that is procrastination.
According to Mr. Steel, the actual cost of procrastination is that it interrupts your free time because the undone, important stuff is always nagging you. Your earned downtime is disrupted – that is significant!
The MindTools website lists the following ideas for overcoming procrastination:
Be aware of it – look at what you are doing! Are any of these familiar?
- Fill your day with low priority tasks
- Keep an item on your to-do list a long time, even though it is important
- Read emails over and over and not decide on what to do with them
- Start a high-priority task and then go off to look for office supplies or make coffee
- Fill your time with unimportant tasks you are asked to do, letting your important tasks pile up
- Wait … for the right mood … right time … to tackle the important task
Work out WHY you are procrastinating by asking yourself WHY??? at least 5 times to dig deep into your specifics.
Adopt Anti-Procrastination Strategies – WARNING: Procrastination is a habit so try these strategies:
- Forgiveness
- Committing to the task
- Promise yourself a reward
- Ask someone to be your Accountability Partner
- Tackle tasks as soon as they arise
- Rephrase your mindset to ‘I choose to’
- Minimize distractions
- Get the least pleasant tasks out of the way early
Piers Steel says that 95% of us procrastinate to some degree! I am known to “wait for the right mood.” When you find yourself spinning or ending the day without achieving the #1 activity on your list, hit the pause button and reflect on how that happened. Consider keeping a diary of when your focus was derailed and what you were thinking at that moment. Is your procrastination because you are disorganized, overwhelmed, or lack motivation for the work you are currently doing?
How do you manage procrastination?