Beat Procrastination!

Procrastination is the: ‘… act of needlessly delaying tasks to the point of experiencing subjective discomfort’. (Solomon and Rothblum, 1984, cited in Fritzsche et al, 2002, p503)

Procrastination, or task avoidance, is common to many people. The word has its origins in latin: pro-(forward) and crastinus (of tomorrow).

Procrastination occurs for many reasons: you may not know where to start on a task, you may not understand a task, you may dislike the task, or you may worry that you cannot complete a task successfully. Often a person’s anxiety about a task leads them to avoid it. Therefore, to accomplish more in a day, it is best to tackle the most difficult or worrisome task first. This is beneficial because it allows you to devote the time and mental energy that is necessary for a difficult or unpleasant task when you are most able to. Furthermore, by reducing the anxiety associated with this task in tackling it early, you will find that work becomes easier.

When the unpleasant task is finished, it no longer creates anxiety and worry, which can save time. So what can we do to avoid this especial and very common pitfall?

• Once you have identified a job as important on your priority list, don’t question it. Get it onto your desk or in your hand and do it! Always start with the unpleasant task first. Get it out of the way early. You can then enjoy the most interesting tasks.

• Resist trivial tasks which might be easy or even fun but which don’t need to be done.

• If you find yourself easily distracted by other people, take your phone off the hook or put a barrier up around your workspace. Restrict downtime to set breaks on your schedule. Turn your internet connection off, if you’re distracted by online surfing!

• Think about why you are finding something difficult to complete. Don’t feel bad about it, but find ways to motivate yourself. List the reasons for delaying and the arguments against the delay. Could you, for example, work in a group instead of alone?
However, depression related procrastination is a significant condition, but can respond to medical or therapeutic intervention. This can include counselling, and this is often the best way out of this situation for sufferers.

• Consider environmental factors. Where is the best place to complete the task? Could you go to a friend’s house or a library or keep everyone out of a room, whilst you focus on completing the task?

• If you are rather impulsive and easily bored by sticking too long at one task, you might benefit from alternating between two or three tasks and spending forty minutes on each at a time or even five minutes if that works better. Make tasks look smaller by breaking them down and doing only a small part of each task

• Set yourself short term rewards for keeping to a set task. The reward system can also be made to work more effectively if others are involved in the pay-off. If you promise, for example, your partner, spouse, or friends a part or share in the reward, then this can build in the element of commitment to others. If you let yourself down, you let others down, too.

• Don’t fill every minute of your schedule with tasks – some say that no more than 50% of your time should be planned. You need to allow plenty of time for interruptions, calls, and most importantly routine breaks such as coffee or lunch, which are vital to allow you to recharge and clear your mind.

Finally, some wise old words:

Do not put your work off till to-morrow and the day after; for a sluggish worker does not fill his barn, nor one who puts off his work: industry makes work go well, but a man who puts off work is always at handgrips with ruin. (Hesiod, circa 800 BC: in Works and Days: l:413 )