3 key takeaways:
1. Eat that frog.
2. Break up fearsome work into smaller pieces: Possible approaches, plan and parts.
3. Crossing a few easy things off of a list is all it takes to build up the mental strength to tackle something big
-----
Procrastination strikes everyone, and once it gets ahold of you, it
can be very difficult to shake it off. When you imagine a highly
productive person, you likely think of someone who focuses effortlessly
on the job and never succumbs to procrastination. You know, the type who
can sit on the ground in a subway station with their laptop and still
manage to get more done in an hour than you would in a day at the
library.
The truth is, ridiculously productive people face the same
procrastination challenges as the rest of us. The difference is, they
beat procrastination by using a calculated approach. First, they
understand
why they procrastinate, and then they apply
strategies that beat procrastination before it takes hold. Anyone can
follow this two-step, research-driven process to overcome
procrastination.
The Procrastination Doom Loop
You can’t hope to stop procrastinating until you first have a firm
understanding of why you procrastinate. New research from Joseph Ferrari
at DePaul University shows that procrastination is more complicated
than most people think. People tend to think of procrastination as
coming from poor time management or laziness, but Ferrari’s research
shows that procrastination stems from negative emotions that hijack your
mood. Once you’re under the influence of these emotions, you can’t
bring yourself to work.
Instead of being lazy or disorganized, people usually put things off
because they aren’t in the right mood to complete the task. Doing so
places you firmly inside the procrastination doom loop. Since you’ve
decided that you aren’t in the right mood to work, you distract yourself
with other tasks—checking email, checking the news, cleaning your desk,
talking to a coworker, etc.—and by the time you come up for air, you
feel guilty for having wasted so much time. This only worsens your mood,
and as the deadline draws closer, you feel worse than you did when you
first put off the task.
Overcoming Procrastination
Beating procrastination is a simple matter of exiting the doom loop
by taking control of your mood. With the right strategies in place, you
can take the reins and get yourself in the mood to get things done. The
strategies that follow will help you to make this happen.
Figure out why. When you aren’t in the mood to work,
procrastination is telling you something important. It could be
something simple, such as you need to take a break or get something to
eat. It could also be something complex, such as you’re carrying the
team on your back or you’re dissatisfied with your job. Whatever it is,
instead of punishing yourself for procrastinating, take a moment to
reflect and figure out
why you’re procrastinating. This could end up being the most productive step you take in conquering your task.
Remove your obstacles. Prior to getting started on a
task, take a moment to carefully consider the obstacles that might get
in your way. Then, develop a plan to ensure that they don’t. For
example, you might have instructions for a task in your e-mail inbox,
and if you don’t do anything about it, you’ll repeatedly go back to your
inbox to look at them, only to get distracted by other incoming
e-mails. In this case, your management plan should be to get the
instructions out of your inbox prior to starting your work. By planning
ahead, you can maintain your focus and avoid procrastination. After all,
it’s much harder to regain focus than it is to maintain it.
Jump right in, no matter what. Sometimes it’s really
hard to get started on something, even when it’s something that you
love to do. I might be staring at a blank Word document or standing on
the beach on a cold winter morning. That first step is difficult, but
once you get going—typing that first paragraph or taking off on that
first wave—your mood improves dramatically. When you focus your
attention on how difficult and cruddy it is to get started, you
discourage yourself from doing so. When you dive right in no matter
what, your mood quickly improves, which helps you to stay on task.
Cut holes in your project. We often procrastinate
because we feel intimidated by the size of a project. To minimize
intimidation, try cutting holes in it. Find smaller pieces of the task
that you can quickly and easily accomplish. For example, writing a
proposal might require 10 hours of intense concentration, but you can
spit out an intro in 15 minutes and develop a list of deliverables in
10. Before you know it, these smaller tasks have cut serious holes in
the project and it’s no longer intimidating.
Work in the right environment. Even if you do
everything else right, working in the wrong environment can make you
succumb to procrastination. This means keeping yourself away from
television, electronics, friends, and loud places. This isn’t what works
for everyone, but you need to exercise discipline by working in the
environment that’s right for you.
Enjoy small victories. There’s nothing quite like
checking something off of your to-do list. To keep yourself from
procrastinating, you need to experience this sense of accomplishment by
tracking your progress carefully. Small victories build new androgen
receptors in the areas of the brain responsible for reward and
motivation. The increase in androgen receptors increases the influence
of testosterone, which further increases confidence and eagerness to
tackle challenges. This keeps you fired up and moving forward. Sometimes
crossing a few easy things off of a list is all it takes to build up
the mental strength to tackle something big. Remember, it’s not about
doing small tasks to avoid big tasks; it’s about including small tasks
in your daily checklist to build your confidence and momentum.
Get real. Setting unrealistic goals for your day is a
great way to become discouraged and to succumb to the negative moods
that fuel procrastination. Setting realistic goals keeps things
positive, which keeps you in the right mood to work.
Take control of your self-talk. Saying to yourself, “I’m not going to procrastinate. I will not procrastinate,” virtually ensures that you
will procrastinate.
There’s a classic study where participants were told to not think about
a white bear. It turns out it’s nearly impossible to avoid thinking
about something that you tell yourself not to, as your mind gravitates
towards the thing you’re trying to avoid. The trick is to shift your
attention to something completely different (and positive). Instead of
telling yourself not to procrastinate, think about what you will do and
how great it’s going to feel to have it done. This way, your mind
fixates on the action you want to take instead of the behavior you’re
trying to avoid.
Don’t be a perfectionist. Most writers spend
countless hours brainstorming characters and plot, and they even write
page after page that they know they’ll never include in the book. They
do this because they know that ideas need time to develop. We tend to
freeze up when it’s time to get started because we know that our ideas
aren’t perfect and what we produce might not be any good. But how can
you ever produce something great if you don’t get started and give your
ideas time to evolve? Author Jodi Picoult summarizes the importance of
avoiding perfectionism perfectly: “You can edit a bad page, but you
can’t edit a blank page.”
Focus on results. Chances are, you don’t enjoy going
to the dentist. Not many people do. So why do you go? It gets results.
Your dentist is quite good at making your teeth and gums healthier and
more appealing. You also go because the pain of having someone pick at
your teeth for an hour is nowhere near the pain of getting a cavity
filled, a tooth pulled, or a root canal. You go to the dentist because
you know the process is worth it. The same mentality applies to a
challenging task. While it may make you anxious to get started, don’t
focus on that. Just think of how great it’s going to feel to get things
done and how much worse you’ll feel if you wait until the last minute
and don’t give it your best effort.
Forgive yourself. There’s no point in beating
yourself up when you slip up and procrastinate. You might think that
punishing yourself will help you to avoid procrastination in the future,
but it actually has the opposite effect—beating yourself up sends you
right back into the procrastination doom loop.
Bringing It All Together
The key to beating procrastination is to understand that
procrastination is rooted in emotions. The strategies above will help
you to turn the procrastination doom loop on its head and to achieve
greater productivity than ever before.
- Excellent advice by Travis Bradberry
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-beat-procrastination-dr-travis-bradberry
