Sometimes I suffer from “procrastination-itis” as do probably most of you. I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “why do it today when you can put it off tomorrow?” If you let this get the best of you, it will slowly kill your dreams because one day you’ll look around and wonder when time passed you by.
Have you seen the commercial for American Standard’s self-cleaning toilet? It’s called the “Mad Dash” – you’ll see a couple running around cleaning house in less than 30-seconds… including stuffing toys, etc. into the oven right before the inlaws ring the doorbell. I’ve been there… on last-second house cleaning, trying to finish a project on the same day it’s due…
Procrastination can trap you in a faux comfort zone. You believe you have all the time you need to get something accomplished, but sadly when that deadline looms (and it will) reality will slap you upside the head. Thankfully there is a cure!
My Solution to Procrastination
Sometimes I think we’re all afraid of finishing the task at hand. Perhaps we are unknowingly intimidated by success. I have found that the best way to overcome this particular fear is to keep a task list and enjoy crossing it off!
There are times when I look at a project and think, “there is no way I can get all of this done.” Then, I recall some training from back in my corporate America days about how to eat an elephant – one bite at a time. I have found that mindmapping works best for me to visualize the steps involved in completing a particular task.
There are also those days when I lack motivation, want to be lazy and do nothing. There are also those days when I “squirrel” online, on social media, etc. I find that I need to minimize my distractions, mute the text messages, and carry on! I am always struggling to find time to write.
In summary, these are the steps I take to cure my “procrastination-itis”:
- Keep a task list
- Use mindmapping to visualize a complex project
- Minimize distractions so I can focus
What do you do?