Ditch the fear of doing it wrong...
Frequently, procrastinating people get a bad rap for being lazy—in reality, they’re more likely just perfectionists. If you self-identify as a perfectionist and feel as though that is hindering your work, remind yourself that there is no roadmap for life. Everything you do and everything that exists is just one grand experiment. There is no formula you can follow, and even the perfect strategy on paper could fail when put to the test in reality. Get over your fear of looking foolish and start doing the things that need to get done.
If this sounds like you, start utilizing the mantra, “progress, not perfection.”
Remember that even if you do 50% of what you intended to do today, it’s much better than 0%.
Five ways to overcome procrastination...
By some measures, we’re five times more likely to procrastinate today than in the 1970s. We can blame the internet and other forms of distracting technology for that!
Here are five of my favorite ways to push back against procrastination:
1. Start with an easy win to build momentum. Begin your workday with tasks you can quickly cross off your list, like updating a spreadsheet, answering an email, or scheduling an appointment.
2. When you have difficulty getting started, allocate just 15 minutes. While it can sound intimidating to sit down and complete hours of work, committing to just 15 minutes is a lot more manageable. More often than not, after those 15 minutes are up, you’ll have arrived in the mind space to keep going.
3. Give yourself deadlines. Create a tight deadline for yourself, and you’ll be surprised how quickly you can move your work along!
4. Make a task sandwich. Put the task you don’t like between two tasks that you enjoy. Maybe this means scheduling a phone call with a favorite client AFTER you clear your inbox.
5. Review your work environment. It’s easy to combine work and leisure time, primarily if you work from home—separate work from leisure by ensuring that certain parts of your environment are for work only. You answer emails from your desk or home office, not your bed or sofa. A benefit of putting this method into practice is that when you relax (like when you’re in bed or relaxing on the couch), you’ll be less likely to think about work because you don’t associate those environments with work.
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