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Do you procrastinate?
Are you looking for some ideas to help you get back on track.
Stay to the end for 10 tips on how to beat procrastination.
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Hi, this is Beau Baez, and today I want to share 10 tips to help you stop procrastinating
and get you back on track.
Tip #1: Break down large tasks into small tasks.
Sometimes we get overwhelmed by large, seemingly impossibly huge tasks.
Stop and think about the many small steps that you need to do first, and then work on that
first small task.
Tip #2: Use the five minute plan.
When you find yourself avoiding a task, decide to work on it for five minutes.
When the five minutes are up, decide whether you want to do something else or to keep going.
Most people will keep going.
Tip #3: Create a deadline.
Sometimes we procrastinate because we know we have lots of time before the task is due.
For example, you may have a final exam that's coming up in a month, and you know that you need to start
creating an outline. But you say you have a month.
Divide the outline into four parts. Create a one week deadline for the first part,
the second week for the second part, and so on.
Tip #4: Make your plans public.
While you might justify your lack of progress to yourself, you are less likely going to lie to
others.
So if you have a significant other, give them your deadline.
If you are a blogger, publish the deadline online.
This creates accountability, and you will work harder.
I used to work at a law school where the senior leadership team shared individual goals during
our weekly team meetings.
No one wanted to fall behind, so we put the work into getting the tasks done, even if it was
the day before the meeting.
Tip #5: Don’t wait for perfection.
In the words of Shakespeare “striving to better, oft we mar what's well."
Many of us fail to get things done because we want perfection.
But do you really need perfection?
Probably not, so learn to live with good and just get it done.
Tip #6: Set a timer.
Many students keep looking at the time, but they don’t get the work done.
Timers, especially the manual wind-up timers with a ticking sound, are better than watches.
The effective use of timers is the basis for the pomodoro time management technique which
I discuss in another episode.
The technique uses a timer with 25 minute work periods and then 5 minute break periods, and
then a longer break period after the fourth work period.
I’ve used this technique and it works. And it helps me keep my focus.
I thought the ticking sound would be annoying, but it actually helped keep me focused on
my task.
Tip #7: Just start working.
For whatever reason, you may keep delaying the work.
Decide that you are going to start at a certain time and then work for some period of time.
As you begin your task you're going to get some momentum, you're going to get work done
versus just waiting for some sign from above.
Tip #8: Go for a walk.
It could be that your brain is exhausted, and you need a mental break.
As I mentioned a few months ago, a walk, exercise, or even a movie may be what you need to reset
your brain.
The key here is to do something completely different from the task that you are not working
on.
Now I don’t mean binge watching a tv series you’ve never seen before, but rather
a short break to get you going.
Tip #9: Stop worrying.
So many people waste time worrying about a project and they lose time.
This time could have been used to complete the project, allowing you to go on to something
else.
Tip #10: Figure out why you procrastinate.
Some of you are afraid of failure, so you delay starting or you don’t work hard.
Have some faith in yourself.
Give it your all, so at the end of the day you know that you at least tried.
Now for others, you may be afraid of success.
This is because truly successful people are rare in society, and that there is a need
for many of us to stay within the crowd.
If that's what you're doing, stop. If you become successful,
you'll figure out how to handle success at that time.
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Thanks for watching.