7 Ways to Overcome Procrastination at Work – Sarah Ban Breathnach
“Procrastination has robbed us of too many opportunities,” says Sarah Ban Breathnach.
What opportunities have you missed because of procrastination? You may never know — you may not know where you’d be today if you didn’t struggle with procrastination. Putting things off has a serious negative effect on your career! For more info on time management (which can help with procrastination), read SHED Your Stuff, Change Your Life: A Four-Step Guide to Getting Unstuck
7 Ways to Overcome Procrastination at Work – Sarah Ban Breathnach
“Procrastination is, hands down, our favorite form of self-sabotage,” said Alyce P. Cornyn-Selby.
1. Figure out why you procrastinate. Do you procrastinate in all aspects of your life – or is it just in your career? Are you afraid of succeeding, of failing, of being judged, of not being perfect? If you wrestle with perfectionism, read 5 Tips for Overcoming Perfectionism. I definitely struggle with procrastination in my writing career; I’ve figured out it’s because I don’t want to waste my time. I don’t want to spend hours, months, or years on writing a book that never gets published! But, I’ve found a way to get around that fear…
2. Find a solution that works for you. There are dozens of ways to overcome procrastination at work – but you need to find the solutions that suit your personality, lifestyle, and goals. For instance, I’ve always been lukewarm about rewarding myself for writing a certain number of words per day…but I’ve found that writing for just one hour motivates me! And, I keep telling myself that my writing won’t be wasted, even if it doesn’t get published in the form I hope for. Keep trying different ways to stop procrastinating until you yell, “Eureka!”
3. Find out what your lateness does to others. “The perpetually tardy stay in happy denial about the effect of their lateness on others,” writes Morgenstern in Shed Your Stuff. “Raising your awareness can make you think twice before throwing your own schedule into turmoil.” She suggests asking your colleagues what happens for them when you’re late, and how your procrastination honestly affects them. Their answers may motivate you to overcome procrastination at work.
4. Stop taking on other people’s responsibilities. This is a way to overcome procrastination at work from Morgenstern’s book: “Create a sign on your computer that says ‘Don’t do other people’s jobs.’ Use this reminder to stop yourself in your tracks and ask yourself this simple question, ‘How could I better use this time?’” Focus on your own work. If you think you’re in the wrong job, read How to Successfully Change Careers – Suze Orman.
5. Become aware of “busywork.” I made a list of my busywork tasks (eg, checking email, answering comments on my blogs and Suite101, tweeting, visiting writers’ forums), and I’ve scheduled set times in my day for them. They’re valuable activities that need to get done, but they don’t need my attention whenever I feel like it. Another way to overcome procrastination at work is to reward yourself with a tweet or visit to a favorite forum - when you’ve met your goals for the hour or day.
6. Stop lying to yourself. According to a Psychology Today article, procrastinators tell lies to themselves, such as “I’ll feel more like doing this tomorrow” or “I work best under pressure.” Since you probably won’t feel more inclined to do the work tomorrow and good work is rarely done under pressure or at the last minute, you’re just lying to yourself. Instead of squandering one of the most pressure resources you have – time – start dealing with your procrastinating ways today! For more inspiration, read Getting What You Want Out of Life – Angelina Jolie.
Here’s another quotation about procrastination from Sarah Ban Breathnach: “The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.”
If you have any thoughts or questions on overcoming procrastination at work, please comment below.
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Thanks for taking the time to comment!
Does everything REALLY count?
.-= Laurie Pawlik-Kienlen´s last blog post..Solving Tax Problems Early – 9 Strategies for Income Taxes =-.
I quite liked the points expressed over here. Thanks to all for sharing.
.-= Eveerything Counts´s last blog post..The Power of NO =-.
Thanks, Michelle.
I love the idea of setting an appointment with yourself…especially if you bring music and a comfy chair! Or maybe some chocolate…
I think you hinted at one of the best in your first comment: set a time limit. Tell yourself that you can do this for 3, 5, 15 or 60 minutes, but at the end of the time, you can stop.
Another way is to schedule the task you’ve been avoiding, and then KEEP THE APPOINTMENT.
If it is a task you find unpleasant, surround it with things that increase your pleasure: music, scented candles, comfortable chair or great view.
Ha, ha, ha, TV — that’s very funny! (About procrastinating on including #7….there IS no #7
)
.-= Laurie PK´s last blog post..Coping With Negative Coworkers Who Drain Your Energy – Anais Nin =-.
Hi Steve,
Clutter is a huge drain of time and energy — but I have a feeling I’m preaching to the converted. You know how “bad” clutter is for you; your problem is tackling the clutter, right?
I suggest hiring someone who can declutter your home or office. They’re called “declutter specialists” or “professional organizers” — and they can walk you through the whole process. They’ll also give you strategies for making sure the clutter doesn’t creep back into your life…which will help you overcome procrastination.
Did you know clutter is also linked to weight gain and financial debt? Here’s the link to “8 Tips for Reducing Clutter and Decreasing Debt”:
http://theadventurouswriter.com/blog/quipstipsachievinggoals/career/5-ways-to-end-procrastination-for-college-students/
I hope this helps a little — good luck!
Laurie
.-= Laurie PK´s last blog post..Coping With Negative Coworkers Who Drain Your Energy – Anais Nin =-.
Michelle, I actually already have written on procrastinating for college students!
I don’t know how old you are, but you might find “5 Ways to End Procrastination for College Students” helpful. Here’s the link:
http://theadventurouswriter.com/blog/quipstipsachievinggoals/career/5-ways-to-end-procrastination-for-college-students/
Are you in high school or middle school? Let me know if you need more tips — I’d love to write another article
Laurie
.-= Laurie PK´s last blog post..Coping With Negative Coworkers Who Drain Your Energy – Anais Nin =-.
Did you procrastinate on including item #7 ?
Laurie,
Found this article very interesting and informative. For me, I think that the perfectionism is one problem. Another issue I have is clutter, both at work and home. I find myself spending time looking for things and will reprint something rather than trying to find it. And I’ll find myself working on something else, rather than deal with the clutter. A lack of good organizational skills is probably an issue here. I think all of these are interrelated. Yes, I have a number of books that deal with conquering clutter, but I never read them. I’m not sure what the real issue is here, nor how to get unstuck.
Ideas?
Steve
Could you possibly write on how to stop procrastination at school??!
I found a similar article on Zen Habits, called “10 Ways to Give Yourself a Procrasination Innoculation” by Karen Leland. Here’s a great way to overcome procrastination at work from her list:
“Decide on the next action: One reason people procrastinate is they feel intimidated by the task as it is currently stated and can’t figure out what to do next. To overcome overwhelm, figure out the next smallest, easiest and most comfortable action you could take to move forward. By breaking down the bigger less defined item into smaller more specific chunks, you tell your mind “I can do this”!”
.-= Laurie PK´s last blog post..Money Articles – How to Save, Invest, and Earn More Money =-.
Good for you, Gini! Alive is a wonderful magazine to write for; I hope they jump on your article idea.
The Positivity Blog recently posted an article about “being all you can be.” Here’s what Henrik Edberg says about procrastination:
“Recognize that there is more pain in procrastinating than not. If you have procrastinated a lot (like me) you might have discovered that: You procrastinate to avoid doing something that is boring, hard or something like that. You want to avoid that pain. But after having some experience with procrastination you’ll probably realise that procrastination itself causes your more pain than actually just doing what you were supposed to. Realising the true amount of pain in the two choices will make it easier to get things done.”
I couldn’t have said it better myself! (which is why I posted it here). To see more of The Positivity Blog, click on the link in my “Successful Women Blogroll” (left sidebar).
I think I should write an article on the difference between healthy procrastination and unhealthy procrastination. Because, sometimes things need to percolate before they’re ready to be tackled.
Laurie
.-= Laurie PK´s last blog post..7 Tips for Writing for Publication =-.
Ok – I stopped procrastinating and just wrote and emailed a query letter to Alive.
Thanks Laurie – this article gave me the boost (or took away the block).
Gini
.-= Gini Grey´s last blog post..Faith =-.
Those are so bang on Laurie – you really nailed them all! Busywork and lying to yourself are so common in our society.
Mine is usually fear motivated. For example, I’ve been procrastinating around sending a query letter to a magazine about an article I want to write. I keep finding other things to do (that seem so important at the time – I’m tricky with the excuses). Really though when I look underneath I’m scared because I haven’t approaced a magazine like this before, nor have I written from this angle before (not my usual how-to’s or inspirational self-help but an actual human interest interview type story). Even breaking it down to just writing a draft query makes me nervous (feel the fear and do it anyway is ringing in my ears). Time to stop commenting on blogs and get on with it!
Thanks,
Gini
.-= Gini Grey´s last blog post..Faith =-.