Procrastination. It’s something so many of us struggle with, for a whole host of reasons. While it is often thought of as a manifestation of laziness or disorganization, that is often not the dynamic at play. Rather, fear of failure, a need for perfection, or a lack of focus can be major contributors. What’s worse, when we do procrastinate, that behavior can lead to diminished performance, strained mental and physical health symptoms, and increased stress, worry, and guilt.
So if those procrastinators among us know all this, how exactly does one light the proverbial match under their butt to push past that initial starting line and make progress? By changing your perspective, you can try to break this pattern of behavior in a few simple steps - starting right now.
STOP BEATING YOURSELF UP
If you procrastinate, you’ve probably suffered from the dynamic of stressing yourself out the longer you put off whatever it is you needed to work on. The longer you hesitate, the more anxiety you can bring upon yourself and ultimately make it even more challenging to move forward. Emotions like stress, guilt, and regret can be completely draining. Continually beating yourself up for procrastinating in the first place will only serve to make you even more exhausted. Rather than continuing to beat yourself up, move on and focus on the item you need to tackle instead.
FIND 15 MINUTES
Of course, the project you need to tackle may take significantly longer than this. Knowing that, we often think, “I don’t have three hours this week to do my taxes, even though they are due in a few weeks!” Instead of focusing on the entire project, commit to finding 15 minutes TODAY to get started. If you actually follow through with that time block, you just might find two things happen. For one, you’ve lessened the intimidation factor. Sometimes just getting started is the push you need to plot out your plan to get it accomplished. Additionally, once you’ve gotten started, you just might spend more than the 15 minutes as you begin to dig in. Progress feels good. While you are still on a high from your sudden burst of productivity, take the quick next step.
CHUNK IT DOWN
Perhaps you’ve taken that difficult first step getting started in the first place, but it can still be overwhelming to contemplate tackling an entire project. Rather than thinking of it as one ginormous project, chunk it into far more manageable bite-size pieces. For example, rather than thinking in terms of “I have a huge project on X I need to accomplish before I present it to my team next Tuesday,” break it down to “I have a big project I need to present next Tuesday. Today, I’ll commit to outlining the content I want to cover. Tomorrow afternoon at 3 pm, I’ve blocked time to do research to support my point of view. That leaves me one additional day to assemble the information and pull together the overall story.” Yes, this takes a bit of forward-thinking and planning. But, if you can break it down into these bite-size pieces, you’ll likely feel in control of the work, and you’ll no longer feel like you are under pressure to get it all done at the last minute.
START YOUR DAY TAKING ON THE HARD STUFF
One great habit of productive people are finishing their workday by spending a few minutes preparing for the following day. Try blocking out a chunk of time at the start of your workday when you are fresh to tackle this section of work. When you tackle a piece of the big project at the start, you get to ride the confidence wave that comes with making progress for the rest of your workday. You will also find it will likely be more comfortable to tackle the rest of your to-do list of less stress-inducing items throughout the day.
EMBRACE S*ITTY FIRST DRAFTS
In the book Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, she shares her notion of “S*itty First Drafts.” She’s essentially suggesting that we need to let go of our need to get things done perfectly the first time, and just aim to make progress. When we allow ourselves to take those first steps to create initial progress, we just might find the clarity and courage to make even further - and far better - progress in our second and third drafts and attempts. No matter what the daunting project is, aim to get it done first before you worry about ensuring it’s done right. You can’t edit or perfect what doesn’t yet exist.
CELEBRATE THE WINS
When you are a procrastinator, finally getting something over the goal line can feel like a massive victory. It’s getting started in the first place to ignite that chain of progress that is often the hardest part. For every chunk along the way, give yourself a little pat on the back to stay motivated. Whether it’s allowing yourself to go grab that Frappuccino or heading to that new food truck with a work buddy, find those small things that will serve to focus you and motivate you as you accomplish your small wins.
Challenge: We likely can identify at least one item we’ve put off and procrastinated for far too long. Rather than let it continue to fester, commit to it today. Identify it right now, and commit to getting started today. Guide yourself through the steps above, and just watch yourself tackle it to completion. You just might find the next time you are faced with a giant daunting task, you are more likely to tackle it head-on rather than procrastinate.