To help you avoid this from happening to you or someone you know, we have compiled our favorite list of tips to help stop procrastination. Here are some tips one could follow.
1. Organize Your Thoughts – Start with a quick brainstorming session to get your thoughts in order. Create a clear and focused directive to work toward. Once you know where you need to go, you can take the first step to getting there (we recommend creating a written plan of steps for your “to-do” list of events).
2. Establish A Day/Time Deadline – Keep yourself honest by attaching a deadline to all of your actionable tasks. The wishy-washy “someday” deadline is not effectual. Reviewing your timetable regularly with others is a great way to bounce ideas around that can improve your workflow.
3. Break Your Work Into Smaller Chunks Or Steps – Often times, we procrastinate because the work is intimidating. A large, dynamic project can be overwhelming, and it can be difficult to know where to begin. Break your project into smaller parts, and then focus on one part at a time. Reducing a large project into smaller pieces can simplify an otherwise unwieldy task.
4. Think Positively About The End Result – An approaching deadline can cause a sense of panic, but keep calm instead of giving in to anxiety. If you were assigned a project, it means that someone knew you could handle it. You can put yourself in a positive state of mind by thinking about other projects you accomplished and the steps you took to get things done.
5. Reward Yourself – Treat yourself to a coffee break or walk once you have a few pieces of your project completed. You can use this to motivate your work efforts, and it keeps you fresh by breaking up the monotony of the grind.
6. Make It Happen – At the end of the day, it comes down to taking action. Remember, no amount of planning and strategizing matters if you don’t put pen to paper.
7. Ask For Help – That’s right, asking for help is one of the best ways to jump-start the process. Although you might be able to get your staff to help you, don’t let finances get in the way to helping you hire a consultant for this one project. It’s amazing what will happen when you say these five simple words, “Would you mind helping me?”
Executive Summary: Everyone falls into the trap of procrastinating from time to time. However, when it is crunch time, and you need to get to work, put an end to procrastination by employing the tips we outlined above. To help you get things done ASAP, organize your thoughts and create a focused plan. After that, break your project into smaller pieces to make it less intimidating. More importantly, set deadlines for each task and reward yourself as you progress through your project. Finally, just step up and take action. If taking action seems insurmountable, pick up your phone and ask for help!
Another Good Read: Delay, Delay, Delay: How to Manage and Overcome Procrastination