While Tara was aware of her deadlines for the entire year — all neatly lined out on a long sheet of paper, complete with issue dates, themes, and of course, the due dates — she was still foolish enough to think that she should put if off till the next day. "I'm still not inspired," was her usual excuse for not working right away.
Then the next day turned into another next day. And another day. Until she covered a full week and realized that her deadline was ... tomorrow! Panic, panic, panic. Off to the computer she goes, typing the night away as she drinks double espresso by the pot. Dawn comes and she lumbers from her bedroom to her sister-in-law's mini-office in her house to borrow her fax machine. She faxes her article to her editor while rubbing her eyes that seem to have sprouted eye bags the size of Louis Vuitton steamer trunks in the course of twelve hours. Yes! She made it to the deadline, but she also looked like death warmed over.
You may prefer to take on inconsequential tasks like answering mail, making telephone calls and justify this by calling it "priority." At the end of the day, major tasks suffer as a result and you are in the "last minute rut" again.
Here are 7 tips on how to beat procrastination:
1. Tackle the toughest ones first. - A particular part of a project may seem the toughest, or a certain task may loom ominously in the background — that's the one to tackle first. This will help erase the nagging concern and help you do the other jobs better. As the feel-good factor takes effect, your confidence levels will also reach a new high.
2. Make a check list. - One effective way to prioritize your work is to draw up a checklist where you list the jobs in their order of priority. Make sure you keep it in a handy place so that you can update it on a daily basis. Allot more time for the major jobs and marginalize the minor ones.
3. Don’t let your emotions interfere. - Maybe, you have failed in the first attempt and your emotions are riding low as a result. Just because you lack the backing of a success does not give an excuse to procrastinate. If you have to improve and enhance your skills to equip you, now's the time to do it.
If you are going through a crisis — it could be a personal loss or a disappointment — and it becomes extremely overwhelming, take time off to get over the loss. This will help speed up the recording process. Give a hint of it to your colleagues. You might find yourself the support and sympathy you need.
4. Break it down. - When tasks make, you stagger and impending jobs loom large, you may be tempted to buckle under the pressure and give in to procrastination. Don't think of the task as a Herculean one, but break it down into smaller manageable tasks. If it means you have to delegate some work to your co-worker or subordinate, then do so.
5. Make perfection the benchmark. - Strive towards perfection and don't ever compromise on quality. There's no use doing a hotchpotch rushed-up job of it. So make sure you deliver top quality work even if you have to work overtime towards this.
6. Don't pass the buck. Don't try and blame circumstances or people for your inefficiency. You may say, "if only I had got that promotion, I would have given more towards my job." Stop the 'ifs' and 'if onlys' and get on with the job and you'll be surprised at the work you are actually capable of!
7. Review. - Analyze your performance at the end of the day and try to plug those leaks. There may have been ways you could have done a better job. Try and implement improvements the next time around.
There is hope for those who want to beat procrastination. According to research, it happens to be one of those habits most amenable to change. There's a way out for those who want to change and half the battle is won for those who have made up their minds to fight procrastination!
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