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Inspiration

Be procrastination proof

veryone procrastinates, at least occasionally. few minutes on the immediate task. You might find
But it's a bigger problem for some than for oth- once you begin, you'll complete more than you expect.
ers. Indeed, I believe it's not always a bad thing.
E Let's say you can't focus on your top-priority • Eliminate distractions: When you need to concen-
task no matter how hard you try. So you set it aside tem- trate, turn off all devices that aren't needed for the task
porarily and do a few other things. Then you return to at hand. Consider putting your cell phone in another
it, and everything clicks into place. This happens when a room for the duration. Also, close your office door if
person just needs a little time to let ideas gel in the back people in your office or household tend to come in and
of the mind. out, attempting to engage you.

However, too often, procrastination means avoidance, not • Connect with your why: If you know why a project
a rejuvenating pause, and it interferes with attaining life- matters to you, your company or community, and
long goals. those you love, this will increase your motivation and
make it more likely you will persevere when work on
Some experts say to overcome procrastination, you must it becomes extremely challenging.
gain awareness of what triggers it and identify the root • Follow a plan: If you have a major project to complete,
causes. I agree that knowing what triggers procrastina- break it down into a series of smaller, manageable
tion is important. I'm not convinced about identifying root tasks, and give each one a deadline. Be sure not to un-
causes, though, because while getting to the bottom of any derestimate the amount of time a task will take so you
detrimental behavior can be enormously helpful, it's usu- don't put unnecessary pressure on yourself, which
ally a long-term process that requires professional help. could backfire and lead to more procrastination.
Thus, anyone who chooses to dig into this must, at the
same time, take remedial actions. Without that, stagnation • Set up rewards: In addition to breaking projects down
will likely result. into manageable pieces, giving yourself rewards that
are meaningful to you as you complete milestones
Get things rolling will help keep you engaged and motivated, loosening
So, when endeavoring to stop delaying important actions procrastination's hold on you.
(whether delving into root causes or not) here are useful
steps to take: So, next time negative emotions and thoughts interfere
with your ability to do something that matters greatly to
• Pay attention to your self-talk: Notice when thoughts you, it's OK to take a little break if you've been pushing
of procrastination enter your mind. Thoughts like, "I'm hard and have hit a wall. Then take one small step, then
too busy to work on this now" or "I don't feel ready another and another—and leave procrastination in the
to do this" are signals that procrastination is about to dustbin.
take hold. Don't act on them.

• Take a small action: Despite thoughts pulling you in
other directions, force yourself to spend even just a
Kate Gillespie, President and CEO
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