If you got an A+ in Procrastination 101 or grew up in a
castle where servants waited on you, and you now find yourself confronted by
the R word (responsibility), try these five sweet ways to overcome
procrastination and get things done:
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| #Baby steps help a lot |
1.
Break a huge job down into baby steps. If Clean the House seems daunting (it does to
me!), break it down into rooms, or even tasks within rooms. Vacuum, dust, and
clean mirrors does not overwhelm me like CLEAN THE LIVING ROOM does.
2.
Rename a task. Instead of Edit my Book, call it Bring
out the Dimples in my Baby, or Polish
my Masterpiece. See how creative you can get to call a task by a new name
to take some of the sting out of it.
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| Dedicate it to Jesus, Grandma, or your bestie |
3.
Dedicate it to Jesus, Grandma, or your bestie. If
I scrub the toilets or pull weeds for me, I might end up saying, “I don’t care
that much,” and procrastinate till Christmas comes. But if I do it for someone I love, in their honor or memory, I’m
more likely to get the job done.
4.
Plant it as a seed for future blessings. God said,
“A person reaps whatever they plant”
(Galatians 6:7). We can plant unpleasant tasks as seeds that will someday bring
us a crop of goodness. I’d rather watch a Monk re-run than finish a project for
work. But if think of it as planting a seed for a raise, a promotion, or a simple "thanks," my
attitude improves.
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| copyright Ron Levellie |
5.
Reward yourself when you finish. This is my
favorite ploy for overcoming procrastination. I tell myself that when I finish whatever
I’m working on, I’ll read a chapter in a novel, eat a frozen yogurt bar, or go
on Facebook. Whatever works for you as a reward may be the incentive you need
to get off your bum and go to work.
Only I'm renaming it from WORK to PRODUCTIVE TIME MANAGEMENT.
What ways do you overcome procrastination?
