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The Time Has Come…JUST DO IT!
"Lots of people know what to do, but few people actually do what they know. Knowing is
not enough! You must take action."
--Tony Robbins
In honor of National Procrastination Week (the first week in March) and March Forth Day (on
March 4th, of course), each year I dedicate my March article to the subject of procrastination.
Why? Because this single habit is the root of so many of the problems that plague all of us at one
time or another – challenges with managing our time, relationships, projects, and information.
What is procrastination? Procrastination is doing low-priority tasks and activities instead of the
high-priority ones which so often contribute the most to our success. For some, procrastination
becomes a harmful habit which impedes personal and professional development.
So if procrastination is harmful, why do we do it? We tend to put off doing things for the following
reasons:
* They are unpleasant to do.
* They are difficult or complex to do.
* They involve making tough decisions that can be overwhelming.
When we don't want to do something that is unpleasant or difficult, we find less important things
to do that will keep us "busy" so we have an excuse for why we didn't get around to it. But putting
something off does not make it go away, and postponing it often just makes it worse. As
someone once said, "Killing time murders opportunities."
WARNING SIGNS OF PROCRASTINATION
"You will never find time for anything. You must make it."
-Charles Buxton
Finding tasks on your to-do list week after week is a clear sign you are procrastinating, but there
are also some more subtle, overlooked signs of procrastination. Can you identify with any of
these possibilities?
* Feeling overwhelmed: No matter how hard you work, you cannot seem to catch up.
You have a backlog of work that seems insurmountable. It may be affecting your sleep,
as you lay in bed thinking about all the things you "gotta do." Perhaps it's time to
renegotiate some of your commitments and say no to more requests so you can say yes
to what's most important to you.
* Breaking commitments to others or to yourself: You're constantly having to make
excuses about why you didn't do something you said you'd do.
* Losing focus: Although you have many important tasks at hand (some are even
urgent), you find yourself wasting time doing things that are not important. For example,
you find yourself surfing the Net instead of doing something much more important.
* Starting something new before finishing something else: This is particularly
common with entrepreneurs who often spend time developing new leads rather than
following up with the prospects they already have. If you are spending more time
attending networking events than you spend following up by phone, in writing, or face-to-
face, this may be you.
SEVEN HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PROCRASTINATORS
"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities."
--Stephen Covey
Here are 7 tips to help you change from "I'll do it when I get around to it." to "I'll do it now!"
1. Recognize and admit that you are procrastinating. As long as you defend, deny, or
rationalize your procrastination, you are not in a position to overcome it. Stop rationalizing and
you'll be more likely to take action.
2. What motivates you to do better? What rewards -- tangible and intangible – will you get by
doing it rather than putting it off? Remind yourself of that payoff on a daily basis. Post a picture or
note that represents those rewards to you on such places as your computer screen, bulletin
board, or dashboard.
One way to check motivation is to check your self-talk. Do you frequently say, "I gotta…," "I
should…," or "I have to…"? Replace this self-talk with "I choose to…" and recognize that you are
at choice about what you do. If you don't choose to do it, don't do it!
3. Analyze what causes you to put things off. Most of us tend to avoid things that are
unpleasant, complex, or overwhelming.
In Linda Sapadin's book, It's About Time: The Six Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome
Them, she tells us that chronic procrastinators are not lazy; they simply need to cultivate a more
natural and fluid transition from mental activity to physical activity, while allowing an appropriate
amount of time and energy to complete the task. Here's a brief description of each of the six
styles of procrastination: (1) perfectionist; (2) dreamer; (3) worrier; (4)
defier; (5) crisis-maker; (6)
over-doer. Read the book if you want to gain some comprehensive insight and solutions for each
of these styles.
4. Break down each of the activities you are having trouble with into small steps. Take a
small step that will get you moving in the right direction. Pick what seems like the easiest place to
start, and block out time on your calendar to begin. You may find that once you take action, the
rest is much easier.
If you are more motivated by doing the toughest part first, then begin with that. As they say, eat a
live toad first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day.
Tackle that "toad" -- the task you have been putting off, the one that is hanging over your head --
because it will lift an immense load and you will feel much more productive.
5. Delegate some tasks to others. If you don't enjoy doing it, can you delegate it to someone
else? Or even if you enjoy doing something but find that you have too much on your plate, either
delegate it to someone else or renegotiate your commitment. Read my March 2002 article, To
Do or NOT to Do…That is the Question! to help you sort out your commitments. If you're feeling
overwhelmed, you may benefit from doing a RAM Dump, which is described in my March 2001
article, March 4th…Time to March Forth!
(Articles are posted at http://www.orgcoach.net/newsletter/freenews.html)
6. Don't be a perfectionist. Unless you're a rocket scientist at NASA, you're paid to get results -
not to be perfect.
7. Commit yourself to action with specific deadlines. Promise results to others. Fear of
losing face is a powerful motivator. Or build in accountability for yourself by telling a friend, co-
worker or your coach exactly what you plan to get done each week. Ask them not to accept any
excuses from you, and to remind you why you said you were doing all this in the first place. Set
up a weekly check-in with an accountability partner where each of you reports to the other.
One of the most powerful tools I know of for getting things done is the weekly planning process.
Make a weekly appointment with yourself to plan your coming week. During your planning
session, schedule important activities and tasks so you have a concrete plan for following through
with your intentions. Then promise yourself a reward once you've completed the task.
It may take time to break the procrastination habit, so give yourself permission to fail a few times.
Remember that even a small amount of progress may allow you to achieve more than you ever
have before.
GONE FISHING?
Back and forth, searching for the right spot, you throw your line out time and time again. "This is
the place" you think, as you wait for a bite. Another snag! You begin to reel as the tension
increases. Snap!
Tired of fishing for information? According to one study, the average executive wastes up to one
hour a day – that's nearly two months per year -- looking for lost and misplaced information. What
a drag on your time and energy! It's time to cast aside your old habits and try some new
techniques. Don't put this off, or you'll be on a permanent fishing expedition! Do it now!!!
People pile instead of file for two primary reasons: (1) a fear of never finding it again once it's
filed away; (2) a fear of forgetting to follow up on something requiring action. I recommend two
essential tools to assist you – Kiplinger's Taming the Paper Tiger, a program that guarantees you
will find anything you file or store in 5 seconds or less, and a customized tickler file system,
which gives you a place to store things until you have time to follow up and reminds you of
important follow-up at the appropriate time. Used consistently, these tools are guaranteed to
save you the lost time you've spent fishing for documents in the past. Check out my website at
http://www.orgcoach.net for information on both of these tools.
Visit http://www.orgcoach.net eleclasses.html to learn more about my free monthly Buried in
Paper TeleClass or my De-Clutter Your Life TeleClass series.
About the Author
Kathy Paauw helps busy executives, professionals, and entrepreneurs de-clutter their schedules, spaces and minds so they can focus on what’s most important. She is an organizing & productivity consultant, certified professional & personal coach, and speaker. Contact her at mailto:orgcoach@gte.net or visit her website at http://www.orgcoach.net and learn how you can find anything you file or store in 5 seconds…guaranteed!
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