Whether it is getting an assignment done or just getting organized, what is your style? Some people like to wait until the deadline is closing in. There is that sense of urgency, the feeling that it is time to focus and buckle down. Others like to be really organized about the process and break it down into steps.
I’ve done both. Some things don’t need to be done right now. Some things actually don’t even have a deadline, but it makes life easier if it’s done. While other projects need a bit of time and more of a plan, researching what needs to be done, and laying out actionable steps.
No Deadline
This is a project that that has no sense of urgency and doesn’t have to be done right now. Actually this is something that, when you do get around to doing it, could help you be more productive, organized, efficient. It is also something that you may not get around to unless it needs to be done NOW.
A good example is getting a haircut. My sister will actually schedule her next haircut at the salon when she has her haircut finished before she leaves the salon. Every three months she gets her hair trimmed, so she gets it scheduled and puts it on her calendar. She already knows in advance the day and time so she can schedule around it. I, on the other hand, wait till I feel like my hair has become unmanageable. My appointment is usually made for the same week over my lunch or after work.
Filing is another thing that can get a bit out of control. Some people like to schedule time at the end of the day or once a week to keep it from taking up room on their desk. Others finally get around to it when they find themselves going through stacks of paper to find something that hasn’t made its way into the file yet. It’s when it gets too cumbersome to go through a growing stack of files that they finally resolve to getting up-to-date with their filing, and possibly spend a day or half a day working on their filing project. Knowing if they filed at the end of each day or at the end of the week would make them more efficient and organized, but it is something that is not necessarily pressing because there are more urgent matters to attend to.
No Deadline, Not Important
These are things that are on your list to do, whether mental or actually written down. These are things you might want to just cross of your list because it is just taking up mental space and in reality makes you just feel busy. If it is something that should still be done, maybe you can delegate it or outsource it to someone else who can do, it is something they are good at and actually enjoy doing, or to a service that can do it.
An example of something that I continued to avoid was going through boxes after moving. The boxes contained “stuff,” but was taking up space and needed to be done. So, since I didn’t need to access the “stuff” all the time, I needed to determine if I should even keep the “stuff” at all. I couldn’t delegate it, it was something I had to do myself because nobody else would be able to determine whether to keep something or not. I finally decided to “just do it.” Now my desk is cleared off and I can actually USE it! Yay! The space that was being taken up with boxes is now cleared away and everything is nice and clean. Another yay! It wasn’t something that would further my career or accomplish a personal goal, but it did give me a sense of satisfaction and makes me feel good when going into the space that was formally a mess staring at me, reminding me that it was something else I needed to do.
Deadline, but You Know This
This is something that you do all the time so you know the process. You know what it takes to get the project done. You don’t need to do any research, you don’t need to put together a task list, you just need to get it done by a certain time. And because you are already familiar with how much time it would take to get the size of the project done, you can put it off until you are closer to the deadline.
Some things like this can be edits that need to be made, transcription, returning phone calls, email responses, etc. This is easy stuff for you so it’s just a matter of getting it done.
Deadline, but a Process
Here you have a project that you need to gather materials, create a process, gather some research, maybe consult with knowledgeable experts or a team. This requires putting together a task list with actionable items and then creating the action steps with timelines of completion in order to get the assignment done on time.
This could be something that you have never done before and is new to you. It may not be an extensive project, but it is still something that you are not familiar with. Some projects require a list of tasks that need to be completed in order to get to the final result. This could also be a goal.
- Define the project;
- put together a list of tasks that are required;
- break those tasks down into actionable steps it will take to complete each task;
- identify the resources, research, materials, and the timeframe to accomplish each task;
- prioritize the tasks and steps in the order with which to do them, how much time each task will take;
- assign dates;
- and, MOST IMPORTANT, take ACTION.
You will want to work backwards when assigning dates on a calendar. I know this sounds funny, but you want to start with the end in mind so you can reach your goal by the completion date. By working backwards, you get a better understanding of how much time it will take to complete the project and confirm a reasonable allocation for the completion date.
Resources
You can review my article Everything a Goal Needs: SMART, Fun, and Motivating and/or download my Project Management Workbook.
A great resource is Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles: How to Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be. Obviously, in order to utilize the following tools and course it is best to have the book by the same name. You can access Free Resources, as well as sign up for the Success Principles 21-Day e-Membership Course.
Finally
As you can tell, there are things that I procrastinate on. I will also admit that I am not a fan of over-planning, over-analyzing, and over-complicating. You can actually over-plan yourself out of a goal, scrap a goal because you made it too complicated, decided that it’s unattainable by over-analyzing it, or just make the process unbearable instead of fun. Any project has the prospects of hitting a wall. It could just be a matter of figuring out how to get around, over, or under the wall; you may have to restrategize your goal altogether; or maybe even rethink your goal. For me it is a matter of keeping it simple. What is it that I want, what do I need to do to get there with the research I have conducted, put the plan down on paper, and then take ACTION.
I don’t want to give you the impression that I plan every moment of my day and life. I don’t. I take time off for fun, play, friends and family, reading, watching a show or a movie, day-to-day stuff around the house, impromptu invitations to go out or get together, and to do nothing at all.
So realize that you can’t do it all. At least not all at once. Assess and decide what is most important, communicate with those if there are others involved, and don’t get stressed out. When you start getting stressed, that is your clue that something has got to give.
So what have you been procrastinating on? What is that something that you are avoiding digging in to, but you know you will reap satisfaction if you did it? Is it the planning process? Is it what the tasks entail? Is it that you don’t see it as important or urgent? Is it the incentives or “what do I get out of it?” Maybe those are some of the questions you can ask yourself when deciding to do a project. And share your thoughts with the rest of us.
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I too suffer from procrastination. Procrastinating on things that are important to me, that can propel me in a direction I want to go; but, nevertheless, procrastinating.
It’s good to take some time for yourself and relax, but when it takes away from the things you should be doing, the only person who suffers is yourself. In the end, you have nobody to blame but yourself.
So get moving, schedule in what you need to do and then, like Nike puts it so directly, commit and “Just Do It.”
Procrastination is defined by Webster’s as:
- To put off doing something, especially out of habitual carelessness or laziness.
- To postpone or delay needlessly.
I could very well stop right here. After all, those are some pretty strong words that get the point across quite succinctly, carelessness, laziness, needlessly.
Personally, the effects of procrastination can result in stress, guilt, a sense of crisis or urgency, and loss of productivity. Socially, disapproval and a reputation for not being dependable, lack of responsibility, and the inability to be accountable to your commitments or actions. Whether you are procrastinating in your personal life or with friends, family, and your employer, do you really want to be seen as someone that can’t be depended on to the people who matter to you most, let alone yourself.
So why do we procrastinate? Some were stated above in the definition: carelessness, laziness. Other reasons I would add would be fear, anxiety, believing that it isn’t that important.
There are two types of procrastinators according to Wikipedia. You have the Relaxed type and the Tense-Afraid type.
The Relaxed Type
The relaxed type of procrastinators view their responsibilities negatively and avoid them by directing energy into other tasks. It is common, for example, for relaxed type procrastinating children to abandon schoolwork but not their social lives. Students often see projects as a whole rather than breaking them into smaller parts. This type of procrastination is a form of denial or cover-up; therefore, typically no help is being sought. Furthermore, they are also unable to defer gratification. The procrastinator avoids situations that would cause displeasure, indulging instead in more enjoyable activities. In Freudian terms, such procrastinators refuse to renounce the pleasure principle, instead sacrificing the reality principle. They may not appear to be worried about work and deadlines, but this is simply an evasion of the work that needs to be completed.
The Tense-Afraid Type
The tense-afraid type of procrastinators usually feel overwhelmed with pressure, unrealistic about time, uncertain about goals, and many other negative feelings. They may feel a sense of malaise. Feeling that they lack the ability or focus to successfully complete their work, they tell themselves that they need to unwind and relax, that it’s better to take it easy for the afternoon, for example, and start afresh in the morning. They usually have grandiose plans that aren’t realistic. Their ‘relaxing’ is often temporary and ineffective, and leads to even more stress as time runs out, deadlines approach and the person feels increasingly guilty and apprehensive. This behavior becomes a cycle of failure and delay, as plans and goals are put off, pencilled into the following day or week in the diary again and again. It can also have a debilitating effect on their personal lives and relationships. Since they are uncertain about their goals, they often feel awkward with people who appear confident and goal-oriented, which can lead to depression. Tense-afraid procrastinators often withdraw from social life, avoiding contact even with close friends.
I will admit that I think I display characteristics from both of these types depending on what it is I’m procrastinating with. Some of the things I find myself procrastinating on:
- Painting my toenails. With the weather warming up, I’m wearing sandals and open-toe shoes and going to the pool. Polished toes is about the details when they’re on display.
- Laundry. Other than the fact that I want to make sure that I have a full load for the cost, I seem to wait till I have nothing left to put together to wear.
- Getting organized. I finally went through my box of documents that require periodic shredding and purging.
- Career opportunities. Developing career and seeking advancement opportunities are my responsibility. Nobody else can do it for me. I don’t like to have too much on my plate that something suffers as a result. Researching and pursuing career opportunities is a LOT of work. It takes time every day to check for new job postings, putting together resume packages, interviewing, etc. When I’m doing this, this is my primary focus and number one priority.
- Income opportunities. Pursuing contract work to do administrative tasks on the side that supplement my income or possibly open up a fantastic opportunity to work and consult independently.
As you can see, some of the things I listed aren’t necessarily deal breakers. I don’t lose the confidence of family, friends, or my employer if I put off painting my toenails or that I have a pile of laundry waiting to be cleaned, as long as I show up in clean, pressed clothing and a general sense of appropriate hygiene. However, some of the other things, I’m just letting myself down. I’m missing out on so many opportunities for personal advancement and growth. Opportunities that take me a bit out of my comfort zone or doing things that I’m not familiar with or don’t know how to do.
Then there are those who have no problem keeping commitments and getting things done for other people, but don’t seem to do the same for themselves. Seriously! That’s just wrong too. By doing the things you need to do for yourself, essentially you increase your value. By this I mean, you are continuing to develop yourself, learn new skills, staying competitive as everything evolves, nurturing your self-esteem, and not putting yourself in the position of being dependent on others for approval or relying on them to meet you own expectations.
So I encourage you to develop a stronger sense of commitment. Commitment to doing even the little things that take you closer to the life you want. You’ll find that finally organizing that closet actually leaves you less stressed as you are able to find what you need, when you need it faster in the morning when you are rushing to get out. Doing your dishes the night before makes you feel good when you come home from a long day at work to make dinner in a nice clean kitchen. Just some examples.
What things do you find yourself procrastinating on? Is there something that you have been procrastinating on for so long that maybe you should just take it off your list, get rid of it, and move on? Are there things you do that help motivate you, like listening to your favorite music or doing the activity with a friend? Share your ideas, your frustrations, your challenges, your tips and tricks. Many times, when you feel like you are doing it ALL on your own, it’s nice to get an encouraging push from someone. Here’s your chance to push.
Just Do It!
