Putting off until tomorrow...

[TobiasW]

There's an old saying that procrastination is the thief of time.

The word procrastination comes from the Latin - meaning basically - put off till tomorrow. When my partner's not sure what to do next, he sweeps his workshop. There's a great cloud of dust and he has a clean floor, but he hasn't actually advanced any of the tasks in hand.

Are you guilty of procrastination and, if so, what measures do you take to get yourself back into the swing of the workload again?

 

[dyanmarie25]

I admit, I would sometimes put things off and somehow guilty of procrastination. But whenever I feel like I am lacking interest and energy towards my work, I just try to take a short break. I would go for a run, listen to music, watch a movie, just to find some sort of inspiration. And when I have already regain motivation, I would then go back to my work.

 

[EF-Roger]

Nothing wrong with taking a short break. It helps, but when you think of the term procrastination, it usually means something put off far longer than a break.

 

[KenBrace]

This is very, very right. I have issues with this. I feel like some other time will be the perfect time. Sometimes this is the case but more often than not, there is no perfect time. You just need to get in there and get the thing done.

 

[EF-Roger]

This is very, very right. I have issues with this. I feel like some other time will be the perfect time. Sometimes this is the case but more often than not, there is no perfect time. You just need to get in there and get the thing done.

I do that too.

 

[nailah783]

I think everyone can be guilty of procrastination at some point and time. I know I am not exempt from that list. However, I realize at some point that the longer it takes for me to get started, the longer it will take for me to get finished, so I jump up, nd get it done. Sometimes you just need to motivte yourself.

 

[KerBel]

I used to procrastinate a lot in the past, but to get better I usually set reminders around the house telling me to get back to work.

I think about all the horrible consequences of not getting my work done:

1. I don't get paid
2. If I don't get paid I can't pay my bills or buy food
3. If I don't pay my bills or buy food I'll freeze to death and starve
4. If the above happens I'll die

That's usually enough to get me moving. Sometimes it doesn't work, and I just take a breather. Sometimes all we need is a break. The truth is if your not motivated to do something...your not motivated to do it. No one else can really pump you up and get your enthusiasm back. You either get to it or don't. At the end of the day the pros and cons help me get to it.

 

[harpazo22]

I was guilty of it in the past, but not anymore. I learned the hard way. I always ended up being so regretful at the end of the day when I didn't get much done and I had the time to do it! So do it when you have time, don't put things off. Get them out of the way.

 

[ReadmeByAmy]

To procrastinate is one thing that I am always avoiding to do because I know that if I will the do things or my work at a later time then I will not be able to accomplish my task at the right time that it should be. I always had this time management and I see to it that I am planning ahead of time what will I do and when I will do it because I do not want that I am always in a hurry to perform the things that I will be doing. That is why I am thankful that I can avoid procrastination and can manage my time wisely.

 

[MandyMarieB]

Oh boy, yes. Procrastination is my biggest weakness. Lists are usually what get me back on track. I tend to have far too many of them, but it at least helps with figuring out what all I need to do, and when I should get it done by. (And I REALLY break things down, too.)

 

[Kathryn M.]

I heard the best reasoning behind procrastination on Instagram about a month ago. The poster was saying how she never goes to sleep on time regardless if she has to be up early the next morning. She said:

"My procrastinating in going to sleep on time is my lack of respect for tomorrow."

I found that to be spot on. We put off doing things because we do not respect the consequences, nor do we take the consequences seriously.

 

[azgold]

I'm guilty of procrastinating. Problem is that I live in my head too much. Things start out simple but I overthink them, end up confusing myself, get overwhelmed then stop. I may repeat that procedure for several days regarding the same task. It's frustrating!

 

[T J Tutor]

I have learned over the years that anytime I find the slightest hint that I am about to procrastinate I must follow a very simple process. I determine immediately if I can break it down to smaller steps that are far more palatable. Then, I simply complete as many steps as I can immediately and reschedule the rest. More times than not, I end up doing all of it right then and there.

An extremely important part of this is a schedule! I often speak to marketers about scheduling as a practice, many marketers are not scheduling tasks in their businesses. Simply, they truly don't understand that their business is just like having a child. It must be cared for, it must be fed, it must be raised on a schedule in order to reach peak performance.

I promise you that if you are prone to procrastination, breaking the task(s) into smaller bites and keeping everything scheduled will help you dramatically reduce the onset of putting things off!

 

[terryse]

Yes, i usually put off tasks i don't like doing for another day . But that was before, i learned to take care of my priorities now and overcome the habit of procrastination. When you get the more important tasks out of the way, you make room for even more important, productive tasks.

 

[arthnel]

Even getting things done takes practice everyday. I've stopped long to do lists and promises to myself because I started feeling lazy and guilty. So now I set only a few days like 2-3 to cover real goals and projections. It's like my mind would literally start shutting down just to think of setting myself up for 3 months of dedication to something I know will be worthwhile. I'm trying this living in the moment gig and it seem to be working so far.

 

[TobiasW]

Thanks for your responses - do keep them coming. There are some interesting and helpful tips in your posts which I'm sure others can learn from and will be helped by. I do agree that breaking things down into 'doable' chuks is probably one of the most practical ways forward.