Photo: growyourwritingbusiness.com
Putting off something that has to be done happens most every day. In fact, it is sometimes advised as part of management strategies. These occasions occur when there is a conflict in priorities or when emergencies suddenly arise. People at times confuse this with procrastination. There is a wide diversity between the two cases. Procrastination happens when people set aside things out of habitual laziness or simply delay needlessly. This may result in being counterproductive.
The adage “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today†comes to mind. However, some people quickly retort with another adage, “haste makes wasteâ€. The key concern is the postponement of actions needlessly or without any productive intention in mind. Here are some suggestions to stop procrastinating.
Is TV Time Productive Time?
Examine the reasons for putting the work aside. Were the reasons justifiable and did it serve a purpose? People may say watching a live game on television has priority over other chores. This may be true in some instances such as if you are enjoined to give a running commentary on the progress of the game. Others may say that it's their only time to relax. There are valid and invalid reasons and you are the sole judge of your own actions. Assess your reasons objectively. Speculate on the number of hours spent watching television and determine whether those were productive hours. Consider the impact not only on yourself but to your family and other people.
Bitten More than You can Chew?
Set reasonable goals on the tasks at hand. You may have bitten more than you can chew. Break the chores down to manageable tasks. Provide a buffer for contingencies but try not to rationalize and eat into the buffer unnecessarily. The buffer is meant to cover unexpected happenings and not as a cushion for your procrastinations. Inform the people of your schedules and anticipated scope of completion within those deadlines.
Don't be Idle.
If you need to watch television, don't be idle. Use the time to plan how you can accomplish the work more efficiently. It's possible you could cut down the time for those chores if you think on how you can complete the work. Cut your television time. People tend to fall asleep while watching television and this adds to more wasted time.
Break the Stress.
At the end of the day, there is nothing else to do but start the job. It may not be to your liking but it needs to be done. Take short breaks to break the stress. Give yourself small rewards along the way. Avoid distractions. There's always a convenient excuse to detract you from doing undesirable jobs. Impose self-discipline. You have to progress from your lethargic state and there is no time like the present to start.
Reward Yourself.
Don't expect to complete the job perfectly. After all, you didn't feel like doing it in the first place. Don't use that as a loophole for turning out sub-par jobs in the future. Give yourself an extra reward for finishing the job. Don't rest on your laurels. Look forward to the next job and aim for excellence. You'll be in the groove in no time.
About The Author
Colin Burton strives to help others improve their lives through the supply of good informative self-improvement information. http://www.think-and-grow.com
No comments:
Post a Comment