Travis Bradberry* says it is easy to find reasons for putting off a challenging task. He says the trick is to identify them and knock them down one-by-one.
Procrastination strikes everyone, and once it gets hold of you, it can be difficult to shake off.
When you imagine a highly productive person, you likely think of someone who focuses effortlessly on the job and never succumbs to procrastination.
The truth is, productive people face the same procrastination challenges as the rest of us.
The difference is, they beat procrastination by using a calculated approach.
First, they understand why they procrastinate; then they apply strategies that beat procrastination before it takes hold.
Rather than being lazy or disorganised, people usually put things off because they aren’t in the right mood to complete the task.
Since you’ve decided you aren’t in the right mood to work, you distract yourself with other tasks — checking email or the news, cleaning your desk.
By the time you come up for air, you feel guilty for having wasted so much time.
This only worsens your mood, and as the deadline draws closer, you feel worse than you did when you first put off the task.
Beating procrastination is a simple matter of taking control of your mood.
The strategies that follow will help you to make this happen.
Figure out why
When you aren’t in the mood to work, procrastination is telling you something important.
It could be something simple, such as you need to take a break or get something to eat.
It could also be something complex, such as you’re carrying the team on your back or you’re dissatisfied with your job.
Whatever it is, take a moment to reflect and figure out why you’re procrastinating.
Remove your obstacles
Take a moment to carefully consider the obstacles that might get in your way.
Then, develop a plan to ensure they don’t.
For example, you might have instructions for a task in your email inbox, and if you don’t do anything about it, you’ll repeatedly go back them.
Then you’ll get distracted by other incoming emails.
In this case, your management plan should be to get the instructions out of your inbox prior to starting work.
By planning ahead, you can maintain your focus and avoid procrastination.
Jump right in, no matter what
Sometimes it’s really hard to get started on something, even when it’s something you love to do.
I might be staring at a blank document or standing on the beach on a cold winter morning.
That first step is difficult, but once you get going — typing that first paragraph or taking off on that first wave — your mood improves dramatically.
When you focus your attention on how difficult and cruddy it is to get started, you discourage yourself from doing so.
When you dive right in no matter what, your mood quickly improves.
Cut holes in your project
We often procrastinate because we feel intimidated by the size of a project.
To minimise intimidation, try cutting holes in it.
Find smaller pieces of the task that you can quickly and easily accomplish.
For example, writing a proposal might require 10 hours of intense concentration, but you can spit out an intro in 15 minutes and develop a list of deliverables in 10.
Before you know it, these smaller tasks have cut serious holes in the project.
Work in the right environment
This means keeping away from television, electronics, friends, and loud places.
This isn’t what works for everyone, but you need to exercise discipline by working in the environment that’s right for you.
Enjoy small victories
There’s nothing quite like checking something off your to-do list.
Small victories build new androgen receptors in the areas of the brain responsible for reward and motivation.
The increase in androgen receptors increases the influence of testosterone, which further increases confidence and eagerness to tackle challenges.
This keeps you fired up and moving forward.
Sometimes crossing a few easy things off of a list is all it takes to build up the mental strength to tackle something big.
Get real
Setting unrealistic goals for your day is a great way to become discouraged and to succumb to the negative moods that fuel procrastination.
Setting realistic goals keeps things positive, which keeps you in the right mood to work.
Take control of your self-talk
Saying to yourself: “I’m not going to procrastinate. I will not procrastinate,” virtually ensures that you will procrastinate.
The trick is to shift your attention to something completely different (and positive).
Instead of telling yourself not to procrastinate, think about what you will do and how great it’s going to feel to have it done.
Don’t be a perfectionist
Most writers spend countless hours brainstorming characters and plot.
They even write page after page they know they’ll never include in the book.
They do this because they know that ideas need time to develop.
We tend to freeze up when it’s time to get started because we know that our ideas aren’t perfect and what we produce might not be any good.
How can you ever produce something great if you don’t get started and give your ideas time to evolve?
Focus on results
Chances are, you don’t enjoy going to the dentist. So why do you go? It gets results.
Your dentist is quite good at making your teeth and gums healthier and more appealing.
You go to the dentist because you know the process is worth it.
The same mentality applies to a challenging task.
Just think of how great it’s going to feel to get things done and how much worse you’ll feel if you wait until the last minute and don’t give it your best effort.
*Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and the co-founder of TalentSmart. He can be contacted at TalentSmart.com.
This article first appeared on the TalentSmart website.
