(HappierDaily.com) – The new year is right around the corner and what better resolution is there than to finally stop procrastinating? Now, if you’re already a champ that never procrastinates, always gets your stuff done on time, seamlessly glides through deadlines like you did everything 5 days before you had to instead of 5 hours… well, good for you… I applaud you. If you are not really like that and you’re anything like me, you might need a couple little extra boosts like these ones to help you finish what you need to get done!
To: The procrastinator in your life
From: The biggest procrastinator there is…
Maybe It’s A Motivation Issue…
Our “to-do’s” fall into 3 categories… The things we have to do, things we feel like we should do, and things we just simply want to do. Think for a sec, do you really ever procrastinate the stuff you want to do…? It’s probably more rare than the “have-to’s” and the “should do’s,” right?
Now let’s think about those should do’s… What are you thinking of? Maybe it’s, “I should get lunch with Lisa soon… I should take that job… I should have done ___ by now…” Whatever it may be, ask yourself next, how much do I really want those things? Get honest with yourself, brutally honest.
Is Lisa really a good friend, or are you OK that you’re fizzling out? Is that job really going to bring you joy, or just money? That thing you should have done by now, is it really something you’ve wanted, or has something else pressured you into thinking you should?
Gary Vee puts it like this — the things you’re lazy at, the things you keep procrastinating… you’re lazy at them for a reason, and that’s ok. It’s simply because you don’t want them anymore. Not a big deal. So be it. He advises, choose another thing to be passionate about, something you genuinely want to chase, and hop out of bed for in the morning.
How about those Have To’s?
Ok so maybe your “should-do” list isn’t your problem and it’s your “have-to” list that you just can’t stand doing and keep pushing off. Here’s how to smash that list.
1 – Break up the time. Do that thing you gotta do for just 15 minutes at a time. Set a timer. One of the worst things next to multitasking without getting anything done is spending too much time on one thing that you let it be how you avoid the next thing. When you got a lot on your plate, focus on one thing at a time, recognize when you’re getting distracted, and shut it down.
If you’ve finished your 15 minutes, or maybe you set aside one hour, switch tasks to the next thing. Spend a thoughtful amount of time on that and ope! Time’s up, switch again. You’ll find you will get more done doing that than spending too much time on other things, or trying to multitask and feel like you’re getting it all done at the same time.
2 – Just try number 1. The more things you add to lists, the more you allow yourself to get overwhelmed by what you have to do, and it’ll feel harder and harder to accomplish anything. Keep things as simple as you can, and don’t worry about being perfect. “Done is better than perfect,” as Sheryl Sandberg once said…
Alright fine… One more thing that is actually kind of fun when you’re an A grade procrastinator like me… The thing is, we procrastinate when we are anxious or uninspired. What beats those feelings?
The feeling of accomplishment. It is a stronger drug than instant gratification if you let yourself get to know it, so how do you do that? Easy trick — as you’re going about your day, instead of writing a to-do list, challenge yourself to only write down what you finished. At the end of the day you can see how much you did and you’ll feel so proud of yourself you’ll want to do it again.
Procrastination cure? You tell me. I’m gonna try that tomorrow 😉
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