How to Beat Procrastination - 30 November 2009

Trent Mankelow I was gonna do a talk on procrastination but I decided to put it off

What is procrastination? Source: http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/082609/start-being-more-productive.gif

Procrastination – The act of postponing or delaying an action needlessly Source: http://www.blurburger.com/shoebox/toons/albums/toons/toon_procrastinator.gif

What percentage of people procrastinate?

What do you procrastinate over?
Me:
Chores e.g. Cleaning the shower
Thinking tasks e.g. Writing our newsletter
Big projects e.g account management
New projects e.g. hiring a board of directors

Why do we procrastinate?
We are afraid of failure
We are afraid of being imperfect
We are overwhelmed

Why should we care? What impact does procrastination have?
Makes it difficult for others to get their job done
The quality of your work may suffer (especially if it’s done at the last minute)
You can miss deadlines
It can add to your stress levels (and your guilt levels), and affect your life outside work

Is procrastination always bad?
Sometimes procrastination = percolation

Tips on Starting

Sometimes starting is the hardest thing

Ironically, “the act of starting reveals the real work you have to do” – The NOW Habit, p111

How to start: Sprints

How to start: Sprints
Choose a task to be accomplished
Set the Pomodoro to 25 minutes (the Pomodoro is the timer)
Work on the task until the Pomodoro rings, then put a check on your sheet of paper
Take a short break (5 minutes is OK)
Every 4 Pomodoros take a longer break
Check out
www.pomodorotechnique.com
www.focusboosterapp.com

Spend five minutes thinking about the outcome

Take a break first

How to start: Brainstorming Source: http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/042406/inside-the-riaa.gif

Get a friend to help Source: http://www.teachingauthors.com/2009_07_01_archive.html

As part of the brainstorm I make sure I have a concrete, next action to start with

Use a pen and paper

Start the day right

Decide on a Most Important Task before you leave work each day

Park on a downhill slope Source: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/DunedinBaldwinStreet_Parked_Car.jpg

Avoid e-mail for the first hour of every day. You heard me.

Tips on Writing

Do “shitty first drafts”

Write
in
bulletpoints

Consider only giving yourself a certain number of revisions

Other random tips

Say No Source: http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3658/3361349018_5d1caa4a1c.jpg

Plan play Source: http://www.toothpastefordinner.com/120304/go-outside-and-play-with-your-utah.gif

“ We are more likely to work productively when we can anticipate pleasure and success” – The NOW Habit, page 75

Celebrate success

List your anxieties
What is the worst that could happen?
What would I do if the worst really happened?
How would I lessen the pain and get on with as much happiness as possible if the worst did occur?
What alternatives would I have?
What can I do now to lessen the probability of this dreaded event occurring?
Is there anything I can do now to increase my chances of achieving my goal?
From The Now Habit, p 99

What other ideas do you have? How do you break through procrastination?

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How to Beat Procrastination - 30 November 2009

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