Forget the intro folks; we’re just jumping in 😉
The Law of Procrastination ⚖
There’s a formula in an article published in Physics Today that demonstrates the Law of Procrastination.
Basically, no matter how long most people have to complete a task, they will finish it when it’s due.
Give a group 15 minutes to complete a task or give them 45, that’s how long it will take them.
For the most part, humans are deadline-driven. If you don’t need to turn in that article for another three weeks, there’s a good chance you won’t finish it in one.
How do you fight this and be a procrastination “outlaw”? 🤔
Schedule all your tasks out by date. Take a look at the deadlines that you have no control over. Do they overlap? Or are there periods that seem to be due-date heavy?
Where you can, self-impose your own deadlines. Move things around so that you’ve got a little breathing room.
Put tasks on your calendar a day or two before they are actually due. Getting them done early makes you look good, and gives you some leeway if something unexpected comes up.
Fear or Lack of Clarity 😨
Sometimes we procrastinate because the thing we need to do is new and we’re just not sure how to get it done.
Or, it’s something out of our comfort zone which is scary.
We doubt ourselves and worry; What if it’s not right? What if it’s not good enough? What will people think? What if it’s not perfect?
Sometimes procrastination stems from the fear of putting ourselves out there with a product that isn’t perfect. But what is?
No matter how hard you try, you probably won’t hit perfect. And guess what? Most people don’t.
DONE and LIVE is always better than PERFECT and DRAFT. It’s okay to not be good enough.
Sometimes Procrastination is Productive 💪
Sounds crazy, right? But think about the times you’ve procrastinated on that one thing, that you really, really didn’t want to do.
What did you do instead? Probably anything and everything else.
There’s a good chance you cleared off the rest of your to-do list. And then tackled that thing you weren’t excited about and got it done.
Or maybe you realized it wasn’t important and you shortened your to-do list. Either way, leaving it until last moved it off your list.
Small Bites ✅
Every successful project, no matter how complicated, begins with one task.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu
It can be easy to procrastinate when it seems the goal is too far away and the project is too big. That’s when it’s important to break the project down into smaller pieces and tackle each one at a time.
What is the first project milestone? What are the specific steps to get there? Work the project out in smaller goals, and the end result will seem less daunting.
That’s really just super simplifying Project Management 101 and a ton of time-management gurus, but it works.
Try using it on any project when you’re hesitant or unsure where to start.
Want to update your bathroom? Learn to play an instrument? Plant a garden? Raise chickens? Start a blog? Organize your closet? Make money from an Amazon store? Publish a book?
Decide what you need to do first and then develop a plan with small, manageable goals. Keep at it, one goal at a time, and you’ll get there.
Small Victories 🎉
Did you know that positive reinforcement strengthens habits more than anything else?
What was the most important thing on your to-do list for today? Did you get it done? You know you did!
Mark it off and smile 😊
Take the project milestones we mentioned earlier. When you hit them, celebrate! Do a little something that makes you happy and you’re actually training your brain to procrastinate less.
You Got This, Tiger, Now Keep Going 🐯🏆
Procrastination can be a habit and therefore hard to break. Give yourself some grace and don’t give up!
One setback is never a defeat. One victory is never the end of the battle. The sum of all determine the outcome.
Stay on course and follow your non-procrastination star to where you want to go.
Taming procrastination will help you find your balance and give you more control over your schedule (less urgency), more peace (more control), and more time to do the things you want to do (that’s all you, Tiger 😉).
Leave a Reply