Overcoming Procrastination, Part Two: Some general tips to combat procrastination.

Never put off until tomorrow … what you can do the day after tomorrow!

–Mark Twain

To the procrastinator, those words sound more like a life philosophy than a joke. Fortunately, you can overcome procrastination, and here is some advice to guide you along the way.

Combating Procrastination

• Procrastination is a habit, not a character flaw. Many procrastinators excuse their behavior by saying that they lack discipline or willpower. But just as you don't need much willpower to brush your teeth every night, you don't need superhuman discipline to work efficiently. Training yourself to start tasks immediately and finish them on time will be difficult at first. However, it will become easier as you replace time-wasting habits with productive ones.

• Keep a timesheet for a week and write down everything you do throughout the workday. You may be shocked at how much time is wasted. According to a survey by Salary.com and AOL, "(T)he average worker admits to frittering away 2.09 hours per 8-hour workday, not including lunch and scheduled break-time." The top time-wasting culprits were internet surfing (44.7%) and socializing with coworkers (23.4%). Having some idle time is actually advantageous, since socializing with coworkers builds camaraderie and taking short breaks will improve your productivity. However, goofing off for a quarter of each workday is unacceptable.

• Realize that replacing bad habits with good ones can be a difficult and lengthy process. If you keep up with tracking your activities as mentioned in the point above, you'll provide yourself with an objective measure of your progress.

• Stop berating yourself. Procrastination often leads to feelings of anxiety, guilt, fear, and inadequacy, which makes it even more difficult to get to work. Boost your self-esteem by reminding yourself of past successes, and think positive thoughts such as "I am good at my work, and will do a great job on this project." Act like you're confident and capable, and you'll soon start feeling that way too.

• Prepare a written plan of how you will accomplish your tasks, and stick to it. For example, if you detest paperwork and always leave it to the last minute, schedule it for the first hour of your workday, and don't start anything else until it's completed.

• Motivate yourself by using a combination of internal and external incentives. An example of an internal motivator is the feeling of accomplishment you'll get from performing your job well. Examples of external motivators are a good performance review from your supervisor or the latte that you promised yourself for returning all your phone calls.

• Start working right now! (Well, as soon as you've finished reading this article.) If you're dreading the amount of work that's required for a task, promise yourself that you can stop in 15 minutes or 30 minutes. Once you've built up some momentum, you'll probably be happy to keep going.

• Concentrate on the task at hand. Remove physical distractions by shutting your door, closing your web browser and email program, and letting your answering machine pick up your calls. You may also have to deal with mental distractions, such as feeling insecure about the quality of your work or a burning desire to hear the latest water cooler gossip. You can remove mental distractions by clearing your mind of irrelevant thoughts and focusing on what you're doing at this exact moment. If you notice physical symptoms of anxiety, calm yourself with a few slow, deep breaths before you start working.

• Get help from others. Tell your partner, friend, or a trusted and discreet colleague that you're having difficulties with procrastination. They can help by offering encouragement and support, and by holding you accountable to your deadlines. Another strategy is to work in a group whenever possible, because it will be much more difficult to goof off when there are others around who are depending on you. You may also benefit from speaking with a career counselor or therapist.

• Although procrastination is ultimately harmful, you wouldn't continue to do it if it didn't offer you some benefits. Do you gain a temporary sense of calm from putting off your work? Are you relying on deadline pressure to motivate you? Once you figure out what you gain by procrastinating, you will be able to find other ways of satisfying those needs, and it will be easier to change your behavior.

• Recognize the warning signs of procrastination. Thoughts like "I'll get started in 15 minutes" and "I can easily finish it up tomorrow morning" enable us to continue putting things off.

• Keep track of the types of thoughts that go through your head when you start procrastinating, and then develop some counter-arguments. For example, if you start thinking "It won't hurt to check my personal emails first," remind yourself that last time this happened you ended up replying to five messages and surfing for an hour. Instead, get to work right now and check your email after you finish.

• Develop a personal strategy to combat procrastination. Experiment with different methods until you figure out what works best for you.

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In some cases, procrastination may be a symptom of an underlying disorder such as depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit disorder (ADD), or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Seek professional help if chronic procrastination is severely impairing your ability to function in your personal or professional life.

For most of us, overcoming procrastination just requires persistence, patience, and a bit of insight. Don't wait until tomorrow, get started now!

Also see: Overcoming Procrastination, Part One (Diagnosing Your Procrastination Style), I'll Do it Later!, and Dear Cindy – Procrastination Problem.

Overcoming Procrastination, Part Two

Combating Procrastination

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Sheng Wang

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