Putting it off - Getting Started!

Thinking about ways to end up in a better space...

Because I have had lots of bad experiences getting in a muddle, I seem to have developed a habit of putting things off until the last possible moment.

I've just dipped into a book called 'Organise Yourself!' (Eisenberg, R; Kelly, K, 1997, London, Piatkus). In a chapter entitled, 'Procrastination', there is an interesting list of 27 approaches to overcoming the dither and denial tendency. I thought I'd share some of the more interesting points with you here:

• "A more realistic sense of time will help you get things done. Procrastinators often have an unrealistic sense of time; you may have the feeling that a project will take for ever or that you have ' plenty of time'. The more realistic you become, the less likely [it is that] you'll be to procrastinate. To get a better sense of time, start keeping a log of how long various projects take."
  
• "Work within the time available to you. Sometimes people estimate that a project will take, say, 10 or 12 hours, so they keep waiting for a day when they can devote that amount of time to it. Of course, that day never comes. Break the project down into small manageable parts. List each step you need to take in order to complete the task.


• "Remember that even five minutes is enough time to get something done."


• "You don't always have to start at the beginning. If the first step seems the hardest, start with another part of the project instead."


• "Some people like to do the the worst first. If they accomplish what they dislike most, the rest of the project seems to proceed more smoothly."


• "Tell someone else what your deadline is. Often you will be motivated by not wanting to admit to them that you did not meet the deadline."


• "Try tricking yourself: 'If I don't finish writing this proposal by 5pm I will have to cancel my plans for tonight.' Working against that sort of deadline can be quite effective."


• Reverse Psychology: "Do nothing! Try sitting with the project in front of you for 15 minutes without touching it. You will probably become so frustrated that you'll dive into the project well before the 15 minutes are up."


• "Make sure you use your leisure time for leisure. Most procrastinators ruin much of their free time because they are worrying about whether 'tomorrow' is really enough time to get something done. Learning to do things in advance provides the opportunity for worry-free leisure."


• "Expect problems. [...] If you anticipate that you won't actually have 'all of next week' to work on something, then you may be motivated to start a little earlier."


• "After each small deadline, promise yourself a reward."

So there you are. A few handy tips to get you started.

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