I have really never considered myself a procrastinator. You know, the type of person that regularly puts off doing things until later.

I've always felt that I had to make everyday really count. If not, it seemed as though the day was wasted.

I was taught that, 'Why put off doing something until tomorrow, that you could easily do today?' Like the saying that Larry the Cable Guy made famous, 'Gett'r Done.'

Then on the flip side there's been the saying, 'If you can put off until tomorrow, why do it today?' Or you've heard the phrase, 'Rome wasn't built overnight'.

Well eventually you will run out of tomorrows and furthermore, you could get so buried in work that you'll never see daylight. So avoid the procrastination all ready.

The first step is to understand why we are procrastinating in the first place. The New York Times interviewed productivity experts and came up with four reasons.

  1. We're overwhelmed So many of our colleagues have been laid off that there is more work for those who remain, sometimes so much work that it can be paralyzing when the boss wants us to be both creative and efficient at the same time.
  2. We worry what others think of us Sometimes the job is just too hard. After all, if you never finish that difficult project, you won't be judged. Some people think it's better to be accused of lacking effort or having poor time management skills than lacking ability.
  3. We're distracted The average employee admits to wasting as much as two hours a day on non-work tasks. Facebook, Twitter and personal email can be very distracting.
  4. We have a fear of successIf you do a job very well, the boss will expect even more of you next time and you know deep down you might not be able to deliver. The end result? You procrastinate on the immediate task.

Here's some suggestions that may help you get everything in order. You can you overcome a tendency to procrastinate by focusing on progress instead of perfection. Set goals for yourself and when you achieve them, give yourself a reward. Break up big projects into small steps that take between 30 minutes to two hours. if you don't have the self-discipline to turn off Facebook and Twitter at work, install software that will do it for you. Identify the specific areas in which you procrastinate and map out steps required to achieve your goal.

 

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