Element E-Zine

     Managing Procrastination

Welcome to Element E-Zine! This week we’ll be discussing four ways to conquer procrastination. There are many ways to tackle procrastination head-on, and here are four of them:

Go with what your instincts tell you:
Procrastination is often to do with putting off making decisions. Being willing to make quick, informed decisions is necessary to being able to complete projects and sticking to your schedule. Make quick and informed decisions by going with your instincts.

Change focus:
We often procrastinate because we aren’t ready to do the one step we feel we need to do to move on. Perhaps we don’t have all of the information we need yet, we may not have written a plan for the project, we haven’t ‘brainstormed’, we may not feel prepared. If you aren’t ready to take on a particular task, it can be more effective to focus on the steps you need to take before you are actually ready to tackle this task. If you find yourself postponing doing a task, ask yourself whether there is something else that you need to do in order to successfully complete this task and then do that first. This change of focus may be what you need to feel more able to take on the task.

Break down your tasks:
If the task before you is overwhelming, try dividing the task into smaller, more manageable parts. Make sure these parts are achievable and realistic. Then complete each of these smaller parts on their own, don’t think about the other parts, just focus on the part you are currently working on. Each part may take you 1 hour, 2 hours, 1 day or more. Remember, just focus on the more manageable, smaller part that you are currently working on, before moving onto the next one.

Give yourself a deadline:
Some people work better under pressure, and work better when they have a deadline looming. If you feel that leaving things to the last minute really does help you to perform, then accept this about yourself. Then establish self-imposed deadlines, BEFORE the actual deadline. Treat your deadline as though that is it. Forget about the actual deadline. Make your deadline three days earlier than the deadline that is given to you. Book other urgent matters to be done in the time after your deadline, so that you are kept under pressure but also have built in a 3-day time cushion in case things do go wrong. You may find that after a while you may eventually discard the need to do things at the last minute, and find it easier to get things done ahead of time and with less stress.

For more info about how personal or group life coaching can help you to make procrastination work for you, not against you, visit Element Coaching at http://www.elementcoaching.com.

Enjoy the rest of your week,

Regards from Marryam