SANDPOINT CHAMBER: Spring cleaning: Kick the procrastination habit
Mickey Quinn
You know those little tasks that you don't particularly like to do, those little things that you put off for later? All of us have one. Some of us have many. One of mine used to be taking action on the emails in my Inox. I don't know why I procrastinated on doing the simple task of responding, filing, and/or deleting, but I got into the habit of scanning my emails, and then closing them to deal with them later. Sometimes that would be days later. That small task would add up to be a large Inbox in a short amount of time. My habitual pattern was to put it off until I just couldn't avoid it anymore. Then finally, I spent a hefty amount of time dealing with a huge number of emails that if I had only done those little tasks when I should have done them, it would have been a whole lot easier and a whole lot faster.
There are many tasks in life and at work we face that we don't particularly like to do. And because those seemingly insignificant little tasks are relatively easy to do, we tell ourselves, “Oh, it's not a big deal. I will get to that eventually.” Unfortunately, as easy as those tasks are to do, they are just as easy not to do. Hard work is often the accumulation of easy things you didn't do when you should have done them. In business and at work, procrastination pops-up in all kinds of areas like making a phone call to potential client, taking action to work on big projects, learning new software, or having difficult conversations with an employee, vendor, or a client.
Procrastination is not a personality trait. Procrastination is a habit and habits can be changed. Here are some tips on how to kick the procrastination habit.
Create a path of least resistance. Find a way to make the activation of the task as easy as possible. If you want to work out in the morning, lay out your exercise gear the night before. If you want to avoid watching the television because you want to read more, put the remote in a cupboard so it is not easily accessible and place the book you want to read where you will see it and pick it up easily. Small changes like these can make a big difference in activating the behavior you want to become a habit.
Schedule it. When you have tasks on your To Do List that you don't particularly like to do, it is very easy to move those tasks to tomorrow's list, or the next day, or next week. You need something that's going to have a little more teeth, something that's going to cause you to take action. One method is to schedule yourself with yourself. Schedule the task on your calendar as an event. You are much less likely to move that task to another day when you put it on your calendar as an event or as a meeting with yourself. Schedule the tasks you tend to procrastinate on.
Remove distractions. A procrastinator’s favorite excuse to avoid doing something is “Oh, something came up.” When preparing to do tasks that you tend to procrastinate on, make sure that you eliminate and remove distractions and interruptions.
Be consistent. Consistency is like compound interest. You can start with a small amount, but when done consistently over time, it can have incredible, cumulative results. Break down the tasks you avoid into small increments that are easy to do, because you will be more likely to do a task that is small and easy. Consistency is a secret weapon. When others quit, those who consistently do it over time are the ones who succeed.
“Procrastination is opportunity’s natural assassin.” — Victor Kim. If you'd like to avoid having your opportunities assassinated, then follow these key tips on how to kick the procrastination habit.
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Mickey Quinn is the executive director of the Greater Sandpoint Chamber of Commerce.
