Overcoming Procrastination - Part 2

In part 1 I talked about the number 1 reason for putting things off - no time. And you saw how easy it is to put that reason aside. If you find yourself still procrastinating, then there must be another reason behind that.

These possible other reasons fall into 2 categories, one concerning the project itself, the other your personality style.

Today, let's look at the project itself. The project might be perceived as

1. Threatening
2. Too difficult
3. Boring
4. Impossible to finish
5. Waste of time

1. If a project or the outcome of the project is perceived as threatening, thoughts like "I'm in trouble if I get this wrong" might be going through your head. In this case a natural reaction is not to start the project at all or not to progress beyond a certain point so as to avoid failure. In cases like this make sure you have all the facts right. Ask questions:

"What is the worst thing that could happen - realistically?" And how likely is this to happen? - You will probably realise that things are never as bad as they seem.

What exactly do I need to do to get it right? - Once you know exactly what to do and how to do it, you have already won.

Have I got all the skills and abilities to do this project? - If the question is yes, great! If it is no, then you should probably consider to get someone to help or delegate the task itself.

2. If you think a project is too difficult, you might never start it. Sit down and thing about what is difficult. Are you just unsure of how to start and how to break the project into smaller manageable chunks? Find an expert on the subject, someone who has done a similar project before and ask for help.

3. If you think a project is boring, try and make it more interesting, Set yourself a challenge. See how much you can achieve in a certain amount of time. And then for the next chunk, see if you can beat your previous record. Or put some of your favourite music on while you work. If the project allows (like a mountain of ironing, or shredding) watch TV while you work.

4. If you think a project is impossible to finish, there might be two reasons. Either it's the type of project that literally never ends (like housework) or it is a very large project. Again, breaking it up into smaller portions will help. Even Mount Everest can be climbed by doing one step at a time! Set yourself a daily target and you will be up and running in no time.

5. Finally, if you consider the project a waste of time, re-evaluate it. Does it really need to be done? If you are doing it to please someone else, and you see absolutely no sense in it, try to find out why it is so important for the other person. Or is it simply one of those jobs that need to be redone on a regular basis like tidying up or ironing. Use one of the solutions from number 4 to get the job done. Some jobs do seem to be a waste of time but we would sink into crud and chaos if we didn't do them at all.