4 Ways to Stop Procrastinating

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Photo by Susanne Nilsson

After a nice walk on a Saturday, my friend told me she had some housework to do and was weighing her options.

“I really don’t want to do it now, but if I wait until Sunday night, it’ll put a damper on my whole weekend. It’s like I won’t really enjoy anything until it’s done.”

Boy, could I relate. I had been the world’s worst procrastinator in high school, somehow managing to pull off amazing feats of academic strength with all-nighters, but that all changed after an incident in college.

I stayed up late into the night finishing a paper and had to drive to class to hand it in. (Oh the days when professors wouldn’t accept email files!) On my way back, I was exiting off the freeway and a cyclist ran a red light in front of me. I was so exhausted I didn’t notice him right away.

Slamming on the brakes, I swear I could see his life flash before my eyes. My bumper came inches from him. His hand touched my hood in a protective act. Neither of us cared who was at fault. We were just both so happy that somehow nothing happened. The only evidence of what occurred was the smell of burnt rubber.

Something changed in me that day. That would’ve never happened if I had been more awake. If I was going to be a productive member of society, if I hoped to someday write for a living in a world of deadlines, something was going to give. I decided then and there to banish procrastination.

This happened years ago, and I’d like to think I do a pretty good job of balancing the house work, career stuff and other obligations I have with the time I use. Of course I’m not perfect (this article sat on my to-do list for weeks), but I’d love to share what works for me.

1. Break Things Into Small Tasks

Earlier this week I was looking at my calendar and saw a menacing task: Create a website for a client. Right. Because that’s something that I can hunker down and do in one afternoon.

Shaking my head, I crossed it out and wrote:

• Register domain
• Host domain
• Create logo
• Insert client’s text
• Create photo galleries
• Send to client

That’s six projects within the original one, and I could have broken it down even further.

If I keep something big like “Create a website” or “Wash windows” on my list, it’ll get left for last because it’s abstract and seemingly overwhelming. And if something is left for last, especially a large task, it can get pushed to the next week or the week after.

When you notice you’re procrastinating on something, see if you can break it down into smaller projects that are less difficult to deal with in terms of time and space. I know exactly what it takes and how much time to budget in vacuuming the dust around the windows.

Simple. I’ll knock that out and move on to the cleaning the insides. Suddenly I’m two-thirds of the way done with the project, and if you use this tool, you’ll be amazed at how things you keep putting off will actually progress.

2. Work in Small Chunks of Time

A lot of successful people have told me about this or that method for working, and most of them involve lots of breaks. Who would’ve thought the best way to be productive was to take time off?

But I find it’s true for me. Here are my general rules:

• I almost never work on anything for more than an hour in a row.
• I generally alternate more difficult tasks and easier ones.
• When I take breaks, I get away from whatever I’m doing, making a cup of tea, taking a walk or chatting on the phone with a friend.

With this pattern, I almost never have a problem getting a project started or keeping it moving. Try it. Have a closet that needs cleaning? Set your alarm for 25 minutes and work steadily.

Afterward, enjoy a chapter of that book you’re addicted to. Next do a quick task. Take out the trash. Then head back to the closet.

3. Get Real With Yourself

Have you had something on your list for months? It might be time to ask for some help, either in the form of hiring someone else to do it, asking someone else to lend a hand or just letting it go. Maybe you really don’t need to dust the baseboards.

I used to insist on washing and cleaning out the family car. We have what we affectionately call “a giant truck.” It would take me ages. So I just wouldn’t do it very often. It got to the point that I was worried it was ruining the paint.

Finally I just decide to fork over the cash to get it washed professionally. Now I drop it off, knit or read for 20 minutes and come out and the truck is clean as a whistle. It may cost more, but it’s totally worth it for less headache and guilt.

Check out your list or calendar. What keeps getting pushed back? What is gnawing at you but you still don’t bother to do? Can you delegate this to someone else? Find a way to get it out of your to-do territory.

4. Recall When You Did a Similar Task

Sometimes we make a project bigger in our minds than it actually is. That’s a lot of the reason we procrastinate in the first place. It occupies this grand space in our head so it must take forever and be miserable to boot. It’s time to challenge those thoughts.

I let several squash starters sit outside without putting them in the garden until they were almost dead. In fact, a few of them did end up dying. I just convinced myself I didn’t have enough time for that big project. When I finally put on the gardening gloves and trudged outside, it took me less than 30 minutes.

Later someone gave me some tomato starters, which sat for a few days. It was looking like I was going to repeat my pattern, but then I thought back to when I planted the squash. There were only half as many tomato plants. I realized it probably wouldn’t take more than 15 minutes. I was done in 10.

When you keep putting off a project, try to think back to a time when you did something similar. It just might help you put it in its proper perspective. Get it done and move on.

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Procrastination may not have triggered a life or death situation for you, but it’s bound to be something you struggle with occasionally. Don’t let an unfinished task rain on your parade.