What’s your favorite way to procrastinate? A friend of mine finds herself cleaning every horizontal surface she can find. A client likes to bury herself in little errands such as going to the post office. Another winds up wasting hours on email, responding to or sorting every single message.
These are all very good ways to procrastinate, because they all seem like legitimate tasks. But they won’t get you any closer to getting the real work finished. Need help? Here’s how to put an end to procrastination. It’s painless, I promise!
- Break tasks down into smaller pieces. Revising your entire e-book probably feels like a big overwhelming job, but tackling one chapter at a time is quite manageable.
- Set smallish blocks of work time, such as 15 or 20 minutes each. Work solidly for only that amount of time and then take a three to four minute break. That’s enough of a rest to get a cup of tea or answer nature’s call but not so long that your train of thought gets derailed.
- Mix up your activity level. If most of your work happens at a desk, take at least two breaks throughout the day to stretch, jog in place, or even tidy up (yes, you can clear your desk finally!). Alternating between physical and mental work helps keep you fresh and focused.
- Reward yourself for a job completed! When that e-book is all done, or your marketing email series is ready to send, or your database of contacts has been updated, give yourself a treat. It could be something small like a piece of chocolate for a small task or something luxurious like a massage for a bigger job. You decide how big of a reward you should get – but do give it!
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