Procrastination Plan

Ugh, hellllooo friend, have you ever had one of those days?

The kind where you just can't get work done?

Me too! 

Procrastination can be a real problem. 

Not only does it make me unproductive, but I feel guilty about it too.

Do you procrastinate at work? 

Don't worry, you're not alone!

It happens to me too. A little while ago, I felt tired and unmotivated, I'd spend a lot of time talking to my coworkers, or looking at pictures of animals in silly costumes. 

But you know, procrastination isn't laziness, some people procrastinate because they're unmotivated or unchallenged, while others are afraid of failing

Often, we want our work to be perfect. When people want something to be exactly a certain way, they're often afraid to even start it, let alone finish it.

Others might feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work they have

What do you think is causing your procrastination?

I know, sometimes it can be hard to tell. 

Let me tell you about how I confronted my procrastination problem.

The first thing I did was a bit obvious. I created a prioritized To Do list, have you ever tried to do that?

If not, this is a great opportunity to try it out!

• First, I've found creating a list of small goals and prioritizing what's urgent or time sensitive helps a great deal. It can also help to note if the items are also contingent on other people -- so you might have to come back to them after you've started them.

• Second, I break down the larger goals into smaller tasks

This is particularly helpful if I'm feeling overwhelmed, I can look at all the steps involved in that big priority and divide it all into bite-sized tasks, this can make a big goal seem more manageable. 

If say, you need to organize a company party, that's a large goal with a lot of little steps, so you could break things down like; 

• make the guest list

• contact a caterer

• choose decorations

• get costs approved before you spend

• Third, I kept my natural work rhythms, so I'm going with my own flow!

I find I'm most productive in the morning, this might not be true for everyone, but figure out when YOU feel the most productive and prioritize your tasks for the times you tend to be the most able to do them. 

Knowing your work style and leaning into it can make you more productive!

• Fourth, and finally, I created artificial deadlines

I find I operate better under pressure, or when I feel like I'm in a time crunch, so I created fake deadlines to artificially restrict how much time I could spend on a task

So, if you might normally plan to spend an hour on something, instead try to finish it in half an hour

If that isn't quite your style, you can set a time or date that it's due, but make sure to set that time for at two days, or many hours before it's actually due--this way you have some wiggle room for unexpected problems. 

If you're ready, try writing down one goal you have, and then break it down into smaller parts and see if you can get it to a manageable list to work from. 

Take a deep breath, you got this!

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