Procrastination

Hi everyone,

Procrastination—the dreaded phrase for inefficiency that most of us have grown all too familiar with.  I’ll admit, I struggle with procrastinating sometimes, but I’d like to share some of the ways that you can stay on task.

1. Use a Calendar—this is the best way to fill your schedule.  My favorite is iCal, probably because I’m a Mac person, but you should have a schedule to keep you on task.  With a calendar, you can make sure that you have stuff to do so that you don’t procrastinate.  You can also see when you’re going to have extra time to get things done.  If you realize that you have time in your schedule, you can get involved with more activities.  By planning, you can really overcome procrastination.

2. Stay Busy—I’ve heard a very wise person tell me that if you want something to get done, you give it to the person that has a ton of things to do, not the person with nothing to do.  This may seem counter-intuitive, but it is based in one single fact: that those who are working just keep working and those who are not just don’t.  To avoid procrastination, I’d keep busy, that way, you won’t stop and start wasting time.

3. Varied Activities—I’ve found that you are more productive when you aren’t doing the same thing for too long.  By varying activities, you can stay more alert an intrigued by something because it remains fresh.  Once you’ve gotten to the point with something where you just aren’t paying attention, change and get something else done.  So, when you’re planning, I’d recommend not spending more than 5 hours on the same thing (with exceptions).  Break things up, and you’ll find yourself more productive.

4. Don’t … – Here are some things that you shouldn’t do that I’ve found to just suck up your time and are unproductive.  As a disclaimer, some of these things can be nice breaks or maybe good to do with friends, but try to stay away from these as much as possible.  The unproductive list: watching TV, playing videogames, sitting on Facebook.  Short, but sweet.  Stay away!

Those are some tips for staying on task and getting stuff done.  I hope that this helps.  Stay active!

Peace,

Tyler