Procrastination Help - Strategies To Increase Efficiency

For business owners, not having someone watching their hours and keeping them on track can make it easy to procrastinate. You start to arrive late, spend too much time on personal matters or simply spend time doing 'stuff' but not focusing on the most important tasks.

Being your own manager can give you freedom to choose what you do when. So it's critical that you make sure you're making the right choices with your time. If you find yourself with work you were supposed to have finished, clients calling you because you have not delivered as you had promised to or you tend to do other things when you are supposed to be busy at work, you might need procrastination help. Following are some tips to help you avoid procrastination and improve your efficiency.

Advance Planning Of Each Day

Towards the end of each day, plan your list of tasks you need to do the following day. Make sure you include the amount of time you realistically expect to spend on each activity. Doing this helps to ensure that you start each morning with a clear plan of what you need to focus on during the day.

Many people find planning their day each morning is less effective that planning the night before. By being able to sleep on the tasks that need to be tended to the next day you often find your mind is better prepared. And at the end of each day, check how you progressed with your daily tasks. Did you find you weren't able to complete a particular task? If so, why was this? Can you do something differently to finish it tomorrow?

If you are looking for help avoiding procrastination, it is also important to note that it is better to have fewer things to do on a daily basis than have a lot of things to do and nothing to show for your hard work. You'll also find it helps to be clear on what your overall business goals are, then make sure that your daily tasks focus on the most important things to move you towards these goals.

Know Your Weaknesses

Which activities in your business do you find yourself putting off for a later date? Maybe it's filing your tax returns, paying your bills, returning clients calls or mail, or clearing the to do list on your work desk. When you are aware of the tasks you consistently procrastinate on, you can start to understand why you procrastinate. Plus, each day you make sure you do what you set out to, you'll find the desire to avoid these tasks reduces. You'll also find that the feeling of accomplishing your goals will be helping you to focus on getting through your daily tasks, rather than procrastinating.

Make Time To Relax

The reason why you may be procrastinating may be because you are too tired or stressed out to take care of anything at work. If you spend most of your time at work, this may leave you burnt out and without energy to attend to important business projects. You should ensure that you sleep well, take a small break when at work and have at least one day off every week.

Occasionally, take a few days or weeks vacation to clear up your mind and help you refocus on your business goals. These strategies are useful for anyone looking for procrastination help.

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5 Ways to Handle Chronic Procrastination

Procrastination is a debilitating condition because it saps away our motivation to work and achieve, and eventually resulting in negative repercussions to our jobs, relationships and overall mental and physical wellbeing. To procrastinate is to intentionally and habitually put off and delay completing certain tasks or responsibilities that you should. This could be something simple such as exercising twice a week, or something more severe such as a school or work assignment. 

If you find yourself being swamped by work despite there being no increase in the daily amount, or that you often make empty promises to yourself, you might be a procrastinator. Unlike simply putting off a task for a day or two because we are feeling lazy, procrastinating is a long term habit that has been built up for months, and perhaps even years in some cases. 

Thankfully, it is not impossible to rid yourself of this habit. Much like other habits, in order to get rid of it you need perseverance and determination to build up a positive habit and override the procrastinating bug. If you have acknowledged that you have a problem, that is a positive first step in the right direction already. Below are 5 ways for you to handle your procrastination habits. 

Step #1: Take Action
It is one thing to acknowledge a problem, and quite another to be willing to sit up and take action. It is no use just saying, "Yes I have a problem", and not taking any action to curb it or cure the problem. It is simply a matter of having a positive and a "can do" attitude. 

Step #2: Find the Root
What is the cause of your procrastination? Is it that you are simply lazy and couldn't be bothered? That is highly doubtful, as most people who suffer the evils of procrastination do so due to other reasons, and not laziness. Try to trace back to when you first started procrastinating, and if there were any events that were particularly significant to you. Alternatively, speak to a close friend or family member and find out when you started putting off your work. Examining your emotions when you are faced with tasks that you always procrastinate is a good place to start. 

Step #3: Set Goals
Once you have identified the cause, you can take positive action to correct it. For example, if the cause was poor time management, you can set out a to-do list in your planner and follow it. The important thing is to set goals for yourself. These should be achievable and with a time factor incorporated, so that you can chart your progress. 

Step #4: Be Realistic
It is easy to get carried away and buy many planners and draw up incredible to-do lists that utilize every minute of your waking time. However, this is simply not realistic, and you will not be able to follow it, causing you to feel depressed or inadequate. The key is to be realistic in your expectations and actions. Plan for breaks to rest your mind, and allow for buffer time because things never go perfectly according to plan. 

Step #5: Review
Always review your progress, so you can see how much you have improved. Speak to your counsellor or your family to see if they have noticed any lapses or if they have any suggestions for you. Look back and track your progress to prevent yourself from regressing. It is also a good way to reward yourself for a job well done, and you will be well on your way to beating the procrastination bug!

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