Problems to Possibilities

I saw a clip of Larry the Cable Guy the other night while channel-surfing and heard his famous term, “Get-R-Done!” which reminded me:  Now that National Procrastination Week was over (if you missed it, it was last week), I seriously needed to get things done.  I have to admit that I have a tendency to procrastinate and need to keep myself on task to get items from my To-Do list to the Got-Done list rather than “waiting until the last minute” and dealing with the stress and anxiety.  Over the past few years, I’ve come up with some strategies that I use and have also recommended to clients.  See if any of these will work for you.  (If you’re not a procrastinator, good for you!)

1. Break it down into smaller tasks.  If you are looking to tackle a “big project,” chances are when you look at the “whole thing,” you may feel overwhelmed and more apt to “put it off until later.”  However, breaking it down into smaller tasks will make it easier to complete.  Think of it not as one big project, but rather a bunch of smaller tasks.
2. “Just do it.”  To quote the Nike ad, sometimes you just need to take action, however small (see #1), which then creates momentum.  I heard a writer say that the way in which he overcomes writer’s block is to just start writing regardless of whether he feels like it or not.  He admitted that the first few minutes of his writing is “gibberish,” but as he continues and gets into the “groove,” he ends up with something worthwhile.  Likewise, once you start something, you are more likely to continue.
3. Good enough is good enough.  One reason people struggle with procrastination has to do with perfectionism.  That whatever they need to get done has to be “perfect” and therefore, they put off completing tasks because it’s “not good enough.”  Unfortunately, for perfectionists, no matter what they do or how good it is, it may never reach perfection.  More importantly, this is unattainable.  Ask yourself, “What is the price (or result) of not having anything done versus having something done?”
4. Reward yourself.  Let’s face it, we tend to procrastinate on things we don’t want to do rather than things we like to do (at least I tend to do this).  Consequently, you probably need more motivation to get these tasks done.  To sustain your motivation, reward yourself once you complete a task (even the smaller ones).  Rewards don’t necessarily mean that you have to “buy stuff.”  Some of the rewards that have worked for me include taking a walk, listening to music, reading a good book, calling a friend, and getting a cup of coffee.

So, whatever your reason(s) for procrastinating, I hope you’ll try some of these strategies and “get-r-done!”