How to end procrastination
Procrastination is one of the main reasons we don't perform to our full potential. It is a comfortable human habit that is not easy to break. But if you allow procrastination to become deeply entrenched, it can wreck your personal effectiveness and, in turn, the effectiveness of your organisation. Here are a dozen simple techniques that people have successfully used over the years to beat procrastination. Through application, you can discover which will work best for you...
1. The priorities plan
If you are forced into procrastination beyond your control because there are just too many tasks and so little time, do the important things first. Prioritise and give greatest and immediate attention to the most pressing jobs.
2. The divide-and-conquer strategy
If you are procrastinating because of the sheer awesomeness of a task, the key is to break it up into smaller, more manageable components. Once you start accumulating small victories, you'll be well on your way. Edwin Bliss advocates this strategy, calling it the 'Salami Technique', by which you slice up the task like a salami. Alan Lakein prefers the 'Swiss Cheese Method', which punches small holes in a big job.
3. The killer-punch plan
The divide-and-conquer strategy won't work if your problem is that you keep putting off a single task like returning a phone call, firing a worker, or writing a thank-you note. The killer punch is needed for a specific task that can only be accomplished in one hit. There is only one solution: get it off your plate immediately. Act now.
