Procrastination comes in many forms and few of them serve us well.

Much of the time we will look for other things to do in order to put off doing the things we don’t want to do, but ultimately have to be done.

I recognized my inner procrastinator many years ago when I found myself on my knees, cleaning out the saucepan cupboard, when I should have been writing term reports for 38 nine year olds.

I came up with a few main life rules for dealing with this pest.

1. Focus 100% on the task.
Suddenly it’s done and no longer a chore, simply a task that’s been handled. The time will go really quickly if you focus. And if that’s hard, give yourself a specific time of focus – say 10 minutes. You’ll usually get so wrapped up in it that you finish it anyway.

2. Don’t think of it as a chore.
That immediately suggests something unpleasant or onerous.  It’s simply a task on your To Do list, the same as the others which need to be done by a nominated time.

3. Shuffling papers around your desk or through your in-tray is an insidious form of procrastination.
It doesn’t get you anywhere except confused, or guilty that you’re not really achieving anything. The best solution here is to stand at your desk – don’t sit – and give yourself 30 minutes. No more, no less. See how many pieces of paper you can deal with and file or chuck in that time. Sometimes it’s a quick phone call, sometimes it’s just a matter of putting the paper in its right place with others in the same category/subject. Ta-da! Clean desk in no time and sense of virtuousness.

4. A place for everything and everything in its place.
Stuff stays on your desk because you don’t really know where to put it. If it doesn’t have a place, create a file and put it there. Keep a roll out file under your desk for only the immediate pending files that are current or need to be dealt with this week.

5. Set a time in your diary every three months to purge files.
You don’t do them all at this time. Choose one filing cabinet drawer or one shelf on the bookcase. Do you really need all those binders from long forgotten seminars and workshops? You’ve never looked at them since you put them on the shelf, what on earth makes you think you will in the future. Get rid of them.

6. Do the stuff you hate first.
Then it’s done and out of the way and you can feel good the rest of the day, instead of fretting and worrying and feeling guilty or dreading doing whatever it is all day. That’s a complete waste of energy and your day.

7. Does it feel like too big a task?
Break it down into smaller pieces and tackle one at a time, spacing them out if you have to.

8. Sort everything as it hits your desk.
My In Tray used to be such a disaster area, that I always thought if I ever got to the bottom of it, I’d find two soldiers who didn’t know the war was over. Get yourself a really shallow In Tray. Aim to have it empty by Friday at lunchtime.

Sometimes we can be thankful for our Inner Procrastinator. It can prevent us from making ill thought out and hasty decisions. Mostly though, they just keep us stuck running up and down on the spot.

Until next time…

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