Four (4) Ways to Fight Procrastination

Don't let procrastinating immobilize your productivity. Here are four approaches that will galvanize you into action and propel you through every task.

Solution No. 1

Be Arbitrary, Start Anywhere

Probably the single most debilitating force behind procrastination does not know where to start. The priority isn't to decide where to start, but simply to act.

Solution No. 2

Divide and Conquer

When a project just seems too long or tedious, "divide and conquer" is the answer.

Samples:

• To start writing a report, commit to just four paragraphs a day.
• To catch up on mail, answer three backlogged letters a day.

Solution No. 3

Use "Off-Center" Time Blocks

Sometimes you need sizeable chunks of time to accomplish a task, but there's no free time available. Take a tip from best-selling author Mary Higgins Clark: Before she got her big break, she got up every morning before dawn and wrote her mysteries for 90 minutes before going to work.

Solution No. 4

Brainstorm Your Step-by-Step Action Plan

Sometimes procrastination results from a complex project-you just don't know where to begin.

• Start by brainstorming on your own or with colleagues and writing down every action required for completing the project. Don't worry about getting things in proper order.
• Next, pull out one of the tasks on your list (arbitrarily!) and ask yourself, "Is there something we need to do before we can accomplish this task? Is there something that naturally follows from this?"
• Then choose another element and ask the same questions. Very shortly, an order will emerge, and you'll know where to start.

These tactics work. By supplementing your own skills with them, you'll see a surge of productivity and a level of mastery that's enjoyed by the most accomplished executives.

Source: The Organized Executive October 1999. Vol. 4, No. 10