A second internal time waster is procrastination. We all put things off. Generally, we put off tasks that are boring, difficult, unpleasant, etc. When faced with something we don't want to do, we can find a dozen jobs of no consequence to fill our time. When you're tempted to procrastinate, follow these steps:
- Set a deadline —a task without a deadline can be put off indefinitely. Set a date and stick to it.
- Set up a reward system —make it commensurate with the task. An afternoon cleaning out the garage is worth dinner out, while a 14 month software roll-out might warrant a tropical vacation.
- Arrange for a follow-up —assign someone to be a "nag-buddy". Give them permission to check in periodically to make sure you're staying on track.
- Do it first —tackle difficult jobs early in the day, when you have the most energy.
- Break the task into small pieces —if the whole seems too big to tackle, break it into manageable sub-tasks.
- Do it now —don't put if off any longer. Sometimes you just have to jump in and get it done.
Procrastination Quotations
- Nothing is so fatiguing as the eternal hanging on of an uncompleted task. ~William James
- Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. ~Don Marquis
- There are a million ways to lose a work day, but not even a single way to get one back. ~Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
- You may delay, but time will not. ~Benjamin Franklin
- Someday is not a day of the week. ~Author Unknown
- Don’t fool yourself that important things can be put off till tomorrow; they can be put off forever, or not at all. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic’s Notebook, 1960
- Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin. ~Victor Kiam
- The best way to get something done is to begin. ~Author Unknown
- Tomorrow is often the busiest day of the week. ~Spanish Proverb
- Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible. ~George Claude Lorimer
- Tomorrow is the only day in the year that appeals to a lazy man. ~Jimmy Lyons
- A year from now you may wish you had started today. ~Karen Lamb
- Procrastination is the thief of time. ~Edward Young