When my son was in primary school a letter was sent home from his teacher saying that
they were going to introduce homework two times a week. The homework would only take
about five minutes to complete but was designed to get them acclimatised to independent
study.
My son was not happy. I came to dread picking him up on Tuesday and Thursday, the
allocated homework days. My son would have a full-on tantrum lasting from 10 minutes to
two hours.
Eventually he exhausted himself and sat down to complete the task in under three minutes.
Don’t you just love procrastination?
I wrote a post about it this week and it seems I am not alone. There are many high
functioning procrastinators living and working around you.
Here are some tips to cope with the procrastination monkey.
1. You are not lazy
I used to tell myself I procrastinated because I’m lazy. Ironically, when I am procrastinating,
I’m doing lots of tasks – but just not those that I should be doing. I have learnt to sit with my
feelings and ask myself: ‘What is stopping me?’
Most often it is fear that the effort I put in will be in vain. I then use the Pomodoro technique
and trick myself into starting.
2. Remove resistance
James clear in his book Atomic Habits talks about the importance of designing an
environment that minimises resistance and how we need to remove friction to make daily
activities and habits simpler. For me this means clearing my desk. If I stop to process each
piece of paper, I will end up going down the procrastination rabbit hole. Instead, I pile it into a
washing basket to address later in the day.
3. Use a timer
I tell myself that I will just do 10 minutes. I then start the timer on my phone and when it goes
off, I tap repeat. The Pomodoro technique is named after a small red tomato shaped timer
used by Italians whilst cooking.
This helps me override my critical brain and once I start, I gain momentum and my
confidence increases.
4. Do a brain dump
Give yourself permission to do it badly. This is why I love a brain dump. You don’t have to
understand it, defended it or keep it. It’s about getting it out of your head and down on paper.
5. Set a deadline
One of the hardest things when you work for yourself is that there is no one to collaborate
with, no one leaning over you waiting for your report and you rarely have a deadline.
Humans thrive on structure, so I set my own deadlines with time blocking and building in
rewards.
7. Reward yourself
‘Doing your tax return is fun!’ Said no one ever. Having been in business for 23 years the
only way I get my BAS done is set a lunch date with a friend, and not that myself go until I
have completed my quarterly tax.
My sons are now in their early 20s. Both have completed university degrees, planned and
executed overseas holidays, applied for jobs, reached for and achieved difficult tasks. I am
in awe of their ability to manage and kick procrastination to the curb.
As for me? I think I will continue to be a high functioning procrastinator, but I am getting
better!
Anyhooo – I have written my weekly newsletter – anyone free for lunch?
- Overcome Procrastination - January 17, 2025
- Feeling Stuck? Get out the Markers and Mind Map it! - November 30, 2024
- Run your Own Race - July 29, 2024