Five Procrastination Hacks

(c) 2020 Ann Babiarz and Associates LLC

Are you awesome at creating to-do lists but a miserable failure at attaining them?

Are you avoiding tasks that will move you ahead in your career or business or simply keep your abode nice and tidy?

Are you great at accomplishing everything except what you need to do?

You are likely a procrastinator.  Not to worry as you have lots of company.  And it’s a curable disease.  But if you want to build your business to greater heights of success, take your career to the next level, be the best friend/parent/spouse and yes, simply have a cleaner house, fear not.  I have five tips that can help you discipline the dawdling demon.

1. Trim your tasks.  Are there items on this list that don’t belong or don’t fit as they are set forth?  Consider the three “d”s:
   1. Divide the task into sub-tasks that you can accomplish more easily.  When you are checking off these bit-sized to-dos it motivates you to keep going.
   1. Delegate the task to someone else.  This is especially important if you are an entrepreneur with a growing business.  I’ve been guilty of being a bad delegator as like most businesspersons, I don’t believe anyone can do any job in my business as well as I can.
   1. Delete the task.  Is this really something you need to do?  Does it make you money, make you happy or are you compelled to do it?  If not, why do you want to?
2. Trick your brain.  Post your list somewhere you can see it: your bathroom mirror, the wall across from the couch, by your coffee pot.  When you finish something on your list, erase it or cross it off. 
3. Treat yourself.  Have a reward, even a small one, for completing something.  Watch that short cat video, grab a soda or a glass of wine, or take a ten-minute walk.
4. Track your time.  Look at what you did instead of a task you had planned.  Was it a total bust-out of 2 hours watching blather on TV or surfing social media?
5. Tempt yourself .  .  .  NOT!  The biggest tip here is to complete a task with a digital fast.  Put your phone away, don’t have social media windows open on your computer as you work on it, and turn the TV off – it isn’t simple background noise.

Procrastination is a powerful enemy of progress.  But like many limitations in life, it can be conquered by taking some small steps.  Can you see one or more of these five hacks helping you?