Squash Procrastination

It has been said that procrastination is the number one killer of dreams. If you dream a dream and make a plan, but fail to follow through with your plan, then your dream is made of stone.

Procrastination is something that can easily be conquered. You have to be willing to throw away some of your bad habits, though, and replace them with some better ones. Following are four tried and proven tips that will help you squash procrastination once and for all.

Tip #1: Plan your week in advance. One of the easiest things you can do to prevent yourself from squandering away all your time is to plan in advance. Before the start of your week, sit down with a calendar and/or a notepad. Think about what you would like to accomplish this week. Make a note of everything you can think of, then prioritize them. Divide your total tasks by five (or how many ever days you plan on working this week) and insert them into your calendar. This could take as little as 10-20 minutes, or as long as an hour or two. Don’t rush the process. Knowing what you need to accomplish each day of the week will help prevent you from losing focus.

Tip #2: Create a daily routine. I believe that routines are just about as important as planning ahead. When you create a daily routine, or ritual, it becomes almost like a habit, only better. It’s almost as if your mind and body already know you are going to do it, so there is no question as to whether or not you will. You just do. If you know there are certain things you must do before you can start your day, then simply work that into your daily routine. It should not be on your task list, but rather something you do without even thinking about.

Tip #3: Review your big goals often. In addition to your daily goals, you should have some larger goals that you are working towards. For example, if you are a writer and you have a great idea for a new book, your first main goal might be to write the first draft of your book. In order to do that, you need to draft an outline, do some research, and conduct interviews (if it is a non-fiction book). If you find yourself getting lost in this process, then it would be wise to consult your main goal again. Remind yourself of what you want (to write a book), why you want it (you have something important to share on the topic), and how you will get it (writing daily).

Tip #4: Don’t allow any room for laziness or diversion. At the root of procrastination lies laziness. You don’t want to do what you know needs to be done. So you go do other things to divert your attention from the real task at hand. Or better yet, you just go totally hog-lazy and don’t do anything at all. Laziness and diversion are your enemy. The second you feel yourself wanting to divert to something else or veg out in front of the TV to watch your favorite show, revisit the three other tips above. Then get moving!