Home
>
Time Management
>
Ending Procrastination: A New Look at the Old Demon

Ending Procrastination: A New Look at the Old Demon

Do you believe that the best way to deal with procrastination is to "get tough" with yourself and "just do it?" Many people take this approach. What's behind it is the sense that procrastination is essentially a character flaw, a weakness, and that the only way to deal with it is to muscle past it through sheer will. But the truth is, there's a more effective way to approach it that also happens to be much more self- respectful.

Essentially, the idea is to identify what's MOTIVATING the procrastination behavior, consider it valid, and then address THAT. For example, you may be putting off doing something because you actually don't know how to do it. The way to solve that would be to get some help. Or, perhaps you're avoiding making a particular phone call because you are afraid of the outcome. One way to address the fear is to schedule a call with someone you trust before and after the fear-inducing call, in order to have support before and after the difficult encounter.

Get the idea? Give up the character flaw idea, and look for what's really underlying the procrastination. Once you know what that is, you can usually figure out a way to deal with it, get unstuck, and get moving again.

What follows are real life examples of how two of my clients solved the problems underlying their procrastination:

PROCRASTINATION: I'm not writing the letter.
PROBLEM: I want the letter to be brilliant and creative but don't feel brilliant and creative about it.
SOLUTION: "I realized it was more important for the letter to be OUT than to be brilliant. Once I decided I could write a less-than-spectacular letter, it became much easier to just sit down and do it."
CONCEPT: Don't get it right, get it written. "Expedient" is not a dirty word. Sometimes, it serves you better to have the B+ letter out in the world already, being read, than to have the A+ letter still sitting in your word processor, unfinished, and nagging at you.

PROCRASTINATION: I'm not unpacking the boxes in my new office.
PROBLEM: Boring!!
SOLUTION: "I hired my [young] daughter to unpack the boxes, shelve the books (I had to tell her where), and dismantle the boxes. She was happy to do the work and earn a little money, and she thought it was cool to help me. I was happy because we got to spend that time together AND . . . the job got done."
CONCEPT: Delegate! If a task seems boring, it's often a good clue that this is a job to delegate. You may need to supervise or train someone to do it, but there is likely to be someone for whom the job would be a plus. Find that person and work out a deal. Delegation arrangements can be paid or bartered in infinite creative ways. Don't be stopped by failure of the imagination.

Here are the steps that you can take when tackling a procrastination. Please note that each step is important. Don't under-respect any of the steps just because you think you already know how to do them. And don't underestimate how long it may take you to master some of these steps. Some people, for example, find it takes a very long time to learn how to stop judging themselves.

Recognize when you are procrastinating.

Notice if you are judging yourself for procrastinating.

If you are judging yourself, stop. If you're not judging yourself, acknowledge yourself for that.

Identify what's motivating the procrastination.

Solve the problem that's underlying (motivating) the procrastination.

Take the action that you no longer need to procrastinate.

Say this to yourself: "Well done!"

Good luck ? and let me know how this works for you!

Sharon Teitelbaum is a Work-Life and Career Coach who works with high achieving women with young children, people at mid-career, and professionals seeking greater career satisfaction or work-life balance. Her book, Getting Unstuck Without Coming Unglued: Restoring Work-Life Balance, is available at her website, http://www.stcoach.com.

Certified as a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), Sharon works by phone with clients around the world and in-person in Boston.

She delivers keynotes and workshops on work-life balance issues, has been in national publications including The New York Times and Working Mother Magazine, and has appeared on cable and network television. She publishes http://www.stcoach.com, a newsletter offering practical tips for work-life success.

Sharon has been married for 30 years and is the mother of two amazing young women. You can contact her http://www.stcoach.com.

elite cleaning services Mundelein ..

In The News:

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Ending Procrastination: A New Look at the Old Demon

Time Management