---

Guest post by: Chantal Beaupre Become an Author

Tweet

---

---

Did you ever feel like you wanted to join the Procrastinator’s Club, but never quite got around to it? At some point in time, procrastination plagues us all, some more than others, but everyone at some point gets a bite from the bug.

We’ve all heard the quote,“Why put off till tomorrow what you can do today?”For some of us, this is the only motivation we really need –while others struggle with putting things off for weeks, months, or even years.

Procrastination doesn’t have to be a way of life for you; you can overcome it. With a little focus and a rational, self-helping attitude, coupled with some practical tips and techniques, procrastination can be a thing of the past.

Here are five strategies you can use today to help you bite the procrastination bug back:

1. Set small goals.Many times, we feel overwhelmed with a task, so we continue to put it off until we have no choice but to complete it.

Now throw on all the new projects we received while we were putting off the first project, and we have a prime equation for some serious procrastination.

Setting small, quickly achievable goals can help you avoid procrastinating in the first place so you don’t get overwhelmed. Here are some tips for setting those small goals:

• Break your big project up into smaller steps. These steps can be completed systematically one at a time. Make sure you have well-defined end points for each smaller goal; that way you have something to keep you going.
• Setting small goals most likely provides you with a feeling of accomplishment as they’re attained. With each individual success, you feel better about what you were able to achieve, and this helps to motivate you to continue.
• Giving yourself break points allows you to focus on each individual task and helps taking the overwhelming feeling out of the job. In addition, they give you a prime place to get up, move around, and refresh yourself for the next step.

2. Avoid distractions.We all do it. We sit down to start working, but have to get back up and grab some coffee. Then we sit back down and check email, then voice mail, and then email again just to make sure no one sent a message while we were checking the voice mail. How long did that take?

Try checking your email only twice a day instead of every five minutes. You most definitely want to give yourself some time to focus!

Get everything you want, need, or think you might need before you sit down to start working so you can concentrate.

3. Delegate.Start giving some of your responsibilities to others instead of hogging them for yourself and creating more anxiety in the process. Anxiety leads to procrastination, procrastination leads to tight deadlines, and tight deadlines most often lead to more anxiety; it’s a vicious cycle.

4. Keep a list.A constant reminder of the things you really want to do is a great way to avoid procrastination. A small pocket notebook or even a note card works wonders for list keeping.

Keeping a list puts your daily to-dos in front of you at all times for quick reference.

Include your small goals on your list. Get started early each day completing those small, easy goals. Doesn’t it feel great to scratch through the things you’ve completed? Before you know it, the whole list is marked off!

5. Turn it off.When you’re done for the day, shut down everything work related. Don’t take it home if you can help it. Turn your brain off at the end of your workday. By giving your brain a break, you help avoid over exhaustion and keep your mind fresh for the next day.

Spend some time doing the things you love to recharge your batteries for the next day.

Pick one or two of these techniques and try them out for three weeks. Studies have shown it takes 21 days to form a habit and if you truly want to beat procrastination, you have to make productivity a habit.

When you’ve made a habit of one of the strategies, pick out another one, and before you know it, you’ll be the personification of productive!

Related Articles

  Pushing Past Procrastination - The Revelation
  Marketing strategies: Procrastination and the Fear of Failure
  Successful People Beat Procrastination
  Put Your Procrastination COWS Out To Pasture!
  Self-Coaching Tip: Find the Guidance in Your Procrastination
  How to beat procrastination
  Structured Procrastination
  Break Free from the Chains of Procrastination with Rational Self-Talk
  7 Quick & Easy Ways to Avoid Procrastination
  8 Ways of Looking at Procrastination and How to Avoid it
  Procrastination - How to End the Cycle
  Developing Systems to Permanently End Procrastination
  Anger Solutions at Work - The Psychology of Procrastination
  Say Goodbye to Procrastination Once and For All, And Build Your Business
  Is Your Procrastination Hindering You In Your Internet Marketing Business Opportunity?
  Procrastination: Productivity Paralyzer or Power House?
  How To Overcome Procrastination
  7 Reasons Why People Procrastinate
  3 Easy Tips To Stop Procrastinating And Launch Your Marketing Strategy
  The P Word

Referred by: http://www.YourGuidanceOnDemand.com

Related Forum Posts

Re: Start Today!
Re: What is your biggest challenge? Today?
Re: Your life does not get better by chance, it gets better by c

Share this article. Fund someone's dream.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

SELF WORTH: ARE YOU WORTHY?

Tips for the Novice Traveler

SEO and the Entrepreneur

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.