Any habit of mind or body that interferes with taking decisive action contributes to your tendency to procrastinate. Think about your good habits and the environment that leads you to be most productive. Consider your preferred working hours, your optimum concentration periods, and the ways you have been successful in the past. You can begin to build on your good points first by recognizing them and giving yourself credit for them. Then, enhance the skills and techniques you already have with those presented here and beat the specter of procrastination once and for all.
1) Manipulate your environment to your advantage by making your actual work-space fit your ideal as much as you can.
2) Use your best working time to concentrate on the jobs that give you the most difficulty. Set aside a specific period of time for a task and stick to your commitment.
3) Keep track of your time and how you spend it. If it slips by unnoticed, it will usually slip by under-used.
If you can identify your work patterns you will see how procrastination weaves itself into your work-day. Few of us say, "OK, now I am going to procrastinate for forty minutes." Instead, we let procrastination slip in under some other guise. To focus your thoughts on your habits, ask yourself these questions: What are my daily work patterns? (Keep a written record for 3 days, noting activities in fifteen-minute intervals) -- 1) When do I try to tackle tasks that I dislike? 2) When do I socialize or concentrate on "easy-work" instead of undertaking more important tasks? 3) How do I usually handle large, annual projects?
If you can identify your work patterns you will see how procrastination weaves itself into your work-day. Few of us say, "OK, now I am going to procrastinate for forty minutes." Instead, we let procrastination slip in under some other guise. To focus your thoughts on your habits, ask yourself these questions: -- 1) How do I usually handle daily, record-keeping, or follow-up tasks? 2) How do I usually handle the responsibility of communicating sensitive material or bad news? 3) Which of my job's regular requirements do I like least and how do I usually handle them? 4) Which skills that my job requires do I feel I do not have or could improve upon? If I am called upon to use those skills, what do I do?
Once you have a work habit record, take the time to analyze it: When you do so, be thoughtful and honest as you answer the following questions. Remember, you are striving to improve productivity, not to reinforce procrastination.
1) Do I avoid making and refining decisions and thus deny myself the opportunity to apply myself to the goal at hand?
2) Do I take the least active option?
3) Do I allow negative ideas about a task to balloon?
4) Do I fabricate reasons for postponing action?
5) Do I need imposed pressures to finish a task?
Copyright ae schwartz & associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ae schwartz & associates and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: ae schwartz & associates
CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.
monthly home cleaning Buffalo Grove ..Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last... Read More
Let's say that you have a software project that's under... Read More
There is an old way of goal setting and a... Read More
One of the most challenging aspect in life is time... Read More
How do you manage your time? Or is the more... Read More
Clarity brings accomplishmentOne of the most important things you can... Read More
We all get overwhelmed from time to time, and sometimes... Read More
"Slaves to the clock" was the cover story in the... Read More
Goal Planning-Achieving balance in a person's life requires assessment of... Read More
Many people want to be coached to manage their time... Read More
Tring ? Tring the alarm rings?but did you fail to... Read More
One of the most challenging situations people face when planning... Read More
Do your dishes really need to be dried, or could... Read More
It is not enough if you are busy. The question... Read More
"At my back I always hear time's winged chariot hurrying... Read More
Hey - Did someone press the FFW button?Have you ever... Read More
Do you have plenty to do, but don't have enough... Read More
When is the best time to plan your day? Well,... Read More
If I had a dollar or even better a pound... Read More
Time is money in your online business, just as in... Read More
"There is never enough time, unless you're serving it." -Malcolm... Read More
Does it seem like there is never enough time in... Read More
As a business owner, wouldn't it be great if you... Read More
At Home? Keep related items together, for example the coffee... Read More
One question a lot of people ask me recently is:... Read More
scheduled maid service Mundelein ..Many folks tell me that they just don't have time... Read More
All too often we can feel overwhelmed by the amount... Read More
It's always a challenge finding time to clean my house.... Read More
Your productivity depends on good tools and effective environments, and... Read More
Whenever you have projects that can't be done in one... Read More
As I sit here in front of the computer... Read More
A working manager needs more than time management.That old saying,... Read More
In this digital age, the importance of being able to... Read More
Still awaiting the birth of my baby (I am overdue),... Read More
Work life balance is the new Holy Grail; that search... Read More
Number Yourself: Count yourself as an important individual. You are... Read More
And when you finally sat down to eat breakfast, was... Read More
When trying to achieve a quality education, everybody knows that... Read More
Determine Your Procrastination PersonalityBrook Noel is the author of The... Read More
Want to improve your time management?Edward W. Smith, motivational speaker,... Read More
Isn't it amazing that some people can produce huge results... Read More
Are you a worrier? Do you frequently spend time and... Read More
"How do you DO it?!" If I had a dime... Read More
Work brings together people of different characters and behavior, and... Read More
We are constantly inundated with routine (often boring!) tasks around... Read More
A new client recently admitted to me sheepishly that she... Read More
You can lose, damage or waste some things in life,... Read More
Letters, magazines, bills, flyers, what to do with them all.... Read More
One of the most challenging aspect in life is time... Read More
When is the best time to plan your day? Well,... Read More
Time Management |