10. Make a financial commitment. Not for everyone this strategy but for some, it works well. Many people sign up with my trainers and pay thousands of dollars in advance because they know that commitment will (hopefully) keep them doing what they need to do. People always say to me, "if I pay for it up front, I'll do it." Committing our hard-earned is often a great way to keep ourselves focused.
11. Stop looking for easy and start doing effective. Without doubt, we are the quick-fix generation. We don't like hard work. We like quick, easy, convenient and painless. Some of us never start because we're lazy and have an aversion to anything that looks like hard work.
12. Think less, do more. Sometimes we think ourselves in to analysis paralysis; we think about things so much that we actually do nothing. Thinking and planning is great but not when it's all we do. This is not to suggest that we should act without thinking but rather, not to over-think. Sometimes we know what we need to do and no matter how many times we analyse and re-analyse the situation, we come up with the same answer. Take the step, dude.
Well, there you have it; twelve suggestions to help you move from procrastination to productivity.
So, if you've been a career procrastinator, why don't you make a commitment to address that issue/situation right now? Why don't you share with me (and maybe a few thousand others) what you are going to change in your life and I'll encourage you and kick you in the butt. You can be as specific or as general as you like.
We'll all keep you honest and you can check in periodically and provide us with a progress report. Welcome to 'group'.
Imagine having thousands of accountability partners! What more could you want?
Article comments
1 - JC Mosquito
I saw a T-shirt the other day that read:
TOP TEN REASONS TO PROCRASTINATE:
1.
2 - duane
This list does not help me. My situation is
3 - STM
Well, I meant to comment earlier, but just didn't get around to it. Now that I have, I just can't think of anything to say.
I'll probably come back later ...
4 - Dr Dreadful
Predictably, a spate of procrastination jokes to open the thread.
Craig singles out TV as the thief of time. But how about (ironically) commenting on Blogcritics...?
5 - STM
Got it.
I think.
I don't see how watching TV constitutes a theft of time, especially if it involves sport, and especially if it involves Australian sport.
Work can wait, the Wallabies/cricket/League/Super14/AFL can't. TVs don't record, unless you pay Foxtel an astronomic fee. Come on Craig, get fair dinkum. There's procrastination, and then there's other stuff that's equally important, like chillin' out in front of the idiot box watching people throw and boot a bag of wind up the field whilst bumping into each other with considerable force.
One is only time poor if one considers the things one does in the usual course of a day to be not that important. And I say too, why put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after.
6 - slug
Great article! Thank you
7 - Sonny D
This is a true story. I bought a book from a book club on how to stop procrastinating. Then I started getting notices that I hadn't paid for the book yet. If they were going to sell that book, what did they expect?