Article from Time
Management-Solutions
Time
Management and Starting Work Assignments
Probably all of us
have sometimes put off starting a difficult or unpleasant task until later.
This is called procrastination. Beating procrastination is one of the key
elements in keeping your time management efficient. Procrastination is not good
for productivity – work is being left undone – therefore we really want to
overcome it.
Overcome
procrastination by breaking through your mental wall.
A good example of
procrastination: You have five things to do within one day. One of them is
clearly the most difficult task, BUT also the most important one. At the end of
the day, four of your tasks have been done, but you did not touch that
one – the one
which was most important! This is not good from a time management perspective.
Sometimes you might
be beginning to work on a task, but then – not being able to start this special
task off immediately – after a minute you are surfing for some very
important information on
the Internet, getting some more coffee, or doing this month’s (or the previous
month’s) travel expense account. You are letting your imagination run wild in
order to postpone this one task you would not want to start. And that exactly
is what you are battling against: your imagination!
But the consequences
are that your time management is suffering and important tasks are left undone.
Now you might have to re-plan your next day, or continue working until late in
the evening or all through the night. This is inconvenient.
I divide the
techniques to overcome procrastination into the two following categories:
1.
Acute solutions; how do I make myself do the things NOW
2.
Preventive solutions; how can I avoid getting myself into
this kind of ‘being stuck’ -situation in the future?
Here is some more
information about these techniques.
Acute
Solutions for Overcoming Procrastination
When you notice that
you are avoiding doing/starting something, I think the best solution is to simply
start. Start
anywhere! Usually the first steps are the hardest. As long as you get started,
the rule of inertia (Newton’s first law) usually helps you to carry on and
finish your task.
But how do you
actually get started? I have collected some ideas about fast solutions on another page.
When you find the
best and most suitable techniques for you to tackle the occasional difficulties
of starting things, you will get more confidence in your productivity. But the
goal is, however, to minimize getting into situations like this in the first
place. And for this you will need preventive actions.
Preventive
Solutions for Overcoming Procrastination
We all remember those
days, on which your things-to-do-list was long, but you managed to do
everything. You were incredibly productive, you were not afraid to tackle new
or unfamiliar tasks, and solved everything straight away.
You could compare
this to surfing. On a perfect day of productiveness you feel and know you are
at the top of the wave. However, on a bad day when you feel like you are
getting nowhere, you are getting behind your wave, you can’t reach it.
You should aim at
staying on the top of the wave in order to overcome procrastination for good.
I have collected more
ideas about preventive solutions on another page.
As I have stated
before, the perfect time management system is insignificant, if you can’t get
yourself into doing. And the most
essential thing is to tackle difficult things and tasks. You should start on
time. Try to stay on the top of the wave as much as possible!
Procrastination
Reasearch Group at Carleton University is an often quoted authority
on procrastination studies. You might want to have a look there too.
Time Management Solutions – Main Page. Learn different
time management solutions and be more efficient in everything you do. Increase
your personal productivity and discover more free time!
Article from Time
Management-Solutions