Tips for overcoming procrastination

For some time now I have been wanting to write an article about procrastination. Procrastination is the behaviour that we know we should do something, but we intentionally delay the start date. Meanwhile, we feel guilty and stressed about the pending task. For example, many people have downloaded an eBook, but keep postponing to start reading it. What's worse, we can’t find time to read it because we get tied up doing many other maybe less important but easier things. This task has sat on the “to do” list forever.

How can we deal with procrastination? if you search Google, you will find numerous books, articles and methodologies on this topic. The Pomodoro Technique is one of the famous philosophies that assists users to complete a task faster with maximum focus. The idea is that you work consecutively for 25 minutes, which is called a pomodo, named after the Italian word for tomato. Each time you finish a pomodo, you mark an X. Each time you have the impulse to procrastinate, you can switch gears to work on another task each for a 25-minute chunk of time. This technique may work for some people, but the key to utilize this technique lies in the motivation to get people to start to do a task in the first place.

Procrastination is harmful in that we may concentrate only on one thing, however, since we continue to procrastinate, we end up doing a lot of non-essential stuff. As an example, before writing an essay, a student might get engrossed in a video game, feels hungry after the game, has something to eat and then feels sleepy and falls asleep. All designed to avoid starting the essay which will take some concerted effort.

The following tips may work for those who have difficulty getting started on an important task:

1. If the task involves creative thinking, start to think about it in advance and make sure you divide the whole task into different sections. This way it breaks down and makes it easier to begin. For example, instead of thinking the every aspect when you design a web page. You can focus on the page title at one time and the layout at the other time. To some extent, it allows the whole task become more structured and therefore you need less creativity for each piece.

2. Set a deadline and involve a third party to check the result. This creates a sense of urgency. Also, once you have to report the progress to others, in general, you are more committed to the task itself. This technique has widely been used by those who wants to lose weight. They set a deadline, let’s say, lose 10 pounds in three months. They then share the goal with their family members who will keep an eye on their diet, join a gym or hire a personal trainer.

3. Invite other people to help you complete the task if possible. Divide the task into small parts. Each person is in charge of a portion. Teamwork can increase the efficiency if we use it properly. One of my friends wants to refurbish her basement. This topic has been mentioned every time when I met her for almost 6 months now. I suggested her why not you invite your husband and kids, each person takes responsibility for whatever he/she is interested. It’s early April now, her basement transformed into a lovely entertainment room.