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Why do we procrastinate?
And – What can we do about it?
The goal of improving our time management skills is to get more
things done, and to be more efficient. Having a look at
procrastination is a must as this slows us down and creates
unnecessary stress. Below are some main reasons that we
procrastinate. Are any of these true for you?
Being overloaded and overwhelmed – do one thing at a time
When we have too much going on in our lives, or too much to do
then we tend to put things off as it all becomes too much.
What can you do? Check that your tasks and projects you defined
are realistic and narrow these down into smaller more concrete
steps. Tell yourself I will do one thing at a time, finish this
and then move on to the next step.
Clear some clutter at the office or at home. Tidying up and
getting rid of things we don’t need or use can clear the way
for us too.
Fear of Failure – wanting things to be perfect and never
finishing – set a time limit
When you get stuck in too much detail and find yourself
spending vast amounts of time on one thing in fear of looking
bad or it not being good enough notice this. It’s important to
take a look at the whole picture and zoom out.
Indecision –have faith that whatever you decide will be ok,
just decide
When we have a decision to make and don’t know what to decide
then we put things off. This can be very stressful. See who can
help you, perhaps get some more information and then make the
decision. The stress of not moving forward is much worse than
the chance of making the wrong decision.
Lack of knowhow – get some help
I have found that when a client does not have the knowledge of
how to do something they put it off. When defining a task, ask
yourself what is the next step I need to do and then see if you
require help or knowledge around this.
Poor time management – set more time for a task
When we don’t set enough time for the things we need to
accomplish then we may tend to start and not finish them as
more important things arise. Goal setting and the tasks that go
with these should be realistic.
How to NOT drown in your
email?
Samantha
Amit, 7/1/2010
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