Cover the Clock
Most people, more often than we care to admit, don’t need to wear a watch. There are all manner of clocks and timepieces surrounding us. If you’ve got an appointment or if it’s important for you to be someplace in a particular time, sure, wear a watch if it’s convenient. To stay focused on a project, however, it may be prudent to take off your watch and hide the clock. Don’t worry, time will still be there when you put the watch back on.
Assess The Effects on Others
Have you ever considered the anxiety and trepidations of others whose work may be affected by your progress on a given task or project? Or is it always all about you? Let’s not be selfish now. Some enchanted reasoning makes it easier to stay on track when you’re able to relate your responsibilities to the larger question of how it contributes to the progress of your team, division, department, organization, or society in general.
Conversely, procrastination rears its ugly head when it knows you’re working alone, disconnected from others, or unclear about why your work matters.
Make Sure Someone Is Expecting Your Work
Beseech a friend to check the task after it’s completed, and bid him or her to give you a deadline. While you don’t necessarily want to treat personal tasks like assignments, having to report on your progress to someone will increase your odds of starting and finishing a job in a timely manner.
Post Your Problem
Here’s a procrastination-blasting technique that requires only a few minutes to set up and works well for many people. It costs about a dime. When you’ve been postponing a project, such as cleaning out your desk, write the four words “Clean out the Desk” on the pages of several Post it pads and place them throughout your “world”.
Ignore your Age
Whether you’re twenty or sixty years old, or somewhere in between, anytime is a good time to get started on what you seek to accomplish.
Samantha Johnson is the marketing manager and co-writer for BusinessSummaries.com.