Squashing Procrastination
What makes everyone so good at procrastinating? I consider myself a focussed and productive person, but there are certainly times when I want to get something done, but just can’t seem to do it. I always seem to be able to find some way to not think about the task at hand. In fact, I’m doing it right now. Boy, SNL is awfully distracting.
I have been trying to work on my resume almost all day. I was hoping to work a project for work. I was looking forward to doing some reading for my course on ethics in business. I needed to buy some groceries. I wanted to go surfing; then I wanted to go to the gym. I wanted to go meet a friend at a party down in SDSU. What did I actually accomplish? I have some notes for my resume, but not much considering I’ve been awake for more than 12 hours. It really amazes me, a whole day gone and nothing to show for it.
I know what you’re thinking. Everyone needs a day to relax and just ‘not do anything’ every once in a while. I had a busy week, and I just needed to unwind. You might be right, I did enjoy surfing the internet, watching tv and listening to music. It’s quite possible that being relaxed for an entire day is good for my health, both physical and mental. Then why do I feel so angry with myself for not having any meaningful results to show for my efforts?
I set expectations too high. No, that is not the problem. Unless, I’m feeling overwhelmed by the number of tasks I want to accomplish, and I don’t.
When those days come around that I just can not seem to focus on anything, how do I turn the day around? How can I be focussed and productive on the days when my mind is working against me?
I am going to think about this logically, but I’m always looking for suggestions.
First; remind yourself of your motivation. I need to get my resume done now because I need to apply to jobs. I have enough to write on why that’s a motivation, that I’m going to need to put it into another post. Anyways, if you have no reason to be motivated to achieve your goal, then there really is no reason to be focussed on it.
Second; break each of your goals down into tasks that take no longer than an hour each. This is certainly common sense for most, but it really does help to see your work laid out for you and be able check your progress. It really is confidence boosting and motivating to look at the break down of tasks and check them off as your complete them.
Third; rid yourself of unnecessary distractions. How can you focus when everything around you keeps drawing your attention. Turn of the tv (I wrote an earlier post about how distracting tv is), tell your roommate to stop playing that annoying music (ironic, for those who know me), and don’t sit in front of a window.
Lastly; prepare yourself physically. I find that if I wake up on time, and get moving quickly, it’s much easier for me to steer my thoughts. Getting some exercise first thing in the morning works well too. Try going to the gym before you get to, instead of afterwards.
