4 Ways to Get A Jump on Procrastination - “The First Step Is To Do The First Step”
“Eh, I’ll write an intro later…”
How many times have you said something like this yourself? If you’re like most people, it’s crossed your lips more than once. But how can you get started on something you keep putting off in the first place? Honestly, there are lots of different ways to get over that initial slump - the key is finding a combination that works best for you.
- 1) Start with your favorite tasks first.
This idea is anything but new, yet it’s constructive power is often ignored or misused. Often times, a person will complete the “fun” task, and then take a significant break before attempting to start anything else. This break negates the momentum built up by completing something on the to-do list, and therefore is completely ineffective as a starting method. The best way to use this method is to not stop after finishing the initial job, and instead use that feeling of accomplishment to dive head-on into the rest. That way, since more and more keeps getting done, the energy obtained by achieving something never falls, and you can ride that wave of vigor until your job is done.
- 2) Do things that force yourself into action.
Agree to a deadline. Lock yourself into your office. Give your friend a $10 bill and tell them you can’t have it back until you’re done. Do something so that it’s absolutely impossible to procrastinate.
I’ve recently done this trick to myself. As a musician, I write often in my spare time, but I have a nasty habit of only half-finishing my songs. A friend of mine is going on a tour down the East Coast, and made an announcement saying that he needed a few others to join him. I agreed to do go with him, even though I haven’t got a full set. I knew that before I left, I’d have to finish all my music and have a marketable CD, so I’ve got no choice but to finish all my music.
- 3) Structure your procrastination.
Okay, so you’ve resigned yourself to being a procrastinator. But you’ve got so much to do still, not to mention that daunting project that you can’t seem to start on. What are you to do?
The technique I’m about to describe is called structured procrastination. This is the way I do things myself. The key is to put off the large assignment to appease your procrastinating mindset, but do the smaller, easier tasks beforehand so you have enough time later to do the procrastinated task. I can never seem to get started on large projects until the deadline is a mere day or two away.
However, I noticed that it’s not so much trouble to convince myself to do all the little things that also must be done using the rationale that “I’m doing this so I don’t have to do that!” This mentality goes hand in hand with doing favorite tasks first, but this is more useful when there is more than one thing on your to-do list.
- 4) Just dive right in.
This post’s title says it all - the first step is to do the first step. Figure out what you have to do. Sit down. Do it! There’s really nothing more to it than that.
