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| Project Management: Tips for Taming That Procrastination Habit |
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| By Lee Silber |
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| If you're like most people facing a daunting project, one of the
roadblocks to getting organized isn't so much the organizing process
itself, but rather a habit of procrastinating over things you know
you have to do but wish you didn't. Lee Silber, author of Time Management
for the Creative Person (Three Rivers Press, 1998), finds that trying
some of the tips he recommends below can help start you on the right
path to getting things done without all the energy you might otherwise
spend avoiding having to do it. |
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| First, he recommends jumping in anywhere on the project and not
just in order starting with the very beginning. If you feel like
doing one part over another, go ahead and try that. At least you'll
be making progress rather than not having started at all. |
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| If you feel stuck at any point, try doing something else. Or even
go for a quick walk or drive if you can, to stimulate ideas. |
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| Second, he advises to "do it quick and dirty". If you're
a perfectionist, that need you feel to have to do things perfectly
all the time, especially on the first round, can be the biggest
challenge of all, and a prime reason for a procrastination habit.
The way past this is to allow yourself permission to create an imperfect
first draft, telling yourself that this is merely a starting place
- the raw material - which you can edit and build upon later. That
way, you can reassure that perfectionist urge inside that it will
still have the chance to make the project your best work. This raw
material is simply a normal first step. Plus, by starting things
this way, you may actually find yourself coming up with better creative
solutions for your project because you now have something to critique
and improve upon, something that stimulates more ideas. |
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| Third, although this contradicts the first suggestion above, it's
sometimes helpful to just grit your teeth and do the worst part
of a project first. That way, you use your best energy where it's
really needed. And this way, you're coasting downhill once you get
past the hard part. If you feel like this is the right way to get
the job done, a great way you can psyche yourself up for the challenge
is to take every thought, worry or pressure out of your mind, and
tell yourself that all you're responsible for accomplishing in your
entire life right now is just this particular task. Then just go
about it step by step. There's an old expression that asks, "How
do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." |
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| So what if you're so daunted, you feel like you can't lift a finger
to begin? Just do anything that starts your project, Silber advises.
Even if that means taking out some paper, folders or other supplies
you'll need for the job. Anything that builds momentum in the direction
of accomplishing your goal is a positive step. Also, positive things
then tend to snowball because once you do this simple step, you
feel more confident to take another baby step. Before you know it,
you feel as if you've accomplished a little, and you want more of
that feeling. |
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| Lastly, Silber suggest rewarding your self for starting/finishing
a project with some kind of treat, such a movie, ice cream, a new
book perhaps. Just some kind of indulgence. |
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