Personal Development Academy: time management

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Showing posts with label time management. Show all posts
Showing posts with label time management. Show all posts

Tuesday, 27 March 2018

Thinking Positive and Self-Confidence

March 27, 2018 0

Self-confidence is an important key to success. It is also one of the major bases of a person's existence and self respect in the society. To become successful you must always adopt a positive attitude. To develop a positive attitude, you must lead an honest and truthful life as well.

Important Tips To Increase Your Self-Confidence:

First of all, shortlist and note down all your fears and weaknesses. Then only you can work out and take appropriate steps to tackle them.
Think Positive, Act Positive and Keep Smiling. This will greatly enhance your personality. Gradually, you will begin meeting new people with the same positive attitude. With increased good energy flowing all around, your self-confidence is bound to increase on its own.
Always remain active and alert in your activities. Gradually, you will start feeling a gush of self-confidence increasing inside you.
Keep yourself updated with the latest happenings, especially which is directly connected with your studies. It could be through the internet, newspapers, different TV channels or maybe through friends and seniors.
All wise, learned and successful people are generally self confident. They always talk very politely, patiently and are good listeners. Start developing such good habits slow and steadily.
Increase your capabilities, though slowly by taking small steps in the beginning so that you can yourself analyse and evaluate your progress. In this way, you will also be able to initiate corrective measures immediately, and avoid any kind of displeasure or discouragement later.
Brisk walking, moderate exercising or aerobics on alternate days or weekends will help you to keep yourself physically and mentally fit. You may choose between the morning and evening timings as per your convenience.
Develop good and friendly contacts with people who are already successful and well respected in the society. Appreciate their hard work, dedication and success wholeheartedly. These are generally nice and humble people. They will guide you and provide all the necessary help to achieve your goals.
Pending works confuse the mind and reduce a lot of self-confidence. Kindly avoid all delays in your works and try to finish them as soon as possible.
Always keep yourself engaged in something or the other. Never ever sit idle or waste your time, efforts and resources in useless activities. All the time that is used constructively encourages and motivates you. Indirectly and gradually, it further increase your courage and self-confidence.
Being good at work is one of the important ingredients of your self-confidence. For this, always keep in mind and give due consideration to all the points, big and small, in any given assignment.
Keep your focus more on self-improvement and developing your abilities instead of getting entangled in problems, worries or tensions coming your way.
Set your goals and targets, somewhat smaller and medium, according to your own capabilities which should seem to be achievable. They should not be according to other people's plans and goals or compete with them in any way.
Be YOURSELF always. You are better than hundreds and thousands of people out there. Each and every person is born unique and has certain qualities of their own which are quite different from others. So, stop comparing yourself with others to avoid developing any kind of inferiority complex. Instead, focus on your strengths and talents, and start improving hour weaknesses. Soon, you would be at par with the most talented, successful and confident people in this world.
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Thursday, 22 February 2018

7 Big Rocks | Productivity | BigRocks | Time Management | You can design...

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What Do Time and Rivers Have in Common?

February 22, 2018 0

Flow is what time and rivers have in common.

Flow has such a gentle, inviting sound, doesn't it? It's always there and it's something you relax into. You can count on flow.

When you let go and relax into it, the flow will carry you.

So why do we struggle so with flow -- most especially when it comes to time?

Flow can't be forced.

The following passage from the Talmud is one that has always fascinated me. 

Who forces time is pushed back by time; who yields to time finds time on his side. 

I find this passage particularly interesting given the emphasis on efficiency and productivity in our 24/7, always plugged-in, always busy world.

So, what do you make of it?

For one thing, I'd say that this snippet clarifies the power dynamic between time and humankind. No matter what we do, time flows. Fighting it really offers no hope of success.

Watching the River

If you think of time as a river, the metaphor from the Talmud is clearer. A river is a steady and powerful force. You hardly notice the current most days, but it' there, moving all the time.

And trying to push back against a river is futile. The flow of the river's water simply carries everything along with it.

It's the same with time.

Time and the River

Living in time, we are always in that flow. There is no denying or escaping that fact.

The clock ticks, the calendar pages turn, time moves constantly. And that flow will carry us if we relax and let it.

But what if we don't want to be carried?

Fighting the flow...

Have you ever tried to stand up and hold your footing in a flood cresting river? Your feet slip as the deluge pushes your body back with all the power and weight of the river.

You might be able to hold your own momentarily - but eventually, inevitably, the effort will exhaust you and you'll be swept along, seemingly even faster than before.

Time and the river - these are just not things that you can force.

Going with the flow...

Meanwhile, imagine yourself floating on a tube down a river on a warm, sunny, late summer afternoon. The water is moving along slowly and you're moving along with it, enjoying the scenery.

What a different feeling that is. Rather than fighting the river, you use its power, letting it carry you effortlessly.

Does this metaphor resonate for you? Try not fighting time today.

So, try not fighting time today. Let it carry you, as you plan your day, prioritize, make time choices, and appreciate each moment.

Let's explore time together...
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Thursday, 1 February 2018

February 01, 2018 0

The Ultimate Time Management Principle


 "Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least." - Johann Wolfgang Goethe
We all have the same 24 hours in everyday, and the difference that makes the difference for each of us is how we choose to fill them. The most productive people I have ever met have not necessarily been harder working than everyone else; they just have a skill for appropriately focusing their efforts according to the time they have at their disposal.
The problem with most time management systems is that they are more concerned with generating maximum activity than they are about achieving actual objectives.
A classic example of this is the humble daily To Do list, where we jot down all the tasks that we believe need to be done that day and then re-arrange them so that they are presented in a logical sequence; the order in which we plan to tackle them. A popular approach is to get the quick and easy tasks done first so that we'll be less distracted when it comes to doing the meaty challenging jobs at the bottom of the list.
Sometimes this works fine, but more often than not we get so caught up in the little tasks (and all the other distractions that inevitably turn up, and were not on the list in the first pace) that we find ourselves under real pressure by the time we get to the bigger ones.
So, we might think that the obvious solution is to prioritise the big jobs first so that we can be confident that they will get done, and then rattle through the little ones with the time that is left.
Again, sometime this can work fine, but all too often little jobs left undone have a habit of turning into bigger problems further down the line. The fact is, no matter which way you slice it, prioritising volumes of activity against available time does not guarantee successful outcomes.
One of the "7 Habits of Highly Effective People" - the work of Dr Stephen Covey - is the habit of 'Putting First Things First'. This means in order to know how you need to be spending your time you must first know the reason you are engaging in any activity in the first place.
An employee of any organisation is not paid simply to produce reports, move widgets or go to meetings. Every employee must be absolutely clear how their being there is helping that company achieve its overall mission and objectives.
The same can be said of people in general. It is usually true to say that the reason we go to work, build homes, raise families, support charities, join groups, is not just to fill the time until we leave this mortal coil. It is because we are driven by desires to make meaningful differences in the World (even if we're not always consciously aware of what that means!). We don't just go to work for going to work's sake. We go to work because it contributes to the wider, more important story of our life.
If what you spend most of your time doing is not actually aligned to some bigger purpose or moving your towards your goal, then the obvious question has to be asked - why are you doing so much of it?
Dr. Covey introduces a fantastic prioritisation tool that I have found indispensable in just about every area of my own life. Rather than launching into a flurry of activity in the hope it can all get done within a limited timeframe, the first thing to consider is the urgency of a task versus its importance.
As a simplistic measure of how I gauge this is:
Urgent = Bad things happen if I don't do it
Important = Good things happen if I do
Imagine a large square that has been equally divided into four smaller quadrants, each of them represents one of the combinations of urgency versus importance.

1, Urgent and Important

Otherwise known as crisis! It has to be addressed right now or there will be serious consequences. Being a frequent visitor to Quadrant 1 takes up A LOT of energy.
* Unpaid bills
* Angry customers (or spouses!!)
* Health problems
* Pressing deadlines
* Fire fighting

2, Not Urgent, but Important -

These are tasks that contribute to your mission, roles and goals. They don't necessarily have to be done now, but if they spend too long untouched in Quadrant 2 they can end up in Quadrant 1!!
* Learning new skills / knowledge
* Looking after your wellbeing
* Objective and goals setting
* Improving processes
* Nurturing Relationships

3, Urgent, but not Important -

Lovingly referred to as 'other people's problems'!! Of course, we want to be able to help other people because the outcome of these activities is important to them, but when we spend too much time in Quadrant 3, the things are important to us, personally, get left out in the rain.
* Ringing Phone
* Interruptions
* Non-productive meetings
* Request from others

4, Not Urgent and Not Important -

AKA 'wasting time'. There is a time and a place to waste time. At the end of a hectic day it can be just what the doctor ordered to put your feet up, turn your head off and watch some mindless TV. But if this becomes more of a habit than a meaningful use of downtime, then your life direction begins to suffer.
* Trivia
* Gossip
* Excessive TV
* Time wasters
* Re-arranging your desk for the 20th time this morning!
Dr. Covey poses the question, what one activity are you convinced that, if you were to start doing superbly and consistently well on a regular basis, would bring you significant positive rewards in your life? (Perhaps it's more dedicated quality time with loved ones, or going to the gym, or sitting down and planning for the future). Then decide which quadrant that activity sits in.
The answer is always Quadrant 2 - "Not Urgent, but Important". It has to be important if it would give you such positive rewards, and it is obviously not urgent, otherwise you would already be doing more of it!
People who spend as much time as they can in Quadrant 2 find that there is hardly ever a need to visit Quadrant 1, because they work on important issues before they become problems. But the reason so few people actually spend enough time engaging in Quadrant 2 activities is because, unlike the other quadrants, there is no built-in mechanism to say when they actually need to be done.
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Homework
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Take some time and decide on at least three Quadrant 2 activities that would immediately enrich your life in ways that are meaningful to you. Then schedule appointments in your diary for each of those activities to take place over the coming week. Stick to those appointments as if it is crucial for you to show up and do them. If something or someone tries to elbow their way into that time slot, politely refuse and say you're already booked up. And most importantly, enjoy yourself;o)


Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3590632
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Tuesday, 23 January 2018

GREATEST SPEECH EVER - Gary Vaynerchuk on Millennials and Procrastinatio...

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Monday, 15 January 2018

Can Do Attitude

January 15, 2018 0

Never Let What You Can't Do Interfere With What You Can Do


It's it difficult to keep our focus. I think it has something to do with things or events that we allow into our lives to distract us. Not all of these things are bad in nature, but they become a problem when we allow them to distract us from viewing at life.
There are various things that competes with our time. The moment we allow them to take too much; we lose our focus. We don't have to cut these distractions out entirely, we just need to keep them in check.
No one can serve two masters at the same because the tendency is either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. Do one thing at a time and try to manage your time efficiently.
We should not dwell on regrets. It's important to understand that it's normal to commit mistakes and failures. What's important is how we learn from them. Stop looking back, forgive and forget and then compile all those lessons you've learned to move on with life. Never let regrets or disappointments distract you from reaching your dreams and aspirations in life.
Becoming complacent is also important in doing what you want. It's one thing to experience happiness and be content with yourself but never let yourself get so comfortable that you're no longer hungry for change. You don't need to change anything especially in your personality. Do not do something just to please others. Make sure that it makes you feel good and secure. I am sure, you would already be wildly successful.
What you're doing today can always be improved on and enhanced if you allow yourself a room for improvement. But still do it for yourself not for others. Keep your drive strong. You can always afford to learn something new from your everyday experience and even from the people that surrounds you. They might criticize you but in the end, you alone, can decide for yourself. Don't allow their words to affect you. Never let anyone define who you are.
Though, I am willing to bet that there's at least one part of your life you'd like to change or improve, but you might not know how. Maybe you know what to do but don't have the energy or motivation to even start. Just be open for change.
Don't let what you can't do interfere what you can do. Those things are just one per cent of your total being. You can learn from those negative comments and do better as long as you are willing to give a try. In other words, we don't get a choice about living our lives if we allow our circumstance to affect us.
Bottom line is the fact that we need to know what matters most to each of us.
Most of us live in a life defined by other people who believe we need to know or who we need to be. But honestly, what we do is nobody's business. It is ours alone to make.





Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/9774744
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Monday, 8 January 2018

Oprah's POWERFUL Secret to SUCCESS Using The Law Of Attraction - Oprah W...

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Friday, 8 December 2017

The Power of Doing

December 08, 2017 0

Overcoming Procrastination


Procrastination, the habit of putting tasks off to the last possible minute, can be a major problem in both your career and your personal life. Side effects include missed opportunities, frenzied work hours, stress, overwhelm, resentment, and guilt. This article will explore the root causes of procrastination and give you several practical tools to overcome it.


The behavior pattern of procrastination can be triggered in many different ways, so you won’t always procrastinate for the same reason. Sometimes you’ll procrastinate because you’re overwhelmed with too much on your plate, and procrastination gives you an escape. Other times you’ll feel tired and lazy, and you just can’t get going.

Let’s now address these various causes of procrastination and consider intelligent ways to respond.

1. Stress


When you feel stressed, worried, or anxious, it’s hard to work productively. In certain situations procrastination works as a coping mechanism to keep your stress levels under control. A wise solution is to reduce the amount of stress in your life when possible, such that you can spend more time working because you want to, not because you have to. One of the simplest ways to reduce stress is to take more time for play.


In his book The Now Habit, Dr. Neil Fiore suggests that making time for guaranteed fun can be an effective way to overcome procrastination. Decide in advance what blocks of time you’ll allocate each week to family time, entertainment, exercise, social activities, and personal hobbies. Then schedule your work hours using whatever time is left. This can reduce the urge to procrastinate because you work will not encroach on your leisure time, so you don’t have to procrastinate on work in order to relax and enjoy life. I caution against overusing this strategy, however, as your work should normally be enjoyable enough that you’re motivated to do it. If you aren’t inspired by your daily work, admit that you made a mistake in choosing the wrong career path; then seek out a new direction that does inspire you.

Benjamin Franklin advised that the optimal strategy for high productivity is to split your days into one third work, one third play, and one third rest. Once again the suggestion is to guarantee your leisure time. Hold your work time and your play time as equally important, so one doesn’t encroach upon the other.

I’m most productive when I take abundant time for play. This helps me burn off excess stress and enjoy life more, and my work life is better when I’m happier. I also create a relaxed office environment that reduces stress levels. My office includes healthy plants, a fountain, and several scented candles. I often listen to relaxing music while I work. Despite all the tech equipment, my office has a very relaxed feel to it. Because I enjoy being there, I can work a full day without feeling overly stressed or anxious, even when I have a lot to do. For additional tips to make your work environment more peaceful and relaxing, read the article 10 Ways to Relaxify Your Workspace.

2. Overwhelm


Sometimes you may have more items on your to-do list than you can reasonably complete. This can quickly lead to overwhelm, and ironically you may be more likely to procrastinate when you can least afford it. Think of it as your brain refusing to cooperate with a schedule that you know is unreasonable. In this case the message is that you need to stop, reassess your true priorities, and simplify.

Options for reducing schedule overwhelm include elimination, delegation, and negotiation. First, review your to-dos and cut as much as you can. Cut everything that isn’t truly important. This should be a no-brainer, but it’s amazing how poorly people actually implement it. People cut things like exercise while leaving plenty of time for TV, even though exercise invigorates them and TV drains them. When you cut items, be honest about removing the most worthless ones first, and retain those that provide real value. Secondly, delegate tasks to others as much as possible. Ask for extra help if necessary. And thirdly, negotiate with others to free up more time for what’s really important. If you happen to have a job that overloads you with more work than you feel is reasonable, it’s up to you to decide if it’s worthwhile to continue in that situation. Personally I wouldn’t tolerate a job that pushed me to overwork myself to the point of feeling overwhelmed; that’s counterproductive for both the employer and the employee.

Be aware that the peak performers in any field tend to take more vacation time and work shorter hours than the workaholics. Peak performers get more done in less time by keeping themselves fresh, relaxed, and creative. By treating your working time as a scarce resource rather than an uncontrollable monster that can gobble up every other area of your life, you’ll be more balanced, focused, and effective.

It’s been shown that the optimal work week for most people is 40-45 hours. Working longer hours than this actually has such an adverse effect on productivity and motivation that less real work gets done. This is especially true for creative, information age work.

Don’t just take my word for it though; test this concept for yourself. Many years ago I ran a simple experiment to determine how efficiently I was working. I measured my efficiency ratio as the number of hours I spent doing important work divided by the number of hours I spent in my office each week. The first time I did this I was shocked to find that I only got 15 hours of real work done while spending 60 hours in my office, an efficiency ratio of 25%. Can you believe that? Over the following weeks, I increased my productivity dramatically while spending far fewer hours in my office. By limiting my work hours, I actually got more done. You can read the details in the article Triple Your Personal Productivity. I now know that working long hours is huge mistake, and I challenge you to discover this truth for yourself.

3. Laziness


Often we procrastinate because we feel too physically and/or emotionally drained to work. Once we fall into this pattern, it’s easy to get stuck due to inertia because an object at rest tends to remain at rest. When you feel lazy, even simple tasks seem like too much work because your energy is too low compared to the energy required by the task. If you blame the task for being too difficult or tedious, you’ll procrastinate to conserve energy. But the longer you do this, the more your resolve will weaken, and your procrastination habit may begin spiraling toward depression. Feeling weak and unmotivated shouldn’t be your norm, so it’s important to disrupt this pattern as soon as you become aware of it.

The solution is straightforward: get off your butt and physically move your body. Exercise helps to raise your energy levels. When your energy is high, tasks will seem to get easier, and you’ll be less resistant to taking action. A fit person can handle more activity than an unfit person, even though the difficulty of the tasks remains the same.

Through trial and error, I discovered that diet and exercise are critical in keeping my energy consistently high. I went vegetarian in 1993 and vegan in 1997, and these dietary improvements gave me a significant ongoing energy boost. When I exercise regularly, my metabolism stays high throughout the day. I rarely procrastinate due to laziness because I have the energy and mental clarity to tackle whatever comes my way. Tasks seem easier to complete than they did when my diet and exercise habits were poor. The tasks are the same, but I’ve grown stronger. A wonderful side benefit of the diet/exercise habit is that I was able to get by with less sleep. I used to need at least 8-9 hours of sleep per night to feel rested, but now I function well on about 6.5 hours.

The most energizing foods are raw fruits and vegetables. Make your diet abundant in these foods, and you’ll likely see a marked improvement in your energy levels. The first week or two, however, you may temporarily feel worse as your body takes the opportunity to detox. Erin and I each lost seven pounds the first week we went vegan. Once the dairy clog finally got cleaned out, our intestines were better able to metabolize everything we ate from then on. We later learned that this is actually quite common. There’s a good reason baby cows need four stomachs to digest their mother’s milk. Human beings can’t metabolize dairy products properly, so the partially digested cow proteins float through the bloodstream and must be eliminated as toxins (i.e. poisons). This requires even more energy, which can leave you feeling more tired than you otherwise would.

You’ll have to decide for yourself how far you want to take this. I suggest you try different dietary changes for only 30 days at first to see how it affects you. That’s how I went vegetarian and later vegan. In each case I went into the challenge fully expecting to revert back at the end of the 30 days, but I liked the results so much that I couldn’t fathom going back. Don’t take my word for this. Experiment for yourself, and discover what health habits work best for you. For more tips see the article How to Find the Best Diet for You.

4. Lack of Motivation


We all experience temporary laziness at times, but if you suffer from chronically low motivation and just can’t seem to get anything going, then it’s time for you to let go of immature thought patterns, to embrace life as a mature adult, and to discover your true purpose in life. Until you identify an inspiring purpose, you’ll never come close to achieving your potential, and your motivation will always remain weak.

For more than a decade I ran a computer game publishing company. That was a dream of mine in my early 20s, and it was wonderful to be able to fulfill that dream. However, as I entered my 30s, I began feeling much less passionate about it. I was competent at what I did, the business was doing well financially, and I enjoyed plenty of free time. But I just didn’t care that much about entertainment software anymore. As my passion faded, I started asking, “What’s the point of continuing with this line of work?” Consequently, I procrastinated on some projects that could have moved the business forward. I tried to boost my motivation using a variety of techniques but to no avail. Finally I recognized what I really needed was a total career change. I needed to find a more inspiring career path.

After much soul searching, I retired from the gaming industry and launched StevePavlina.com. What an amazing change that was! I found renewed passion in helping people grow, so I didn’t have to use motivation-boosting techniques to get going. I was naturally inspired to work. I still feel totally inspired. Best of all I procrastinated less on non-work tasks too — my passion spread across all areas of my life.

Center your work around an inspiring purpose, and you’ll greatly reduce your tendency to procrastinate. If you haven’t already done so, listen to Podcast #15 – What Is Your Purpose?. Finding your purpose is a powerful way to defeat procrastination problems because you won’t procrastinate on what you love to do. Chronic procrastination is actually a big warning sign that tells us, “You’re going the wrong way. Take a different path!”

Once you’ve centered your life around an inspiring purpose, then you can take advantage of certain motivational techniques to boost your motivation even higher. For some specific motivational tips, read Cultivating Burning Desire.

5. Lack of Discipline


Even when motivation is high, you may still encounter tasks you don’t want to do. In these situations self-discipline works like a motivational backup system. When you feel motivated, you don’t need much discipline, but it sure comes in handy when you need to get something done but really don’t want to do the work. If your self-discipline is weak, however, procrastinating will be too tempting to resist.


I’ve written a six-part series on how to develop your self-discipline, so I’ll simply refer you there: Self-Discipline Series. If you really want to overcome procrastination, you must release any attachment to the fantasy of a quick fix, and commit to making real progress. Hopefully you have the maturity to recognize that reading a single article won’t cure your procrastination problems overnight, just as a single visit to the gym won’t make you an athlete.

6. Poor Time Management Habits


Do you ever find yourself falling behind because you overslept, because you were too disorganized, or because certain tasks just fell through the cracks? Bad habits like these often lead to procrastination, often unintentionally.

The solution in this case is to diagnose the bad habit that’s hurting you and devise a new habit to replace it. For example, if you have a problem oversleeping, take up the challenge of becoming an early riser. To de-condition the old habit and install the new one, I recommend the 30-day trial method. Many readers have found this method extremely effective because it makes permanent change much easier.

For tasks you’ve been putting off for a while, I recommend using the timeboxing method to get started. Here’s how it works: First, select a small piece of the task you can work on for just 30 minutes. Then choose a reward you will give yourself immediately afterwards. The reward is guaranteed if you simply put in the time; it doesn’t depend on any meaningful accomplishment. Examples include watching your favorite TV show, seeing a movie, enjoying a meal or snack, going out with friends, going for a walk, or doing anything you find pleasurable. Because the amount of time you’ll be working on the task is so short, your focus will shift to the impending pleasure of the reward instead of the difficulty of the task. No matter how unpleasant the task, there’s virtually nothing you can’t endure for just 30 minutes if you have a big enough reward waiting for you.

When you timebox your tasks, you may discover that something very interesting happens. You will probably find that you continue working much longer than 30 minutes. You will often get so involved in a task, even a difficult one, that you actually want to keep working on it. Before you know it, you’ve put in an hour or even several hours. The certainty of your reward is still there, so you know you can enjoy it whenever you’re ready to stop. Once you begin taking action, your focus shifts away from worrying about the difficulty of the task and toward finishing the current piece of the task which now has your full attention.

When you do decide to stop working, claim and enjoy your reward. Then schedule another 30-minute period to work on the task with another reward. This will help you associate more and more pleasure to the task, knowing that you will always be immediately rewarded for your efforts. Working toward distant and uncertain long-term rewards is not nearly as motivating as immediate short-term rewards. By rewarding yourself for simply putting in the time, instead of for any specific achievements, you’ll be eager to return to work on your task again and again, and you’ll ultimately finish it. You may also want to read my article on Timeboxing.

If you find that clutter and disorganization are hurting you, I suggest you read the article Getting Organized. For a compelling overview of effective time management principles, read Time Management. And for a giant list of specific time management tips you can apply right away, read Do It Now.

7. Lack of Skill


If you lack sufficient skill to complete a task at a reasonable level of quality, you may procrastinate to avoid a failure experience. You then have three viable options to overcome this type of pattern: educate, delegate, or eliminate.

First, you can acquire the skill level you need by training up. Just because you can’t do something today doesn’t mean you’ll never be able to do it. Someday you may even master that skill. For example, when I wanted to create my first website in 1995, I didn’t know how to do it because I’d never done it before. But I knew I could learn to do it. I took the time to learn HTML, and I experimented. It didn’t take long before I launched a functional web site. In the years since then, I continued to apply and upgrade that skill. If you can’t do something, don’t whine about it. Educate yourself to gain skill until you become proficient.

A second option is to delegate tasks you lack the skill to do. There are far too many interesting skills for you to master, so you must rely on others for help. You may not realize it, but you’re already a master at delegation. Do you grow all your own food? Did you sew your own clothes? Did you build your own house? Chances are that you depend on others for your very survival. If you want a certain result but don’t want to acquire the skills to get that result, you can recruit others to help you. For example, I don’t want to spend my days trying to understand the details of the U.S. tax code, so I delegate that task to my accountant. This frees me to spend more time working from my strengths.

Thirdly, you may conclude that a result isn’t needed badly enough to justify the effort of either education or delegation. In that case the smart choice is to eliminate the task. Sometimes procrastination is a sign that a task needn’t be done at all.

When I was in college, I felt that certain assignments were pointless busywork, and I couldn’t justify the effort required to do them. If the impact on my grade wasn’t too great, I’d decline to do those assignments. Nobody cares that I received an A- instead of an A in a class because I declined to write an essay on gestural languages. If an employer or graduate school screener ever did care, I’d have turned the experience to my advantage by using it to demonstrate that I could set priorities.

8. Perfectionism


A common form of erroneous thinking that leads to procrastination is perfectionism. Believing that you must do something perfectly is a recipe for stress, and you’ll associate that stress with the task and thus condition yourself to avoid it. So you put the task off to the last possible minute until you finally have a way out of this trap. Now there isn’t enough time to do the job perfectly, so you’re off the hook because you can tell yourself that you could have been perfect if you only had more time. But if you have no specific deadline for a task, perfectionism can cause you to delay indefinitely.

The solution to perfectionism is to give yourself permission to be human. Have you ever used a piece of software that you consider to be perfect in every way? I doubt it. Realize that an imperfect job completed today is always superior to the perfect job delayed indefinitely.

Perfectionism also arises when you think of a project as one gigantic whole. Replace that one big “must be perfect” project in your mind with one small imperfect first step. Your first draft can be very, very rough. You’re always free to revise it later. For example, if you want to write a 5000-word article, allow your first draft be only 100 words if it helps you get started.

Some of these cures are challenging to implement, but they’re effective. If you really want to tame the procrastination beast, you’ll need something stronger than quick-fix motivational rah-rah. This problem isn’t going away on its own. You must take the initiative. The upside is that tackling this problem yields tremendous personal growth. You’ll become stronger, braver, more disciplined, more driven, and more focused. These benefits will become hugely significant over your lifetime, so recognize that the challenge of overcoming procrastination is truly a blessing in disguise. The whole point is to grow stronger.
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