Try to figure out why you might be procrastinating in the first place. I haven't really studied it, but I can think of very different reasons why people might do it.
1. They know they can wait to the last minute. They might be gifted in the task required and can accept that they can knock out, at worst, the better paper, project, etc., compared to their peers. They might even get a thrill at how easy it is for them and the only way they can prove that to themselves is to handicap themselves.
Goal: stop making others your benchmark and start making yourself the benchmark
2. It is a task they absolutely hate. Doing the task actually puts them in a bad mood, maybe so far as to make them ill.
Goal: not sure. Obviously, "just do it" so you can get past the negative. But what if this is a re-occurring task. Maybe something as simple as financial software entry (checkbook and more stuff). Right now, my motivator is that anything I don't get done by January 1, I have to enter the day, month AND YEAR instead of just day/month. So the procrastination could turn a laborious chore into even more work. (note to self. Enter quickbooks info, ASAP)
Now on general terms, I can do things like:
A. Creating an outline with bit sized pieces to check off. Maybe even tell myself I don't get to see that new movie on Friday unless Step 4 is done.
B. An extension of A, I like strategic video games. I like games that you can replay to see if you can win it even better than the first time. In lots of way, that can be a score, but it doesn't have to be that. Maybe if it is a geopolitical game, you are thrilled at the path to world domination. If you run a business, you can almost treat it like that. Think of all the little steps and nuances you can manage on the path to "world domination". Suddenly, it feels like you are playing a game instead of getting caught in the muckety muck
But there is a procrastination that sometimes come from a feeling of defeat. Or #3. Deep down, you know that even if you pull it off with a "perfect score", you will still lose. Maybe it is your current employment where you have figured out that your particular management doesn't really set up a real success ladder. They don't even recognize serious accomplishments (that's your job. Big deal. You did your job. Wanna cookie?) Or maybe if you do too good of a job, they will recognize your talents, but instead of reaping the benefits, you just get a bigger workload because "you are so good at this stuff ... even though it has nothing to do with your job description or even field." An example would be an accountant that helps with some computer stuff suddenly having to do the accounting and a good share of a stripped down IT department. But the pay is the same as the counterpart that just does a so-so job at only the accounting.
Sometimes procrastination is telling you not to concentrate on the task, but that you need to make a jump of faith away from what is bringing you down and taking all the joy out of *accomplishments*.
So step 1: there is no one size fits all solution. Like with most problems in life, you have to really identify the problem well to even begin the solution process.
Topic: How do you deal with procrastination? (Read 2031 times)