5 ways to kick Procrastination in the ass..

You know what it's like; you know what you are about to do and just at the moment you are about to do it, your attention fixates on something else and in the process delaying what you are meant to be doing. The work needs to get done, the phone calls need to be made and yet, our mind appears to be more interested in the latest viral video even though it has as much use as a paper umbrella to your current project.

Procrastination is derived from the Latin word procrastinatus meaning 'to forward to tomorrow'. An individual will put off tasks saying they will be more motivated later, or they will feel more creative tomorrow. However the kicker is that the same reasons for procrastinating today are likely to appear again tomorrow and will continue until you either forget about the task completely or have no choice but to do knuckle down.

So what can you do about it so you get stuff done and you're not meeting deadlines with seconds to spare? Below are 5 ways you can use to systemise your work so procrastination becomes less frequent, creating more time to show the world your superstar work.

Know your triggers

When does procrastination happen the most? Is it when other people are around you? Is it when you try to work in the morning? Is it when you have easy access to the internet? Procrastination is an effect, not a cause which means that there are a series of circumstances beforehand which trigger the response of procrastination.

I know one of my triggers is tiredness; if I am tired I am more prone for my mind to wonder into a sea of UFC news and Amazon purchases. When you can see what triggers cause you to procrastinate, you can see what you need to tweak to make procrastination less likely (do your best work in the morning, work with the internet switched off for example).



Have a deadline & know what the end point is

By having a deadline and knowing what needs to be done by the deadline will enhance the importance of the task. Have the deadline a short time in the future due to the fact that we tend to reduce the urgency of doing tasks if we know we have a lot of time to complete it in.

This might involve breaking your tasks into smaller pieces thus creating mini deadlines.

Have someone other than yourself hold you accountable

Putting things off for later is easier when you don't have to explain to someone else what you have done in terms of work for that day.

This is why switched on business owners have coaches or accountability partners; you are less likely to check your emails or check out Facebook when you know you have to give someone an update on your progress

Know your body

I am an early riser and a small steps type of guy. I need food regularly and I fidget a lot so know I will move from where ever I am after about 40 minutes. The worst thing I could attempt to do then is to pull an all-nighter with no food nearby expecting to finish a large piece of work.

Don't fight your natural tendencies; instead figure out how you do your best work. One of the biggest factors in your success as a business owner is how often you 'show up' at your best and by doing your work only when you know you can produce your best work will limit the chance of you procrastinating.

Create a work hotspot

Stephen King in his book 'on writing' explains that every morning at 9am he will go into his room, shut the door, turn distractions off, turn his music on and write. He has conditioned his brain to know that when he is in this environment it is time to work.

When performing an action in the same environment over and over, your mind gets conditioned to know to perform that action whenever you find yourself in that environment.

Where would be your 'work hub'; the place you go to when you want to get stuff done, a place where your mind instantly knows 'no messing around, it is time to work'? Make it as comfortable and distraction free as possible and take a 30 day period to work every day in the exact same spot in order to begin the conditioning process.

After the 30 days you are going to find that procrastination becomes less of an issue and your focus will be about what great work you can present to your audience!

Aaron Morton