Hi. I’m Kristen Brown and I’m a procrastinator. I tend to let things slide until the very last moment and then I’m forced to crank out my work quickly. But for me, I need a little time pressure to get motivated. I also need the pressure to get my creative juices flowing. The pressure gets my brain kicked into gear so I can focus and do what needs to be done in the best way I know how.
Does this work for everyone?
No!
In fact, I advise most of my coaching clients to have a plan and start early. Don’t let things build up and wait until the last minute. It’s another example of “do as I say and not as I do!”
Here are 3 ways to get more focused and productive when you are suffering from procrastination.
- Write it down. Sometimes you just need to get a task out of your head and onto paper to make it real.
- Break it down. If it’s a big project or to-do make sure to break it up into small steps to make it easier to tackle.
- Know how you work best. If you need a little time pressure like I do, acknowledge that about yourself and be okay with it. If you need more time to plan and prep, honor that too. There is no perfect or right way to make things happen.
The key to stopping the procrastination cycle is to create the right type of planning, motivation and reward system for you. Discovering what works will take some experimentation so don’t get locked into a single way of doing things until you’ve found the magic combination.
What’s your best tip to stop procrastination?
