How to Stop Putting Things Off Until You Win the Lotto

There is a word for people like us. It’s a long one and sounds surprisingly positive, as if we are supporters of an obscure cause.

But being a “procrastinator” is not something to sew on to a cushion - not that you would ever get around to actually undertaking such a display of productivity!

By definition, procrastinators put off an action or task, usually by focusing on some other distraction. In other words, we never get around to finishing the tiling on the bathroom or updating our CV, because there are just so many other things we have to do first, like washing our hair or surfing the net…

Procrastination is such as established disease, it’s actually rooted in an ancient language. Latin for “foremorrowing,” it simply means we suffer from the misconception that everything can wait until tomorrow. And the cause of such an inability to act?

According to the dictionary of Princeton University (where I’m sure procrastinators are branded and made to stand in the corner - immediately!) we put things off because of “laziness or habitual carelessness”.

Personally, this doesn’t sit so well with me… A partially-reformed procrastinator, I now only put off the things that a) I can get away with and b) that involve an unacceptable amount of mental or emotional anguish.

In other words, I now pay my bills on time, take regular exercise and run a hose over the landlord’s pot plants. But no matter how many emails or texts you send me prompting me to get my teeth professionally whitened or to check my superannuation contributions, you will never break my resistance!

So if you are ready to take action today (I know that sends a shudder to the bottom of your procrastinating soul, but hang in there) then here are some tips for changing your thinking about what can wait until tomorrow:

1. Take the Phone off the Hook

This is about removing all of the distractions that we depend on to keep us away from the job at hand. Try to think of them as the opposition crowd at the Grand Final. You’re lining up for the goal that will win your team the game and they’re booing you and flashing body parts in an effort to distract you from victory.

This action requires you to know your enemies - if it is a continually ringing mobile, the neighbour with the bottle of wine or the dog that requires a dozen walks a day - find a middle ground and only surrender to the distraction when you’ve reached a milestone in the job that must be done!

2. Take Baby Steps

We are all better at climbing curbs than tackling mountains.

Break a big project into small pieces that are achievable. Instead of renovating the whole house, pick one room and identify each of the tasks that need to be completed. As procrastinators suffer from extended timeframes (ie completing the nursery on the eve of your son’s 18th birthday is not a job well done) the best way to keep you focused is by rewarding every step forward.

3. Know that Time is Money

Think like a business and give the time and energy expended on a project a monetary value. In other words, if you were to outsource the renovated nursery to a contractor and they charged by the hour, would you want them spending three weeks deciding which shade of blue paint to use on the walls?

Another way of looking at it is by making a list of all of the other things that you could have achieved with your wasted time…like paint a masterpiece or clean out the vegetable drawer in the fridge.

4. Decide if you Really Want It

Sometimes it is neither laziness nor carelessness that causes us to procrastinate. Instead, it is the simple fact that we don’t really have anything invested in completing the task. Maybe the sock drawer doesn’t need to be sorted. Maybe we can live without redesigning our company newsletter. Just ask yourself if you really want the goal and its rewards – or are things okay as they are?

5. Visualise the Finish Line

Knowing that we really need to get the job done is one thing, but navigating the many obstacles that stand between us and success can be daunting. No wonder we retreat to re-runs of the daytime soaps! To get any kind of motivation we need to be able to visualise the finish line.

The harder the task, the more visual it needs to be. So if you have put off asking your incredibly tight-fisted boss for your much deserved raise, go put a deposit down on your dream sports car and stick the receipt to the top of your computer screen. This way you will make the end goal tangible, so that no other reality is possible!

Tick tock! Tick tock!

So get to it!

Start putting these ideas into practice….

and all the procrastinators in the room said “Maybe tomorrow…”

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