Paauwer Tools is a Monthly Ezine
March 2003
Issue 37

“Lots of people know what to do, but few people actually
do what they know. Knowing is not enough! You must take action.”
--Tony Robbins

In honor of National Procrastination Week (the first week in March) and March Forth Day (on March 4^th, of course), each year I dedicate this issue of Paauwer Tools to the subject of procrastination.  Why?  Because this single habit is the root of so many of the problems that plague all of us at one time or another – challenges with managing our time, relationships, projects, and information. 

What is procrastination?  Procrastination is doing low-priority tasks and activities instead of the high-priority ones which so often contribute the most to our success.  For some, procrastination becomes a harmful habit which impedes personal and professional development.

 
"You will never find time for anything.
You must make it."
-Charles Buxton

Finding tasks on your to-do list week after week is a clear sign you are procrastinating, but there are also some more subtle, overlooked signs of procrastination. Can you identify with any of these possibilities?

• Feeling overwhelmed:  No matter how hard you work, you cannot seem to catch up.  You have a backlog of work that seems insurmountable.  It may be affecting your sleep, as you lay in bed thinking about all the things you “gotta do.”  Perhaps it’s time to renegotiate some of your commitments and say no to more requests so you can say yes to what’s most important to you.

• Breaking commitments to others or to yourself:  You’re constantly having to make excuses about why you didn’t do something you said you’d do.

• Losing focus:  Although you have many important tasks at hand (some are even urgent), you find yourself wasting time doing things that are not important.  For example, you find yourself surfing the Net instead of doing something much more important.

• Starting something new before finishing something else:  This is particularly common with entrepreneurs who often spend time developing new leads rather than following up with the prospects they already have.   If you are spending more time attending networking events than you spend following up by phone, in writing, or face-to-face, this may be you.

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule,
but to schedule your priorities.”
--Stephen Covey, First Things First

Here are 7 tips to help you change from “I’ll do it when I get around to it.” to “I’ll do it now!”

1. Recognize and admit that you are procrastinating.  As long as you defend, deny, or rationalize your procrastination, you are not in a position to overcome it.  Stop rationalizing and you’ll be more likely to take action.

2. What motivates you to do better?  What rewards -- tangible and intangible – will you get by doing it rather than putting it off? Remind yourself of that payoff on a daily basis. Post a picture or note that represents those rewards to you on such places as your computer screen, bulletin board, or dashboard.

One way to check motivation is to check your self-talk. Do you frequently say, "I gotta…," "I should…," or "I have to…"? Replace this self-talk with "I choose to…" and recognize that you are at choice about what you do. If you don't choose to do it, don't do it!

3. Analyze what causes you to put things off.  Most of us tend to avoid things that are unpleasant, complex, or overwhelming.

In Linda Sapadin's book, It's About Time!: The Six Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them she tells us that chronic procrastinators are not lazy; they simply need to cultivate a more natural and fluid transition from mental activity to physical activity, while allowing an appropriate amount of time and energy to complete the task. My review of this book provides a brief description of each of the six styles of procrastination: (1) perfectionist; (2) dreamer; (3) worrier; (4) defier; (5) crisis-maker; (6) over-doer. Read the book if you want to gain some comprehensive insight and solutions for each of these styles.

4. Break down each of the activities you are having trouble with into small steps.  Take a small step that will get you moving in the right direction. Pick what seems like the easiest place to start, and block out time on your calendar to begin. You may find that once you take action, the rest is much easier. 

If you are more motivated by doing the toughest part first, then begin with that.  As they say, eat a live toad first thing in the morning, and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day. Tackle that "toad" -- the task you have been putting off, the one that is hanging over your head -- because it will lift an immense load and you will feel much more productive.

5. Delegate some tasks to others.   If you don’t enjoy doing it, can you delegate it to someone else?  Or even if you enjoy doing something but find that you have too much on your plate, either delegate it to someone else or renegotiate your commitment.  Read my March 2002 article, To Do or NOT to Do…That is the Question! to help you sort out your commitments.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed, you may benefit from doing a RAM Dump, which is described in my March 2001 article, March 4th…Time to March Forth!

6. Don’t be a perfectionist.  Unless you’re a rocket scientist at NASA, you’re paid to get results -  not to be perfect.  If perfectionism is holding you back from taking action, read my March 2000 newsletter, Fear Not! - The Perfectionist's Credo.

7.  Commit yourself to action with specific deadlines.  Promise results to others.  Fear of losing face is a powerful motivator.  Or build in accountability for yourself by telling a friend, co-worker or your coach exactly what you plan to get done each week. Ask them not to accept any excuses from you, and to remind you why you said you were doing all this in the first place. Set up a weekly check-in with an accountability partner where each of you reports to the other.

One of the most powerful tools I know of for getting things done is the weekly planning process.  Make a weekly appointment with yourself to plan your coming week. During your planning session, schedule important activities and tasks so you have a concrete plan for following through with your intentions.  Then promise yourself a reward once you’ve completed the task. 

It may take time to break the procrastination habit, so give yourself permission to fail a few times. Remember that even a small amount of progress may allow you to achieve more than you ever have before.

My De-clutter Your Life TeleClass series is a one-hour class conducted by telephone on four consecutive Tuesdays beginning March 4.  It is designed for those who are on constant overload. You’ll learn how to define what’s truly important to you, and then close the gap between what’s most important and what you actually spend your time doing.

Back and forth, searching for the right spot, you throw your line out time and time again. "This is the place" you think, as you wait for a bite. Another snag! You begin to reel as the tension increases. Snap!

Tired of fishing for information? According to one study, the average executive wastes up to one hour a day – that’s nearly two months per year -- looking for lost and misplaced information. What a drag on your time and energy!  It’s time to cast aside your old habits and try some new techniques.  Don’t put this off, or you’ll be on a permanent fishing expedition!  Do it now!!!

People pile instead of file for two primary reasons:  (1) a fear of never finding it again once it’s filed away; (2) a fear of forgetting to follow up on something requiring action.  I recommend two essential tools to assist you – Kiplinger’s Taming the Paper Tiger, a program that guarantees you will find anything you file or store in 5 seconds or less, and  a customized tickler file system, which gives you a place to store things until you have time to follow up and reminds you of important follow-up at the appropriate time.  Used consistently, these tools are guaranteed to save you the lost time you’ve spent fishing for documents in the past. I am offering free teleclasses to help you get started using both tools.

Find ANYTHING you file in 5 seconds or less…guaranteed! You can now download a free 30-day trial of the Paper Tiger software. You will receive a link to the download when you register for my FREE teleclass, which will provide a hands-on demonstration of how the Paper Tiger works. This teleclass is a great way to try-before-you-buy, or to begin using the software if you already own it and it's still in the box. To view a PDF file I've put together that walks you through some screen shots and describes how it works, click here.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

A ROUND TUIT
This is a Tuit. Guard
it with your life as Tuits
are hard to come by, especially
the round ones. This is an indispen-
sable item. It will help you become
a more efficient worker. For years we
have heard people say, "I'll do it as
soon as I get a Round Tuit." Now
that you have one, you can ac-
complish all those things
you put aside until
you get a Round
Tuit!

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Copyright © 2003 Kathy Paauw, All Rights Reserved.