Stop Thinking, Start Doing: How to Stop Procrastinating
January 16, 2013
Have you ever considered that some of those last-minute holiday gift orders you received were due to clients who procrastinated because they were overwhelmed? Or clients who underestimated the time needed and figured they had plenty of time?
According to Joe Ferrari, Ph.D., a psychology professor at DePaul University in Chicago and author of Still Procrastinating: The No Regrets Guide to Getting It Done, these are some of the typical reasons we procrastinate. Others include overestimating the time needed and thinking the task will take forever; fear of success (if I do well with this project, will others expect too much of me in the future); and no perceived value/reward.
Joe has spent his professional life studying procrastination. Contrary to what most people think, chronic procrastination is not about poor time management. It’s about self-sabotaging tendencies that can prevent people from reaching their full potential. About 80% of the population are people who engage in occasional delaying tactics, lateness, or putting off until tomorrow what we should do today.
Ideally, you should try to figure out why you procrastinate. If you can’t, Ferrari believes in getting on with things. His suggestions include:
According to Joe Ferrari, Ph.D., a psychology professor at DePaul University in Chicago and author of Still Procrastinating: The No Regrets Guide to Getting It Done, these are some of the typical reasons we procrastinate. Others include overestimating the time needed and thinking the task will take forever; fear of success (if I do well with this project, will others expect too much of me in the future); and no perceived value/reward.
Joe has spent his professional life studying procrastination. Contrary to what most people think, chronic procrastination is not about poor time management. It’s about self-sabotaging tendencies that can prevent people from reaching their full potential. About 80% of the population are people who engage in occasional delaying tactics, lateness, or putting off until tomorrow what we should do today.
Ideally, you should try to figure out why you procrastinate. If you can’t, Ferrari believes in getting on with things. His suggestions include:
- Tackle the most urgent matters first. After the most pressing tasks, do the worst jobs next.
- Manage your technological distractions. Check your email once an hour only. Don’t follow up or answer an email unless it’s necessary. Don’t open one when you don’t have time to read it. Quickly delete messages to get them out of your inbox.
In 15 Ways to Stop Procrastination Now, a Business Insider article published last spring, Piers Steel, an associate professor at the University of Calgary told the Associated Press, "The U.S. gross national product would probably rise by $50 billion if the icon and sound that notify people of new email disappeared." The article featured insights from Psychology Today, WebMD, and LifeHack on how to end procrastination. They include: Planning in smaller time increments (you’re less likely to put off work until the last minute); create hard and fast deadlines; put all deadlines on one calendar; hang out with people who don’t procrastinate; announce your goals to others; and eliminate distractions.
