Procrastination is the silent productivity killer within the workplace. In fact, the situation has only grown more dire since a vast portion of employees now work from home
That time spent gazing vacantly into space, or browsing the internet in the office has evolved since the household chores all workers have been putting off linger just a few feet away. Make no mistake, taking ten minutes to fold the laundry when a deadline looms or hoover the carpet can very easily turn into hours or even whole days lost to procrastination.
And what’s worse, procrastination isn’t a one-time issue. The act of procrastinating creates what some business analysts call a ‘doom loop’. You have an anxiety inducing project you’re putting off so you procrastinate and tell yourself you’ll come to it later. Later arrives, and now you’ve left it late, you’re even more anxious, and so you push it off again. And again, and again. Finally, you’ve passed the deadline and you haven’t even started – making the act of completing the work all the more stressful, making you even more likely to procrastinate again when another stressful task comes along.
And it doesn’t boil down to being lazy; procrastination is so often actually about finding the right headspace over having no motivation; a deadline is motivation enough to want to get it done. So, by telling yourself that you’re being lazy by not doing the work, you’re addressing the wrong issue.
So how can we stop ourselves from procrastinating and ending up in the dreaded doom loop?
Here are 5 Key techniques we should all use:
First and foremost, figure out why
When you aren’t in the mood to work, procrastination is telling you something important. This could be something as simple as needing to take a break. That doesn’t mean busying yourself with other tasks or taking the rest of the day to unwind, these are just further procrastinations. What it means is taking fifteen minutes to sit quietly and clear some mental space in your brain. Taking a moment to reflect and figure out why you’re procrastinating could end up being the most productive step you take in conquering your task.
Try to remove your obstacles
Prior to getting started on a task, take a moment to carefully consider the obstacles that might get in your way. Then, develop a plan to ensure that they don’t. An example of this is having instructions for a task in your email inbox. If nothing is done, you will repeatedly go back to your inbox to look at them, only to get distracted by other incoming emails. In this case, your plan should be to get the instructions out of your inbox prior to starting your work. By planning ahead, you can maintain your focus and avoid procrastination.
Jump right in, no matter what
No one is going to grab you by the shoulders and make you work. However, motivation is like a muscle, you have to use it to build it and strengthen it. If you simply overpower your need for procrastination and force yourself to start writing, inevitably you’ll get into the swing of it and start producing good work. This is a habit that you need to build, much like the dangerous habit of slipping into procrastination.
Divide and conquer
Staring at a big project can be extremely daunting. However, you don’t have to take it all on at once. Break the task up into smaller, bitesize tasks. You only need to concentrate on getting that first one done. Then when you’re happy with it, move on to the next. Before you know it, you’ll have completed the bulk of the work without ever having to face the whole thing.
Work in the right environment
Even if you do everything else right, working in the wrong environment can make you succumb to procrastination. This means keeping yourself away from television, electronics, friends and loud places. Remote working isn’t ideal for productivity; we’ve learned that in no uncertain terms over the course of the pandemic, but you can help yourself by trying to create a consistent place in which to work without those typical distractions. This isn’t what works for everyone, but you need to exercise discipline by working in the environment that’s right for you.
Kieran Howells
Executive Grapevine
16/10/2020