by Tanya Bainbridge

Created on: March 05, 2010   Last Updated: March 09, 2010

 If you’re like me & millions of other people in this world, you put things off (technical term Procrastination), whether it is homework, housework, going to the grocery store or even things that need to be done at work. 

Before you know it, everything is piling up on top of you and it all needs to be done at the same time! (You can beg the procrastination fairy to come down and rescue you but, she has a to-do list of her own!  Hey I thought you were going to help me?!?!  AHHHHH!)  But, no one can help you but, you!  Years of bad habits can change.  Not all at once but, little by little.

 Here are some tips:

1.)  Always complete unpleasant tasks first.

If you do these first you won’t stress out as much later

2.)  Break larger jobs into smaller ones.

If you take a big project and section it into smaller ones it won’t seem so big in the first place.

3.)  Set aside time for making decisions.

It is very easy to be distracted by making decisions, especially the hard ones.  Set aside a little time each week for this process.

4.)  Imagine a picture of the completed task and how you will feel when finished.

Imagine how much more relaxed and relieved you will be when it is done.

5.)  Schedule tasks when you're at your best.

If you are a morning person, then schedule tasks then.  They will get done quicker and you are less likely to put them off.

6.)  Set deadlines for yourself.

Challenge yourself to get a task done by a certain time. 

7.)  Create a to-do list and prioritise

A is most important and C is less important.  Do all of your A’s first then go on to B’s and then C’s.

Complete a small task; it will make you feel better knowing you finished something.

Do a small task you will feel so much better marking something off your To-Do List.

8.)  Clean up the clutter around you. 

Clutter can be very distracting. You tend to think something else needs to be done and can't finish what you are doing.

9.)  Reward yourself for finishing a task and not procrastinating.

Try rewarding yourself after each task with a coffee break or reading a chapter in that book you just can’t seem to finish.

I hope these tips help you.  You will be amazed at how much stress it will take off you.  Remember this quote “Never put off tomorrow what you can do today”.

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