Small Business Management | READY2SPARK

Posts Tagged Small Business Management

Monday, November 16th, 2009

shifting out of neutral . overcoming procrastination

Continuing our 5 tips to know you’re stuck in neutral series, we’re now going to focus on issue number 2:

You’re likes-focused. What I mean by that is that you spend the vast majority of your time doing things you like to do and putting off the things you need to do.

We’ve all been there. We have a deadline and we’re running out of time. But the funny thing is that everything else seems a lot more interesting and important. You keep clicking on your email to see if perhaps your computer’s sound notification has stopped working and you really do have a new message. Perhaps now is the time to go through that pile on your desk and get reacquainted with the files you haven’t cracked open in months. Or even better, maybe Chatty Cathy down the hall would love to catch up on the latest episode of The Office.

This nasty little habit is also known as procrastination. Procrastination is actually quite misunderstood…it’s often associated with bad time management skills. But in reality the reasons for procrastination are usually deeper rooted.

3 reasons you procrastinate

1. You don’t know where to start

2. You have self-doubt

3. You don’t enjoy the task

3 ways to resolve procrastination

1. Acknowledge the problem

We’ve all heard the saying: The first step to resolving a problem is admitting you have one.

2. Get to the root of why you’re procrastinating

It’s important to understand why you’re putting things off. I’ve listed 3 possible reasons above, but there are many reasons why someone procrastinates. Understand what is demotivating you.

3. Act

There’s no magic bullet to procrastination. It’s self-induced and the only cure is to make a concerted effort to overcome it. Saying that, here are a few tips to help you act:

- Break the task down into small increments and accomplish it in stages

- Schedule these tasks to be done at the beginning of the day

- Reward yourself when you’ve finished it

- Create an environment that doesn’t have distractions

- Ask for help

- If you fall off the wagon don’t punish yourself…just get back on

I don’t believe in shying away from challenges – after all, they’re what make us grow. But if all else fails and you are crippled by a task that is affecting your ability to run a great business, find a way to delegate it, outsource it or learn it.

For more information on shifting out of neutral:

3 tips to think for tomorrow

5 ways to know you’re stuck in neutral

Image via Myki Roventine

Lara McCulloch-Carter

Author of the Special Event blog ready2spark

Director of Marketing – Regal Tent Productions

Past-President – ISES Toronto

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