Procrastination: The Cure

Procrastination, AKA the thief of time, is one of the main contributors to the lack of productivity in any office environment. We’ve all done it. Putting off a task and convincing ourselves it’ll all be fine… until we decide to conquer it last minute and cause even more stress.

I think it’s safe to say everybody has experienced this feeling. Whether it’s avoiding a task you don’t really want to do at work or writing an essay at university – for some reason we tend to think that the longer you leave it, the easier it will get. Unfortunately, this isn’t so.

It’s so easy to get distracted by incoming emails, conversations in the office or your friend’s latest Facebook status update, but in the end, you’re just delaying the inevitable; procrastinating will cause more stress and when you eventually get round to it, the lack of time will mean you’re not performing to the best of your ability.

Many people claim they’ve found the cure to procrastination but the truth is, it’s completely subject to you. It depends on what kind of person you are. Different people deal with things differently; some people love lists, some people work better to deadlines, other people rely on good working relationships with colleagues.

In an attempt to conjure up my own cure, I asked some people around the office how they deal with procrastination. Why do they procrastinate, when do they realise they’re procrastinating and how do they snap out of it?

Although they were all different, I noticed there was one common denominator in their answers; they all cited the importance of motivation.

Everybody agreed that feeling unmotivated is one of the most prevalent reasons behind their procrastination habits. If you’re not motivated to be the best you can be in your role and you spend your day twiddling your thumbs and wishing you were somewhere else then there’s definitely something wrong.

A motivated workforce is an essential component to a successful business and when you’re feeling motivated at work, you’re less likely to procrastinate. Think about how you feel after finishing a great meeting with your boss – you’re ready to take on the world! This shouldn’t stop there. I set up weekly meetings with my team, not only to make sure I know what’s going on, but to ensure they feel appreciated and above all, motivated to work to their best potential.

Through these discussions, I managed to identify three ways to nip procrastination habits in the bud. 

Lists, lists, lists

For some people, nothing beats a good list and there’s nothing better than crossing off completed tasks. Planning your day like this can help you avoid misusing your time: a lot of people in the office find that physically writing down 5 things they absolutely MUST do that day means they don’t have time to procrastinate because there’s no way they want to carry over anything over to the next day. By doing this, you have a constant reminder of the tasks you are yet to complete and you also get a great sense of satisfaction crossing out the ones you have done.

I have always worked by lists and although my paperwork may look chaotic – it’s mostly organised chaos.

Just DO IT

So you have your list of to-do’s, some easier than others. Naturally, we tend to pick the easiest task first and work our way towards the hard ones. It sounds cliché but it’s true when they say the best thing to do is get the hardest task over and done with first. Don’t let the smaller tasks distract you, tackle the main job straight away and you will leave work feeling accomplished and successful.

It’s easy to put stuff off and say ‘Oh I’ll just wait for X to happen until I start that’ but excuses like this are breeding ground for procrastination. Why are you delaying the inevitable? If you find yourself daydreaming at your desk, take a minute to prioritise your tasks and then just DO IT!

Take a break

This may sound like a perfect example of procrastinating but sometimes, a tea break is all you need. Two of the hardest working guys in the office are known for their 4’oclock chocolate break. Knowing that you’ve earned yourself a treat can be all you need to avoid procrastination. It may sound a little silly, but it works! If your mind is constantly doing overtime, you could be zoning out without even knowing it. Information overload is never good and sometimes a quick break is all you need to refresh and focus.

Ultimately, it’s all down to self-discipline. It’s not a case of ‘just don’t get distracted’ – that’s easier said than done. If you find yourself procrastinating a lot at work, think about which of the above suits you best and remember that the more efficient and effective you are at work, the more likely you are to be rewarded.

On that note, I think it’s time for a tea break…

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