PRACTICAL WAYS TO BEAT PROCRASTINATION

Posted on 6 April 2017 by Nick Chubb

Procrastination is the enemy of productivity, on land or sea, whether studying or working. We’re constantly being told to stop procrastinating if we want to achieve our goals but that’s easier said than done. Today we’re going to look at a few practical ways to beat procrastination and get stuff done.

OWN UP TO IT

Be honest with yourself, you probably know when you’re procrastinating, you just don’t want to admit it. Internally owning up to it is the only way to tackle the issue head on and get that essay written/calculus nailed/report handed in/fire hydrant reconditioned. The next time you’re filling your time with unimportant tasks, reading emails all day, or waiting to be “in the right mood” ask yourself if you’re just putting off something else more important.

GET A GOOD WHY

When it comes to motivation “why” we do something is always more important than “what” we’re doing. The next time you have an important task coming up that you’re putting off complete this sentence: “I need to do this because…”

• “…I want to be able to help my children with their homework”
• “…I’m a professional, and keeping my crew safe is the most important part of my job”
• “…I need to pass this exam to get promoted”

When you ask yourself why it realigns your priorities and frames a seemingly tedious task within a bigger picture giving you that little push you need to get it done.

SET A CLEAR GOAL AND COMMIT PUBLICLY

A procrastinator loves to plan, and plan, and plan without ever actually doing anything. Writing a long list of poorly defined big goals is ineffective planning and a sure-fire way to get nothing done. Effective planning takes a single poorly defined goal, adds a “why”, and then clearly outlines the steps to get there within a timeframe.

Effective planning turns “I want to improve my maths” into “I’m going to improve my maths. I need to do this because I want to be able to help my children with their homework. I’m going to this by completing the Marine Society Maths@Sea course in the next four weeks”

The next stage is to commit publicly to your goal. Accountability is key; repeat your version of the statement above to someone whose opinion you value who can hold you to account, whether it be a partner, colleague, manager, or friend. I announced to my line manager that I would publish a post to the Learn@Sea blog once per week for the next year and I’m well aware that if I miss a week she will ask me why. There’s no better way to sharpen your focus than accountability and a deadline.

BREAK IT DOWN

If the thought of spending a whole day learning thermodynamic theory makes you want to stick pins in your eyes it might help to break it down into more manageable chunks and reward yourself each time you achieve a milestone. “I’m going to get my head around Boyle’s Law and then I will reward myself with a cup of coffee and a 15-minute break” all of a sudden sounds much more manageable and pleasurable than “I’m going to spend the next six hours learning the Ideal Gas Laws”. As soon as you break a big task down into manageable chunks it becomes much easier to start and that’s half the battle.

BITE THE BULLET

Want to have a productive day? Work out what the one thing that you really don’t want to do is and force yourself to get it done first thing. Whether it’s a difficult conversation, an assignment or a boring piece of work ask yourself what you’re dreading most and just do it. After you get that one blockage out of the way everything else seems easy by comparison and your productivity will improve no end.

What are your techniques for boosting your productivity? Let us know in the comments section below.

If you’ve got time and want some in-depth advice on procrastination and how to beat it check out these informative and entertaining posts by Tim Urban at Wait But Why – Why Procrastinators Procrastinate, The Procrastination Matrix, and How to Beat Procrastination (as long as you promise not to use them to put off doing some work!).`