Find Time to Get Things Done When Procrastination and Perfectionism Have Been in Charge

The Time Finder with Paula Eder

The way you use your time is the way you live your life.

Find Time to Get Things Done When Procrastination and Perfectionism Have Been in Charge

Posted on January 14, 2009, under Time Choices.

How many of you are familiar with procrastination’s mantra, “I’ll do that tomorrow” or maybe it’s next week, or next month? I’m guessing that most of us have uttered those words more than a few times!

And how many have had those anxious dreams where you find yourself suddenly confronted with a deadline that you’d been putting off? Is the sinking feeling familiar?

There are many aspects to dealing with procrastination, which we’ll be exploring on The Time Finder over the coming months. Right now, what I want to share are some tips for dealing with situations where you find yourself confronted with a deadline that you’d been putting off. It’s a situation that none of us want to end up in, but it happens a lot.

Here are 5 things to NOT do when you find yourself confronted with a deadline that you’d been procrastinating about:

1. DO NOT leave town, change your identity, or purchase a disguise.
2. DO NOT keep procrastinating.
3. DO NOT panic.
4. DO NOT berate yourself.
5. DO NOT throw in the towel.

It’s normal to have an initial response of some level of panic in this situation; but it’s crucial to minimize the time that you spend in that mode. Remember that you have choices about your response. Pull yourself away from the “Don’ts” and turn toward the “Do’s” that can get you on track and moving quickly toward your goal.

Here are 5 tips to move you through your project so that you stop procrastinating and meet your deadline:

1. DO create a boundary.
2. DO get your tools together.
3. DO define your task.
4. DO get started.
5. DO keep in mind that DONE is better than perfect!

These 10 tips are taken from my article “Finding Time For Tomorrow’s Deadline – 5 Last-Minute Solutions For Procrastinators” at EzineArticles.com (and you can read all of my articles there by visiting articlesbypaula.com).

One of the key things to remember is that DONE is better than PERFECT! I often think that were we to remember this from the earliest stages of a task, procrastination would not be the issue that it can be. Perfectionism and procrastination frequently go hand in hand, and if you’re putting off a task, you may want to step back and see what kinds of expectations you have for yourself.

If you feel critical, or hear yourself using the words “should” and “ought”or if you step back and can see that your goals are not realistic, you can be pretty sure that perfectionism is in play and getting in your way. Any of us would balk at being told by our boss that our next project needs to “set the world on fire.” But many of us give messages like that to ourselves all the time.

How does perfectionism play a role in your procrastination? Try countering it with the notion that “Done is better than perfect.” Does that help? How do you manage these challenges for yourself? I’d love to hear!

What if you could find another hour every day? You can! For more Time Finding resources, you are invited to sign up and download The New Finding Time Boundary Template. It’s FREE, and when you sign up you will also receive (if you don’t already) my FREE, twice-weekly Finding Time Tips and my FREE, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!

Let’s explore time together …

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