Find Time to Stop Procrastination in Its Tracks - 3 Tips to Jump Start Your Productivity

The Time Finder with Paula Eder

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

Find Time to Stop Procrastination in Its Tracks – 3 Tips to Jump Start Your Productivity

Posted on July 7, 2009, under Time Management Skills.

Finding time to accomplish everything on your daily to do list is often a challenge. For many, procrastination can compound the difficulty, knotting your energy flow and leaving you stuck in inaction, while the minutes tick by.

This, in turn, creates a vicious cycle. Feelings of overwhelm make it hard to know where to start – and NOT starting amplifies those growing feelings of overwhelm and panic. The more deeply you become entangled in this cycle the harder it is to break, as lost time accumulates. The voice of your inner critic generally starts getting louder, too, adding to the difficulty.

So how can you break this cycle? Here are 3 tips to get you back on a productive track in no time!

First, you have to recognize that you are procrastinating. This isn’t always easy. Take an inventory of your tasks and activities. Are there items on your to do list that you consistently avoid? Approach this inventory with an open mind and with compassionate eyes. This will help you to see more clearly. If you feel critical about procrastination it will, ironically, be that much more difficult to recognize it in yourself.

Second, take a closer look at the items on your list that you are not tackling. Maybe they are not important and should be removed. Or maybe they are tasks that you are avoiding for some reason. If it’s the former, pare down your list, removing anything that is unimportant or unnecessary. If it’s the latter, break the task down into smaller steps. This will give you a more manageable place to begin.

Third … BEGIN! Pick one of those smaller steps that you have created and take it. It’s that simple!

Once you have recognized the place where you are stuck, making a beginning – no matter how small – will feel like untying a knot or releasing a log jam. Not only will it free up your energy around the particular place where you were stuck – you will find that your productivity in ALL areas gets a significant boost.

Does procrastination trip you up and clog your energy flow when you are at your busiest? How do you recognize it? How do you pull yourself out of its vicious cycle? Please drop me a line and let me know – I’d love to hear!

What if you could find another hour every day? You can! 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, weekly Finding Time Tips and my FREE, monthly Award-Winning Finding Time E-zine!

Let’s explore time together …

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