If you can see yourself in any of these examples, then that is the first step to solving your problems with avoidance or procrastination. The following is a list of some steps which may help you deal with it:
- Put it on paper. Extract the principles which apply to you from the examples above and write them down. That helps make them real.
- Be honest with yourself about your work. If you only want to spend a small amount of time or effort on a particular task, admit it to yourself and quit feeling guilty about it. Instead, weigh the pros and cons of various amounts of your investment in a project and find the best return for your investment in time and effort. This process exposes reasons of avoiding work. If you have been unintentionally avoid work, admit it to yourself and just re-commit to do what is necessary to reach your goal.
- When setting up a time frame to finish a task, work to acquire a good understanding of what is necessary to do the task. This will allow more realistic scheduling.
- Distinguish between activities which demonstrate your sense of commitment and those which will actually help you accomplish the task. Develop an overview of the entire project and visualize the steps that are needed to reach completion. Then, devote only the amount of time necessary for each part of the project.
Procrastination is one of the hardest character traits to get rid of, because we can't just read a how to book and follow a system. It takes looking at ourselves and figuring out what makes us tick. Only then can we truly defeat this success killer.