Anyone else struggle with procrastination?

[CareyJo]

In one of my other groups outside of Square Seller Community, the discussion came up to share any ideas, suggestions, insights, etc. on how to tackle productivity and get things done.  I had a few thoughts on the matter, so I thought I would share them here.  Jump on in and add yours!  You never know who may benefit from thinking like you - you just might have the answer that someone is looking for!

My thoughts:

For me, as a long time business owner, the best thing to fight procrastination is to focus on my priorities.  I use time blocks and a daily calendar with a task list.  It can be in any form you want it to be - for me, it's on paper.  And yes, I even add to my list just so that I can cross something off!  Seeing the to-do's crossed off gives a great sense of satisfaction and accomplishment.  I find that if I prioritize what I've got to get done and work in time blocks, I'm more apt to do the things I hate and get them out of the way.  By using time blocks, I can 'reward' myself with doing the tasks I want to do, once I've done the ones I don't.  By planning my time, I'm taking it one chunk at a time and not giving my whole life to it, then it's not overwhelming.  You cannot eat an elephant all in one bite.

But let's face it - a lot of this has to do with our emotions wrapped around what it is that we don't want to do, right?  Procrastination isn't just about meaningless tasks that we don't want to do.  Often it's about things that we really don't want to face.  We need to call and attorney to help with a business matter but legal stuff freaks us out.  We need to pay the suppliers but we know that we don't have enough money in the bank so we avoid paying anything.  We have to find a new employee but hate the interview process so we drag it out.  These are just some examples of some stressful situations that we would all like to avoid and therefore do.  We procrastinate.

What we need to do is have the conversation with ourself first.  This _________ is hard and I don't want to do ti, but it will make ________ better if I get it over with.  If I focus on this one thing for the next hour and get it tackled, I can go on with the rest of my day, free of distraction.  It's all about getting our mind in the right place.  Addressing the core reason we don't want to do it and acknowledging the fear that is attached to it helps us do that.  If we're not afraid of XYZ then there's no reason to procrastinate.  We put off doing what we hate because we're afraid of the outcome.  Instead of focusing on what scares me or the worst case scenario, I try to focus on what will come out of it positively to help me move forward.

[BofBArtStudio · Accepted solution]

I use a combination of calendar tasks and composition books.

I have task lists for immediate tasks, short-term tasks and long-term tasks. 

I enjoy checking things off my list. 

Most of the time the only reason I procrastinate is because I can't afford to do everything at once and I have to budget out for many of the things that I want to do. 

For instance we finally added another ADA bathroom to the front of our shop. Now we have three bathrooms. I have been moving that item on my list for over a year and I finally did it. It cost me about $4,000 to add that bathroom where a bathroom didn't exist before, but I finally did it and it is so amazing to have a bathroom at the front of the studio in addition to the back of the studio. 

If money were no object, I would tackle my list much faster. 

However I love lists! And I work through them constantly. Every day of my life I have a page in my composition book that has all of my priorities laid out. When I finish a composition book I write on the front of it start date and end date. Then I put it on my shelf. 

I have 25 years of these composition books. 

When I interview someone for a position with our company, they have a page.  When I have a meeting, there is a page for that. And every day there is a page for my to-do list. And the things that I don't get done get carried over to the next day.

I highly recommend having lists of things to do and checking them off as they get done.

[maxpete]

These are some great tips, @CareyJo!

Tagging @Sam_400º, @AdamB, and @eateryisland to share some of their tips too!

[AdamB]

Prioritization is key, I think! I'm definitely prone to procrastination, and organizing tasks in a few categories like "must do", "should do", and "would like to do" usually can help make sure I get the important stuff done. For small tasks, I sometimes will simply drop everything and do it right away. That's not very practical in a business setting, but it has helped me keep on top of very simple tasks that I might have just forgotten about.

[CareyJo]

Your comment reminded me of something that I do automatically that I had forgotten about.  A former mentor of mine taught me decades ago to not let the mail sit.  Sort it as soon as you receive it and address things like invitations, bills, etc. immediately by handling them right then.  I pay bills on Mondays, so bills go in the file and get paid the following Monday.  Invitations immediately get responded to and written in my datebook if we're going.  It literally only takes a couple of minutes to address small things like this, yet helps us feel so accomplished and we didn't put it off til the pile got taller or worse - something got missed.  🙂

[BofBArtStudio]

Excellent ideas.  I am going to try that.  My mail pile gets so piled.   I do sort and shred the junk right away, but the nin-junk sits for a while waiting to be addressed.  Having a set day to tackle it each week is a great idea!! 💜

[Helen]

"Instead of focusing on what scares me or the worst case scenario, I try to focus on what will come out of it positively to help me move forward." Well said as usual @CareyJo! I am a terrible procrastinator sometimes, especially when it comes to making phone calls where I know I'll have to wait on hold. But I'm going to keep your advice in mind and see how it goes -- thank you for starting this thread!

[CareyJo]

You're welcome and thanks!

[BofBArtStudio · Accepted solution]

I use a combination of calendar tasks and composition books.

I have task lists for immediate tasks, short-term tasks and long-term tasks. 

I enjoy checking things off my list. 

Most of the time the only reason I procrastinate is because I can't afford to do everything at once and I have to budget out for many of the things that I want to do. 

For instance we finally added another ADA bathroom to the front of our shop. Now we have three bathrooms. I have been moving that item on my list for over a year and I finally did it. It cost me about $4,000 to add that bathroom where a bathroom didn't exist before, but I finally did it and it is so amazing to have a bathroom at the front of the studio in addition to the back of the studio. 

If money were no object, I would tackle my list much faster. 

However I love lists! And I work through them constantly. Every day of my life I have a page in my composition book that has all of my priorities laid out. When I finish a composition book I write on the front of it start date and end date. Then I put it on my shelf. 

I have 25 years of these composition books. 

When I interview someone for a position with our company, they have a page.  When I have a meeting, there is a page for that. And every day there is a page for my to-do list. And the things that I don't get done get carried over to the next day.

I highly recommend having lists of things to do and checking them off as they get done.

[JessPoynter]

Oh my gosh Cheryl I relate to all of this SO much. 
Seriously. 

"If money were no object, I would tackle my list much faster." 

Ah! Getting me in the feels! 

I couldn't agree more. With opening my hair solutions clinic, I have found money to be my biggest driving force behind procrastination. I can't afford the medical-grade equipment, so I should just not even bother, right? 

I love your answer (as well as @CareyJo) of creating lists. I LOVE a good list...but then I find myself getting distracted by decorating the list and making it look pretty...and then next thing you know 2 hours have passed and I've completed nothing save for a really well-decorated list. 

[BofBArtStudio]

@JessPoynter 

Try getting a five-pack or so of different color gel writing pens. It's fun when your list is in different colors. Maybe a certain color for each type of list item or each category if you really want to geek out on it. Or just randomly writing each list item in different colors as you're building your list. 

And then make sure you're always checking off your list as you get things accomplished. 

Sometimes I do something that wasn't even on my list and then I write it on my list just so I can check it off. 😊

[CareyJo]

I so do all of that!! 🙂

[CareyJo]

I hear that... us creative people can easily be distracted!  My datebook is COVERED in stickers and notes and all kinds of things.  I fill out my whole year to the best of my ability and then add new things as they come up.  So all of my holidays, trips and such are already decorated and filled in.  I just have to add additional appointments as they move around.  I also ONLY write in pencil and if anyone dare comes to my book with a pen they know what will happen to them!  My kids knew growing up that if it ain't in mom's book, it ain't gettin' done! 🙂

[CareyJo]

Holy cow!!!  Wow!  25 years!  What an accomplishment!  And congrats on the bathroom!!  It feels so great to not only mark something off the list but to budget and work toward goals and mark them off!  Bravo!!

[JessPoynter · Accepted solution]

Procrastination: my nemesis

I think that's one of the most crucial yet often overlooked pieces of business ownership: procrastination vs. overwhelm. I think business owners put too much pressure on themselves to get it all done, and we don't give ourselves grace in terms of feasibility. We compare ourselves to mega corporations, often forgetting the fact that, daily, we are doing the work of multiple teams, not people. 

So, to that point, I think @CareyJo and @BofBArtStudio bring up great points of not only creating lists but also dedicating specific time blocks to each task on those lists. I find that works GREAT (If I can manage to not get distracted by pretty colors and decorations 😃)

Here's the other factor for me in the procrastination game: setting unrealistic standards for completion and time management. Again, I find that I compare my productivity to massive corporations that have TEAMS of people completing tasks. It's not the same! So, with my lists and time blocks, I remind myself at the end of the day: you're in a better position than when you started the day. 

[CareyJo]

Absolutely!  I have to work very hard to not be distracted as well.  I think that is also a mental thing for us physically.  We have to train ourselves to be disciplined to stay on task.

[DLRosenberg]

the answer is sometimes... but not in the day-to-day running of the biz- but those other things. like- putting together a new product bundle (which requires photographic, etc).. does get bumped back when I "have free time" which never happens