Procrastination is a major antagonist of time management. You know it gets in your way and slows you down and prevents you from doing things, but you don’t know what to do to stop it. Identifying why you’re procrastinating is a first step in stopping unwanted behaviors.
Time management sheets. You procrastinate because you are simply stubborn and determined to show others that you are not going to make you do anything. You are your own person, and you will do what must be done when and if you decide to do it and not before. It seems logical on the one hand, but it has also caused you some pretty bad unnecessary complaints. If you shouldn’t do what you’re asked to do, hold your ground and don’t give in, but if deep down you know you’ll have to do it at some point, you better choose when and communicate that to others.
Time management exaggerators. Exaggerates the scope and implication of the project. Part of you hopes that this will cause others to just give up and leave, but that doesn’t work that often. Break the project down into its components to understand the full scope of the project, and then work on one component at a time until it’s done.
Concerned about time management. You create all kinds of imaginary problems that may or may not ever happen. You worry about what might happen if you succeed. You worry about what might happen if you fail. You worry about what others will think. You worry that you don’t really know how to approach the problem. With all this restlessness you are like the children who cheat in school instead of studying. It would take a lot less time and energy to just do it and let the chips fall where they may than to do all that work.
Time management stargazers. You would rather think about doing something than just do it. The problem is that nothing ever happens until you take action, so the more you look to the stars about what could be, the longer you go without achieving what’s possible.
Perfectionists in time management. You can’t just drop a project and call it a day because there’s always one more thing you could do to make it perfect. The problem is that hardly anyone else wants, expects, or appreciates that level of perfection that you demand. You are spending all your energy on the apex of perfection when everyone else around you just wants to be okay.
Time management procrastinators are often creatures of habit. You’ve been procrastinating for so long that you automatically put off everything, even when it’s something you really want. Something that would end in great discomfort or give you great pleasure keeps being put off. The only way to break a habit is to make a commitment and then continue with the action until you develop a new habit. The key is to understand: what you have to gain from the new habit and replace the bad habit of procrastinating so that you never have enough time to get things done, to have time to do something you really want to do.
Procrastination is an enemy of real time management. Identify what type of procrastinator you are. Evaluate the rewards that behavior brings you, and identify the rewards you could get if you stop that behavior. Doing so will allow you to refocus your energies so that you can do the right things, in the right way, for the right reason, at the right time.