OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATION

Presented by Katherine Ward

Susan Fowler WoodringConsultant, Speaker, Trainer, and Author

Five Questions for You to Consider:When do you procrastinate at school or work? What kinds of tasks?When do you procrastinate in other areas of life?What do you put off at home?What do you put off in personal relationships?What do you put off in your financial life?

Four Underlying Causes

Fear of FailureLack of DisciplinePerfection ParalysisFear of Success

OVERCOMING FEAR OF FAILURE1. GOALS APPROACH

S=SPECIFICM=MEASURABLEA=ACTION ORIENTEDR=REALISTICT=TIME-BOUND

1. INCHWORM TECHNIQUE

Break tasks on your to-do list down into manageable sizes.Use smallest task to get started.

3. REWARD SYSTEMSome day is not a day of the week.

Plan reasonable rewards for yourself for performing tasks you might ordinarily put off.

4. BEHAVIOR CONTRACT

Write out a personal contract for yourself or work with a friend or coach.

CONTROLLING LACK OF DISCIPLINE

TIMEWHAT DOES IT MEAN TO:

SPEND TIME?

INVEST TIME?

WASTE TIME?

21 DAY CARD/JOURNAL

Set a daily goal for yourself.Check off every day that you achieve that goal.

URGENCY ANDIMPORTANCE MATRIX

CLASSIFY YOUR TASKSImportant and UrgentImportant, but Not UrgentNot Important, but UrgentNot Important and Not Urgent

Copy This StatementEvery single day, starting immediately, set aside a block of prime time to work on something important that does not need to be done today.Ed Bliss Getting Things Done(A Quadrant 2 activity)

MASTER LIST/DAILY PLAN SYSTEMMaintain an annual Master Plan of tasks and goals. Pencil in the month you will accomplish each.Transfer annual tasks and goals to a Daily Planner, which you update every 24 hours.

DEALING WITH PERFECTION PARALYSISConsider the importance of excellence rather than perfection.Get it down, then get it right. Jimmy Colono Co-founder of Career Track

Learn to trust your INTUITION.Make predictions and see how often they are correct.Make some decisions quickly. Flip a coin now and then!Do nothing for five to ten minutes several times a day.

HOW TO SUCCEED WITHOUT FEARAn average performer is goal driven.A peak performer is mission driven.Charles Garfield

*You can list your goals. What is your mission?

MISSION STATEMENT

Write your personal/professional mission statement. It should be so important that it will transcend your fears.

FEARS AND GOALS Take just 60 seconds and list the 10 things you love most in life.Use your 10 Loves List to create goals to work through your fears.

WILL POWERWONT POWER

Be clear with yourself and others about what you will and wont do on the job and in your personal life.Say NO more often.

OVERCOMING PROCRASTINATIONWhat can you use right now?What will help you in your job search?What will help you on the job?What will improve your personal life?What will make you a more successful human being?

Evaluation QuestionsUse:a. Strongly agreeb. Agreec. Disagreed. Strongly disagreee. Dont knowI found the presentation of material easy to understand.This Advantage session increased my knowledge on the subject presented.I will be able to use some of the information from this Advantage session in the future.The presenter was well prepared for this advantage session.This presentation should be repeated in future semesters.

Has worked in advertising, marketing, sales, and production. Consulting partner with Blanchard Training and Development in San Diego.Divides Procrastination into general and selective. Where and when you procrastinate may explain why you procrastinate.Answer the following questions to find out more about your style.

(Allow time for students to answer these.) Based on your answers to these 5 questions, decide if you are a general or selective procrastinator.Fear of rejectionGoals set a structure. Use the job search as an example.Measurable-always running, dont know when the race is over.Figure out what motivates you. Example of a teenager who wants a car. A dynamic tension occurs and the teen reaches his goal.Benjamin Franklin wrote habits he wanted to strengthen on pieces of paper and carried them in his pocket.A simpler possibility is to list all the tasks you have to perform. Prioritize them as A,B, or C.Define important as relevant to YOUR goals.III=urgent to others, not to youIV Tasks are often short and easy. Performing them is an insidious form of procrastination. Use Calculated Neglect to ignore these.Important but not urgent taskWoodring carries a massive planner with her at all times. Find out what works best for you. I recommend combining personal and professional planning.This type of procrastinator wants a job to be perfect. If it cant be perfect, he or she puts it off or never starts it. A task can be done on some level and then improved upon.Getting ready for a job interview. What kind of questions will be asked?Ordering from a menu, choosing your clothes for the day, shopping. To get calm and in touch with your intuition. How to use lunch time?Example a young man who inherits the family business and doesnt want it. A person promoted within the ranks of her own company who fears resentment from co-workers. More successful workers have more choices to make.1. Mission statement can be short but wont be easy. Consider it to be the sum of all of your goals.Use this list in your job search. Will the job you are considering be a good match for you?

The lilly story about the woman who received one lilly which inspired her to put her household in order.Remember you may soon be managing others who may not be as motivated as you are.