{"id":8008,"date":"2011-12-03T01:15:10","date_gmt":"2011-12-03T09:15:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=8008"},"modified":"2013-09-16T08:47:44","modified_gmt":"2013-09-16T16:47:44","slug":"3-ways-to-make-the-most-out-of-procrastinating","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-ways-to-make-the-most-out-of-procrastinating\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Ways to Make the Most Out of Procrastinating"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px;\" class=\"sharethis-inline-share-buttons\" ><\/div><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/Screen-shot-2011-12-02-at-5.58.12-PM.png\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In an ideal world, we\u2019d do everything on time every time and still have time left over to eat, sleep, travel, and play.<\/p>\n<p>In the real world, we simply procrastinate\u2026<\/p>\n<p>We know we shouldn\u2019t put things off but we do it anyway. The next time you identify a good project to \u201cdo later\u201d be sure to apply these 3 tips. They\u2019ll save you from those feelings of guilt, inefficiency, and dread that plague even the most seasoned procrastinator.<!--more--><\/p>\n<p><strong>Tip 1: Enjoy It<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Don\u2019t spend valuable procrastination time feeling guilty about what you\u2019re <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">not<\/span> doing. Enjoy yourself. When it comes down to the wire and you&#8217;re sweating bullets to meet a deadline, you\u2019ll have lots of beautiful memories to make it all worth it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>If you\u2019re genuinely a worry wart, create a plan for completing the task so you can relax about not getting to it right away.<\/li>\n<li>Consider doing something semi-productive like cleaning, getting organized, re-connecting with old acquaintances, eating, learning a new dance, practicing your Latin, or even completing other neglected tasks.<\/li>\n<li>Make a list of things that you did while procrastinating. You\u2019ll need this list to be able to sleep at night with a clear conscience.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Life is short. There\u2019s no point putting something off if you\u2019re going to feel guilty about it the whole time.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tip 2: Create an Efficient System of Reminders<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>It will make you feel like you\u2019ve at least done <em>something<\/em> toward completing the task at hand. If you\u2019re lucky, doing this will also help you get started on the task sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Step 1: Pick your favorite reminders (a good combo is using the alarm or calendar feature on your phone, the calendar in Microsoft Outlook, and snooze-able electronic sticky notes).<\/li>\n<li>Step 2: Stagger the reminders. If something is due on Friday, set the first alarm to go off seven days in advance. Set the second reminder to go off five days in advance. Set the third one to go off three days in advance.<\/li>\n<li>Step 3: Snooze all the reminders as necessary (or until you start to feel like a bum for snoozing three different reminders). Then get started on the task.<\/li>\n<li>Step 4: Continue using this system consistently until you become desensitized to all your reminders.<\/li>\n<li>Step 5: Go back to step 1 and choose a new combination of reminders.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>In other words, <span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">plan<\/span> your procrastination in advance. Yes, I just used \u201cplan\u201d and \u201cprocrastination\u201d in the same sentence. You can do it. I believe in you.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Tip3: Once You Start, Don\u2019t Stop!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Do you know when procrastination morphs into a beastly problem? It\u2019s when we try to procrastinate twice on the same activity. Don\u2019t do it. Once you start a task, complete it. No excuses.<\/p>\n<p><strong>How:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Start the task with the end in mind. Decide on your stopping point and do not relent until you achieve it.<\/li>\n<li>Play motivating music. I\u2019m too embarrassed to publicly disclose what I consider to be \u201cmotivating music\u201d but you know yourself. Play whatever gets adrenaline revving through your veins.<\/li>\n<li>When you\u2019re done, take pride in your work. If you can\u2019t take pride in the outcome of the task, maybe it wasn\u2019t even worth the effort to begin with (in which case procrastination was a sign of good judgment on your part).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This third rule is challenging at first but, with practice, it quickly becomes second nature. Once you start, just keep going until the job is done.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bottom Line <\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Putting things off should never be a half-butted affair. If you\u2019re going to procrastinate, go all out and use these three tips to excel at it.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em>Normally, this line should tell you who I am and what I do but I like you. And all I really want is for you to go <a href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/betamotivation\">on Facebook<\/a> and fall madly in like with me too. If you prefer, we can always just chirp at one another on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.twitter.com\/kolabeta\">Twitter.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Related Articles:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/smarter-time-management\/\">A Smarter Approach To Time Management<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/strategies-for-breaking-bad-habits-and-cultivating-good-ones\/\">Tips For Breaking Bad Habits and Developing Good Habits<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>Image courtesy of: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/missbritty\/\">Miss Britty<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We know we shouldn\u2019t put things off but we do it anyway. The next time you identify a good project to \u201cdo later\u201d be sure to apply these 3 tips. They\u2019ll save you from those feelings of guilt, inefficiency, and dread that plague even the most seasoned procrastinator. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/3-ways-to-make-the-most-out-of-procrastinating\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12163,"featured_media":8010,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0},"categories":[6],"tags":[4641,1768,846,66,1133,186,4629],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>3 Ways to Make the Most Out of Procrastinating - Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"If you\u2019re genuinely a worry wart, create a plan for completing the task so you can relax about not getting to it right away. 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