Pushing Past Procrastination – The Habit
Posted in "Fly on the wall" coaching moments, Entrepreneurial mindset, Environments for Success and tagged with Happy In Business, how to get things done as an entrepreneur, procrastination tips for entrepreneurs, Therese Skelly on 02/19/2011 05:29 am by Therese SkellyAs an entrepreneur, one of the most common challenges is the habit of procrastinating. In these next three blog posts I’ll share with you some very unique ways of looking at what it is, why it happens, and ways to overcome.
I thought I’d tackle the issue, but in a different way than most. We will look at it from three different perspectives. Ready? Here we go…
The Habit of Procrastination: Do you “plan your work and work your plan” or do you wait till the inspiration hits before you crank out your work product?
Ever hear of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator? It’s a wonderful tool to understand your personality type. I wonder if some procrastination is just related to personality differences. If you know the “MBTI,” you will know that personality and certain characteristics are innate/inborn. Those who are “J’s” in this system are the ones who schedule their time, block out projects, love structure, and again….plan their work.
The other style, or those of us who are “P’s” in MBTI lingo- seem to have a bit of a harder time. We are the multi-taskers, read five books at a time, and don’t necessarily like to close off our options long enough to buckle down and do one project at a time. I suspect that we may be a bit more challenged with problems procrastinating. (An example is my newsletter – I ‘should’ write it every two weeks on a schedule, but it’s more my style to wait till the inspiration hits for the articles to come. I am going to be moving to a more structured way of doing it – with a bit of friendly nagging from my team 
– but it’s not my natural way of working.)
Why do I reference the Myers-Briggs? Because some of the challenges you have with procrastination may be in trying to be what you are not, or by hearing that “this is the way to manage your time” but finding that it makes you feel like there’s a noose around the neck of your creativity.
The goal is to create a system that works for you. Here’s an example….some people can work on a task and so they block off hours and work straight till it gets done. Others would have to work in 15 minute chunks and allow for getting up periodically or letting in a few distractions to keep them energized. The secret is to find what works for YOU! Play with timers, accountability, telling people ahead of time, rewards, and even little punishments if you blow it. It all depends on what motivates you, so try different things until you find the environment that pulls you forward and minimizes your tendency to put things off.
Keep an eye out for my next post where I shed some light on “The Revelation of Procrastination”. Just don’t put it off for too long… : )
Blessings,
Therese
March 6th, 2010 at 2:13 pm
Well, you hit the nail on the head for me. I even tell everyone that no one diet works for everyone, and the same is true for work habits. I use to beat myself up because I could not stay on my ‘perfect day’ schedule. Since I am a P, I can easily get distracted, so I do have to be aware of the lure of other things going on. As you stated, sometimes those distractions will energize, and then I can go back and be more focused. I understand that my attention is in shorter bursts than others.
I think we all have to find a balance in our life and that means learning to work within your style. That is not to say that you can give yourself permission to be disorganized and inefficient, but learn to find a consistent way to accomplish your goals within a time frame that works for your lifestyle.
March 8th, 2010 at 11:13 pm
Thanks Norma.
It sounds like you have found the right balance and are living in a way that works for you. I appreciate the comment.
All my best,
Therese
February 18th, 2011 at 6:17 pm
[...] Therese Skelly, why do I keep procrastinating? on 03/08/2010 05:29 am by Therese Skelly Part 1 of this series about procrastination dealt with some strategies on how to overcome the “Habit of [...]
February 18th, 2011 at 6:19 pm
[...] Therese Skelly, using procrastination to help you say no on 03/10/2010 05:34 am by Therese Skelly In the last article of this series we’ve talked about how to leverage your personality to overcome procrastination [...]
February 19th, 2011 at 5:58 am
Wow!!! This post helped me rid myself of the guilt that I had because I wasn’t doing things like everyone else. I will now figure out what works for me!
February 25th, 2011 at 5:31 am
Therese,
Great post on an issue that plagues so many people. I found that remembering to ask myself, “Is this the highest and best use of my time?” or “Is this going to bring me closer to or further away from my goals?” when I catch myself procrastinating it helps me to snap myself back into focus.
March 3rd, 2011 at 2:50 pm
Love your ideas Evelyn. It’s just about having a focus in front of us.
March 3rd, 2011 at 2:51 pm
That makes me happy to hear. Thanks for sharing Jeanelle.