Procrastination

As a leader, do you sometimes find yourself procrastinating?

To procrastinate may be human but it's not very rewarding. If putting off tasks is hindering your performance, making you unhappy, or preventing you from doing what needs to be done, try these three things:

• Identify what you put off. When you find yourself ignoring or delaying a task, ask yourself why. Knowing what you tend to put off can help break the cycle and prevent future procrastination.
• Set deadlines. Break up tasks into smaller chunks - when possible - and then create a schedule with clear due dates for each part.
• Increase the rewards. Tasks with rewards far in the future are easy to put off. To make a task feel more immediate, focus on the short-term rewards. If there aren't any, insert your own. Treat yourself to a coffee break or a quick chat with a co-worker once you've finished a task.

Adapted from "Stop Procrastinating...Now" by Amy Gallo.